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Langston Hughe's Profund Influence On Blac Literature |
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Written by Darren
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A prime example of Hughes' work would be "Dead in There" from his first collection, Weary Blues. It isn't his most commercial work, but it is a brilliant poem, that displays his wit, straight-forwardness and well- his negativity. Te poems appears to depict the funeral of a man who went no where. We all know those stories of those people who have all of this creative ambition, but never really end up that much farther then where they started. The poem was most likely one of Langston's jazz-musician friends who was misunderstood by traditionalists.
"Dead in There" has a dark tone with a humorous twist created by vivid imagery. The image of a "night funeral" of the jazz musician is powerful. Langston clearly has a lot of negativity. Some of the worlds greatest poets have written masterpieces on the theme of death, but most them aren't as bitter as this when is. This guy was his friend,
and he basically said that he lived his life for nothing. They "Plant him now- Out where it
makes/no diff' now." Every ounce of character, individuality, and spirit is gone. Once someone has passed on It no longer matters what others thought of them, or what they thought of themselves.
"Dead in There" consists of 5 stanzas, with the first and last stanza holding the most content; along with the most importance. Emphasis it put on "Wake up and live!", which is ironic considering this is a negative poem about a dead man. The lyrics of the poem are written in a bluesy, artsy way. They are almost like the lyrics of an old jazz song. Langston's work during the 20's and 30's generally have this feeling.
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