Langston Hughes: A Study of Blues Poems
Langston Hughes was an African American Poet who had a passion for blues. A study on the six poems of Langston Hughes shows how almost all the poems follow a typical form where the first line gives a statement, the second line gives a variation, and the third line shows an ironic alternative. In the blues poems tone is the author’s attitude towards an audience or a subject and is determined by different factors such as imagery and attitude. Each of the blues poems expresses different tones with some poems having different tone while others are similar. In the blues poems, the tone changes as the poem go along in each of the poems. The author expresses different attitudes concerning the people he addresses and concerning the thing he talks about. In doing so, the author expresses the general emotional weather outlined in the poem.
A Song for a Dark Girl
A Song for a dark girl poem displays a nostalgic moment similar to most love song blues. The poet makes use of allusion to bring external contexts into the poem which contributes to its tone. A tone of despair is evident throughout this poem through poet’s words. It is an emotional piece of writing which shows the feelings shared by African Americans in that period. Also, the poem reveals a melancholic atmosphere since the girl is lamenting concerning the death of her lover. The song is used to express sad moments which as opposed to its main use in happy moments.
The Morning After Blues
The Morning After blues presents a different aspect contrary to most of Langston’s sad poems. The poem reveals strong emotions between two partners who are fond of each other but not in a serious relationship. The words in this poem when sang as a blues song sound happy rather than reading. “Woke up and looked around me…I said, Baby! Baby! Baby!” These words reveal an affectionate attitude of the persona towards his lover. However, Langston displays a humorous tone while describing the persona’s partner bad sleeping habit like snoring, which does not seem to bother him. “You just a little bit o’ woman, but you sound like a great big crowd” (Langston 39).
Too Blue
In the “Too Blue” poem there is a variation in tone in each line. For instance, the tone is patriotic in the first line, “I, too, sing America” shows the national anthem which symbolizes unity. Also, the tone is one of self-pride since the author is treated as an embarrassment and inferior to white men. Hughes expresses hope and an optimistic tone towards the end of the poem. He says “But I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong” (Langston). This is the unique aspect of this poem compared to the other blues.
Midwinter Blues
Midwinter Blues is rated as one of Hughes romantic poems that blend with the blues genres music in almost all aspects. In the poem, Hughes expresses a sad atmosphere similar to most love blue songs that express loss thus giving a sense of loneliness in slow, soft tunes. Midwinter Blues and A Song for a Dark Girl blues poems express a similar sad tone throughout the poem.
Late Last Night Blues
Late Last Night blues further intensify a melancholic mood due to a broken heart. Langston initiates the reader with another second party persona, “You,” who seems to cause the sad attitude in the persona. Similar to Midwinter Blues and A Song for a Dark Girl Poem, the persona speaks of grief as a result of being jilted in a romantic relationship. Langston writes “Last night I set on my steps and cried… wasn’t nobody gone, neither nobody died… I was crying cause you broke my heart into two” (Langston). The poem reveals a sad tone since the persona is gloomy and grieving due to the loss of a relationship with a loved one, an attribute also associated with slow blues jams.
Could Be
In the poem Could Be, Hughes uses the repetitive phrase “Could be” emphasizes the various likelihoods that the persona anticipates in meeting his lover once again. This poem contemplates on the various possible chances the persona is thinking about concerning rekindling his relationship with his lover. Hughes writes, “Could be 18th and Vine Could be Rampart… Could be that you love me, Could be that you don’t”. (Langston). A sad tone is evident in this poem like in Midwinter Blues and A Song for a Dark Girl due to the relationship issues affecting the persona.
The Importance of Tone in the Blues Poems
In poems, an expression of tone is important to ensure the reader understands from his perspective. It determines the purpose and audience throughout the poem. Therefore, the use of appropriate tone attracts and keeps the reader’s attention. In the blues poems tone establishes the suitable mood of the story and prepares the reader’s emotion to commence reading the poem. Hughes makes use of tone appropriately in the blues poems thus the readers find it easy to read and understand the poem’s message in a suitable mood. The overall tone of a poem is significant in the same way one’s tone of voice affects listening during conversations.
Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. Song for a Dark Girl. The Norton Anthology Of Modern and Contemporary Poetry Vol. 1, 1927.
Hughes, Langston. The Collected Works of Langston Hughes: Essays on art, race, politics, and world affairs. Vol. 9. University of Missouri Press, 2001.
Hughes, Langston. Three blues poems. Uploaded on June 26th 2013, Retrieved from https://bloozers.wordpress.com/2013/07/26/langston-hughes-three-blues-poems-with-audio/
Locklear, Scott. "Song for a Dark Girl - Summary and Analysis" eNotes Publishing Ed. eNotes.com, Inc. eNotes.com 17 Nov, 2018 https://www.enotes.com/topics/song-for-a-dark-girl#summary-summary-analysis
Tracy, Steven Carl, and Steven C. Tracy. Langston Hughes " the blues. University of Illinois Press, 2001.
