)How does Hughes use dialect and the first person point of view to develop a singular persona that expresses a broader comment on general experiences about race, class, economic structures and their influence?
POST 2 & 3: Respond to at least two other student posts.
Each post should be a MINIMUM of 250 words. This grade will be based on the quality and depth of analysis as well as the level of participation.
Link to articles:
Articles to read: Langston Hughes The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Mother to Son, I, Too, pg 2121
Richard Wright The Man Who Was Almost a Man pg 2244
Respond to this students responses:
Wendy Diazgranados
Re: Discussion #4-A
In the story of “The Man Who Was Almost A Man,” Dave is not a man. He is 17 years old, and he still lives and answers to his parents. Dave works plowing the fields for Mr. Hawkins; his mother collects his pay and holds onto his money. Although Dave is close to being of legal age, he is treated as a child, and his parents feel that he is not responsible enough to make good decisions with his money.
Dave’s parents are the force that prevents Dave from becoming a man. Dave is intrigued with learning how to shoot. Dave’s action demonstrates his immaturity in using the weapon near the mule and doing so on Mr. Hawkins’s land, as he has never fired a gun. Dave does not overcome the issue of him becoming a man. In the end, he gets discovered because of the gunshot wound to Jenny that ultimately causes her death, and he tried to hide the incident. Dave is held responsible and must pay for the mule but his irresponsible actions do not stop at the shooting of Jenny.
To add more issues to Dave’s recent conduct, he sneaks out that same night and reshoots the gun. After he shoots his final bullet, he even thinks of breaking into Mr. Hawkin’s house to scare him. His thoughts are not of a level-headed, responsible person or a man. His mind frame has shifted once he feels comfortable having the gun, and he states that he will not let anyone control him any longer as long as he has the gun.
Reference
Wright, R. (2017). The Norton anthology of American literature. (R. S. Levine, Ed.; 9th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 10591067). W.W. Norton & Company.
Wendy Diazgranados
Re: Discussion #4-B
In the poems of Langston Hughes, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Mother to Son,” “I, Too,” and “Democracy.” The significant similarities in these poems would be the race, financial, and class struggles the people of color have experienced for centuries. In the poems, Langston Hughes talks about not giving up, fighting for what you believe in, and not giving in to what the white men put upon people of color.
Langston Hughes believes that people of color have waited long enough for change to happen, but his central idea is that change will not occur if people of color do not stand up for themselves and their loved ones. That by sitting back and waiting for the people of color’s struggles to disappear on their own, that is not going to happen.
If they do not speak up and bring awareness to the issues people of color want to change, then the white people will continue treating non-white people as they have been doing for decades or even centuries. In his poem, Langston Hughes states that his people have been around long enough and have earned the same rights just as everybody else. The people of color have put in a lot of work and effort to be on their land. They want the same things as the white people get, such as economically, socially, and class status based on their progress.
Finally, Langston Hughes’s poem is based on rights of people of color, and how people should not be looked down on based on the color of someone’s skin.
References
Hughes, L. (2017). Norton anthology of american literature (R. S. Levine, Ed.; 9th ed., Vol. 2, pp. 10371042). W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
