Following the emancipation of slaves, rhyme songs, ballads, and blues became abundant in the African American community. Blues was a reflection of the trials and tribulations of African American life and tended to have a melancholy tone. These genres were a form of solo folk song in which the performer translates emotion into music by using wordless sounds, and they became the foundation for the development of jazz. Although blues and jazz are considered musical cousins, jazz was a joyous revolt from convention, authority, and sorrow. Jazz was characterized by a sense of energy and a melody that did not always follow the beat.
Hughes wonders if his paper will be graded differently because he is black. In the poem he depicts this by stating, "I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT/like/the same things other folks like who are/other races/So will my page be colored that I write?" (Hughes) The author has a very strong attachment to the poem; it’s about his own life and struggles involved in it. Back when this poem was written, it was very difficult to be a black man in what was then known as a white man’s world. In
I would like feedback on how I did describing my elements and what I could of done better, possibly different examples from the poem. Sincerely, Jason Stoddard Jason Stoddard Professor Feldman ENGL 200 September 24, 2013 The Elements of the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers This poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers is author by Langston Hughes, who was born in Joplin Missouri, and lived in Kansas, Illinois and Ohio (Hughes 251). This author did travel to see the different aspects of America during a time where African Americans were in transition as well on a mission for equality. He is known for writing about urban life as well as his feelings of being oppressed. The element with his poetry can be explained.
Though jazz music was popular in the 1950s, it was known as ‘black’ music, meaning that white people weren’t associated with the music; it was a cultural division between black and white people in America. When looking at the poem, however, it seems as if O’Hara wants to be part of the ‘black’ music and feel a part of it. Unfortunately he can’t because of the racial division in America at the time. What interests me is that this poem doesn’t attack black people; it instead talks about the problems of being white, which according to the norms of the USA at the time should have been the complete opposite. Amiri Baraka, a fellow poet who was a friend of Frank O’Hara at the time, was black.
It can be said that during the 1950’s and 1960’s rock and roll music became a key medium of expressing black pride ideologies and brought a sense of racial unity. Body Rock and roll brought a sense of racial unity during the 1950’s and the 1960’s for a number of reasons. First off, it was accepted by both black and white audiences. Performers of rock and roll music communicated black philosophy and promoted black pride. Such performers could be seen in Afro hairstyles which demonstrated their pride in being truly black and their lyrics promoted black unity.
Until the dawn of the 20th century the pale-skinned poets and their rose-tinted interpretation of the world dominated the whimsical world of literature. But the fiery uprising of the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1920’s shook America to its core. Fortified black voices broke out across the nation, effectively using rhythms and cadences so clearly defined by the African-American culture, but the soulful voice that rose above the rest was the voice of Langston Hughes. The poetry that Hughes crafted was filled with sensual rhythms and beats. His stanzas united the beautiful simplicity of blues and jazz music with the heart rendering soulful cries of a race defined by oppression.
Because of his determination to write about the authentic experience of Black America, Hughes was criticized by some of his contemporaries for what they perceived as negative portrayals of African Americans as well as for dealing with subjects that some reviewers considered not fitting for literature. Hughes spent much of his career writing about the experience of the blacks in the United States, exploring issues of race and racism in his poetry, fiction, non-fiction and plays. He questioned the subconciousness of “white is best” proudly said “I am a negro- and beautiful” (Gates, Mckay 1271). Langston Hughes in his essay The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain says “Most of my own poems are racial in theme and treatment derived from the life I know. In many of them I try to grasp and hold some of the meanings and rhythms of jazz”(Gates, Mckay 1270).
This song combines traditional pop music with that of hip-hop, a style that became popular in the eighties in the African American community and is characterized by poetry performed in time to a distinct beat. It was revolutionary and controversial at first, but has become quite mainstream. RHYTHM The rhythm of Beethoven’s 5th is unmistakable and is so important to the piece that it defines it and makes it recognizable. It is exemplified by the first 4 beats, short-short-short-long, and those beats permeate the entire piece. It is written in 2/4 time which translates to 2 quarter notes for each measure.
The poem “I know why the cage bird sings” by Maya Angelou is a powerful and inspirational poem that everyone is can relate to. It reflects the lives of people who have been held back because they are part of a certain group. This poem carries a certain air of resonance relating to sorrow, captivity and racism; however it uses very simple diction and many figurative language devices. For many years, African Americans have endured many injustices, discrimination, and have been treated as though they are inferior. In this poem Maya Angelou establishes a clear difference between a free bird and a caged bird, which symbolizes an African American man or woman and a white man or woman.
10 October 2012 Comparing and Contrasting: “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes are both two very talented African American poets. Although Langston Hughes died in 1967 at the age of 65; the poems he wrote during his time were impressive. Maya Angelou is still writing poems today and continues to amaze us. This essay will compare a poem from each of poets to show the vast differences in these two writings. In comparing and contrasting the two poems, “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, there are definitely more differences than similarities.