Langston Hughes: February 2008

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Language

This is one of those books that I want to hear. The way that Hughes' writes his words, the spelling, is so neat that it makes me read it aloud (even if it's to myself). The language is so neat (for lack of a better word)! The first chapter drew me in so much, I can't wait to learn more about Sandy (I'm not very far along but I blame it on my pending nuptials) and see why what he has to laugh about.

The Storm

Langston Hughes, in Not Without Laughter, demonstrates the ability to draw a perfect picture. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, chapter 1 under 1,000 words could not be capture in a single picture. The five senses of the readers are heavily drawn upon, "the air was very still and yellow" (p. 19), creating an experience beyond your typical experience. How many of us are that in tune with our senses that we can draw on each of them with such command? Most of the time in order for us to draw on our sense of smell, we require an unusual or significantly different smell. The descriptions encountered in this first chapter remind me of two recent books I have read, The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy) and The Inheritance of Loss (Kiran Desai). The next two chapters (3-4) are rather insignificant in comparison artistically, however, if they were the beginning of the book I do not feel I would continue reading.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Not Without Laughter

I like the title of this book.There is so much meaning that can be had from the title Not Without Laughter, it is like a title to one of his poems. I have read up to chapter eight. I like the historical context of the story,I think it gives a clear view of what daily life was like for blacks during this time period. Heavily detailed, many parts were dry. The first chapter started off exciting but it jumped right into daily life and heavily detailed descriptions of the characters.This book is so detailed with description it could easily be made into a movie, it almost seems that Hughes was seeing it from that viewpoint. Sandy does not seem to play a big part as of yet.
P.Mongan

Hughes' poem on Booker T.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967), known for his lyric poetry, often wrote insightful commentaries about African-American culture and race relations in the United States. In this 1941 poem he makes a case for the vindication of educator Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), the former slave and founder of Tuskegee Institute (1881) and the National Negro Business League (1900) who was harshly criticized by many people for emphasizing vocational education as the prerequisite for the political empowerment of black people. In his poem, Hughes stresses the fact that Washington wanted to train the head, the heart, and the hand. He focuses on Washington's practicality and explains the educator's strategy with the statement,
"Sometimes he had compromise in his talk--for a man must crawl before he can walkand in Alabama in '85a joker was luckyto be alive.

This simple poem says so much.I thought Booker T.Washington was a genius in his time.He had foresight that is desperately needed in today's world.Unfortunately, there was a great division of people on Booker's ideals. I think today we are seeing the results of what Booker T. was trying to prevent. Patty

"Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes

The instructor said,
Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you—
Then, it will be true.
I wonder if it’s that simple?
I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.
I went to school there, then Durham, then here
to this college on the hill above Harlem.
I am the only colored student in my class.
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:
It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you.
hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York, too.) Me—who?
Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.
I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach.
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?
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
a part of you, instructor.
You are white—
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That’s American.
Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that’s true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me—
although you’re older—and white—
and somewhat more free.
This is my page for English B.