Bop by Langston Hughes

Be-Bop sheet music. Source: http://www.sheetmusicdirect.us/sheetmusic/song/1000049949/be-bop?redirect=1

Langston Hughes’ essay, Bop, is entirely a conversation between the narrator and the character named Simple (seemingly a father and a son since Simple refers to the narrator as “Daddy-o” (1)). It seeks to portray the cultural significance of Be-Bop music to those who might just take this type of music for granted, as well portray the hardships faced by African-American people during the time period of this essay. This essay was written in 1949, at a time when Jim Crow laws were still prevalent and African-American people were being persecuted because of their race. As a result, the essay strives to share about the unique cultural bond shared by African-American people through their music as a result of this persecution. It was written by Langston Hughes, who was an award winning poet. This essay is written in an interesting, poem-like way since it is comprised entirely of dialogue. The use of African-American dialect in the conversation helps the reader feel more connected to the author, since the audience of this essay is the white population trying to better understand Be-Bop music. Additionally, the repetition of the word “depressing” at the end of the essay provides an emphasis on Hughes opinion that this is a depressing topic that is being shielded by the positive facade of the happy music, and as a result, white people do not understand the hardships being faced by the African-American people at this time. Hughes also uses anecdotes. Hughes writes, “‘Then I have to go into my whole pedigree because I am a black man in a white neighborhood. And if my answers do not satisfy them, BOP!’” (2). The anecdotes in the middle of the essay of Simple’s experiences being hit in the head and feeling the rhythm of the music help the reader to understand the true meaning of the music in a “real-life” way. Hughes purpose of showing that Be-Bop music is more than just nonsense music and is a meaningful bond between African-Americans because of their struggles is fulfilled by the use of repetition and of anecdotes.

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/thewar/at_home_civil_rights_minorities.htm

http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/langston-hughes

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou’s essay, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, explains her coming-of-age experience when she begins to understand the struggles she faces because of her race. Angelou was a successful writer, winning many awards, as well as being an actress, dancer, and singer. This essay was written as a memoir about her childhood, and it was written to explain to the general public about the difficulties she faced growing up as an African-American child. Additionally, it portrays the epiphany she has when she realizes that it is important to remain kind and strong instead of lashing out in order to defeat evil. Angelou uses the narrative mode of writing for this memoir, and the essay is comprised entirely of multiple personal anecdotes. Angelou also uses rhetorical questions and metaphors throughout the essay. The rhetorical questions help put the reader in Angelou’s mindset and allow Angelou to insert the thoughts she was having during the situations in the essay. For example, Angelou writes, “How long could Momma hold out? What new indignity would they think of to subject her to?” (15). These questions allow the reader to understand Angelou’s thoughts and feelings while the event is taking place, and therefore, create a stronger connection to Angelou.

The metaphors provide more thorough descriptions that place the reader in the story and give the reader a better understanding. For example, Angelou writes, “I burst. A firecracker July-the-Fourth burst” (15). This metaphor describes how angry Angelou was when the girls were disrespectful to Momma, and it helps the reader better understand Angelou’s feelings about their nasty actions. These two rhetorical devices are useful in helping Angelou’s purpose of portraying the struggles of her childhood because they place the reader in the story in Angelou’s shoes, which form stronger connections between Angelou and the reader. The connections that are formed are then used to help the reader better understand and become informed about the struggles Angelou faced growing up as an African-American girl, since the essay is written well after the events in the essay took place and the audience has not lived through similar events themselves.

Maya Angelou as a child.   Source: http://www.eurweb.com/2014/05/author-poet-maya-angelou-dies-in-north-carolina-at-86/

Sources:

http://www.biography.com/people/maya-angelou-9185388#career-beginnings

How It Feels to Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston

Glass Beach by Christopher Jobson

Zora Neale Hurston’s essay, How It Feels to Be Colored Me, provides an interesting insight into her unique mindset about being “colored.” Hurston was a renowned author who wrote African-American literature in the twentieth century. This particular essay was published in 1928, at a time when segregation was still prevalent between African-American and white people. As a result, this essay seems to be directed towards the American society and suggests Hurston’s view of equality between people of different races. Hurston writes, “A bit of colored glass more or less would not matter. Perhaps that is how the Great Stuffer of Bags filled them in the first place--who knows?” (4). Hurston uses a child-like tone when referring to “the Great Stuffer of Bags,” which demonstrates her opinion that segregation is an immature action. This quote seeks to make the reader feel foolish when Hurston uses glass in bags to symbolize society and the lack of importance of the glasses’ colors (similar to the lack of importance of people’s colors). Hurston includes multiple other objects in her figurative bag as symbols for different aspects of life, as well as personal anecdotes about her life. These anecdotes strive to create a stronger connection between Hurston and the reader on a more personal level, which helps to more easily portray to the reader the triviality of skin color. Additionally, Hurston aims at making a connection with her audience in the beginning of her essay when she says, “I am colored but I offer nothing in the way of extenuating circumstances except the fact that I am the only Negro in the United States whose grandfather on the mother’s side was not an Indian chief” (1). By saying this, Hurston is explaining that she is an ordinary American, just like her reader, and there is nothing special or different about her. By making these connections with her audience through the usage of personal anecdotes and by explaining her average life, Hurston is able to accomplish her purpose of explaining the importance of equality between races. Through these connections, Hurston is able to reach her audience’s emotions and cause them to agree with her opinion on equality. Furthermore, her simplistic symbolism of items as pieces of society give the reader perspective on the childishness of segregation.