Poem 4

I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you,
Take the neon lights and make a crown,
Take the Lenox avenue busses,
Taxis, subways,
And for your love song tone their rumble down.
Take Harlem's heartbeat,
Make a drumbeat,
Put it on a record, let it whirl,
And while we listen to it play,
Dance with you till day--
Dance with you, my sweet brown Harlem girl.

Langston Hughes

Allusion:"Take the neon lights and make a crown"
Tone:passionate
Figurative Language:
Hyperbole:"I could take the Harlem night
and wrap around you", "Take the neon lights and make a crown"
Theme:Him tryin to impress her
Interpertation:He is trying to become her man.Since she is from Harlem he is trying to take everything that people love about Harlem and tryin to impress her



http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/juke-box-love-song/

poem 3

As I Grew Older
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun--
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky--
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
Langston Hughes

Allusion:the apperance of a dark wall and a dark shadow
Tone:passion and anger
Figurative Language:
simile:Bright like a sun
Hyperbole:"Rose until it touched the sky"
Theme:fighting to reach his dreams
Interpretation:The man has a dream but he is being stopped from reaching his dream because he is black


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/as-i-grew-older/

Poem 2

50-50

I’m all alone in this world, she said,
Ain’t got nobody to share my bed,
Ain’t got nobody to hold my hand
The truth of the matter’s
I ain’t got no man.

Big Boy opened his mouth and said,
Trouble with you is
You ain’t got no head!
If you had a head and used your mind
You could have me with you
All the time.

She answered, Babe, what must I do?

He said, Share your bed
And your money, too.

Langston Hughes

Allusion:There is no allusion in this poem
Tone:sad and frustrated
Figurative Language:there is no figurative language                         
Theme:loneliness and desperation
Interpretation:The women is lonely and sad because she has nobody and the man is say he will be hers if she shares her things with him




http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/50-50/&oldupsid=643450400404

TIMELINE

http://www.history-timelines.org.uk/people-timelines/23-langston-hughes-timeline.htm

Poem 1

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

THEME:Rain
Figurative Language
Personification:"Let the rain kiss you","Let the rain sing you a lullaby"
Hyperbole:"Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops"
Allusion:the whole poem is an allusion
Tone:calm and relaxing
Interpretation:The poet loves when it rains and how it relaxes him




http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/april-rain-song/


http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/april-rain-song/&oldupsid=060619258584

Langston Hughes biography

Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902.He was born in Joplin, Missouri. He published his first poem in 1921.It was called "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". His poetry was promoted by Vachel Lindsay and Hughes published his first book in 1926. He wrote poetry, stories, and plays.he attended Columbia University in 1921, but he left a year later. In 1925 he attend Lincoln University and stayed there until 1959.While he was there he wrote a book of poems" The Weary Blues " that launched his writing career.