By Tasslyn Magnusson
The Dream Keeper and other Poems is a collection of poems, originally intended by Langston Hughes to be for black children and in celebration of black cultural identity. From poems like the Lullabye for a Black Mother to the outstanding, “My people,” Hughes joyfully describes his culture and love of his culture. “My People” ends with “Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people,” (60). The poems also are often a call to action. “I, Too,” asserts the humanity and equality of black people in America. Longing for the day when they too will be invited to dine at the table, rather than the kitchen, the poem’s narrator states: “Besides, / They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed - / I, too, am America” (63). |
For me, as a writer working on a novel in verse, I found the blues poems to be especially helpful. The metaphors and similes carry the story but the meter and syncopation of the lines are essential for shaping the mood of the poem. In “Bound No’th Blues” the repetition of walk and road throughout the poem suggests the steady foot beats, creating setting for the tale of the northern bound walker. Walk, Road, up, down, feet that carry on forward (28). |
The other lesson is in Hughes’ masterful use of metaphor and similes. The one that struck me and stuck with me was “Mother to Son,” a poem where a mother explains to her son that life is challenging, comparing it to a broken down, rickety staircase. She explains she’s hit landings, turning corners, yet, she continues on. “I’se still goin’, honey, / I’se still climbin’ (64). |
Images above used under creative commons: from Amazon, myjourneywithjudy, teachmix |