Friday, September 17, 2010

Langston Hughe's Poetry Questions

LANGSTON HUGHES POETRY

DEMOCRACY

  1. What is the tone in this poem?
  2. Who do you think is the speaker in the poem?  Describe him or her.
  3. What clichés is the speaker tired of hearing? Why?
  4. What is ironic about the title “Democracy”?


DREAMS DEFERRED

  1. What does “deferred” mean?
  2. To you , what was the most dramatic image evoked in the poem? Why? ?
  3. What do you see as the ultimate theme presented in this powerful poem?


DREAM VARIATIONS

1.      What is the rhyme pattern here?
2.      How is the tone different here than in the prior two poems?
3.      Is there any significance in his contrast of white day, pale evening
and his own description of being black and dark?  Explain.
4.      Why is the night seen as gentle and tender and the day as quick and whirling?

DREAMS
1.      Give me an example of personification.
2.      What are the metaphors for life?
3.      What happens if we lose our faith in dreams?  

I, TOO
     1.  To what time in American history do you think the 1st stanza relates?
     2.  When and how can shame be productive?  
     3. Recall a time you have dfeltr ashamed and learned something valuable from the experience.

MOTHER TO SON
1.      How is dialect effective in this poem?
2    What effective metaphor was used to describe the narrator's life?  
4.      What are the “landins, “light, ”“corners” and “darkness” in life? 
5.   What is the universal theme of this poem?

***After completing these questions to hand in in class, discuss on the blog what you think are two universal themes Hughe's presents over all these poems?  Support your choices by referring to lines that express your ideas.