The Theme Analysis Of Four Of Langston Hughes'Poems And Four Of Countee Cullen'sPoems.

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ABSTRACT

Dalam tugas akhir ini, saya menganalisis tema dari empat puisi Langston Hughes yang berjudul “I Dream a World”, “Ruby Brown”, “Merry-Go-Round” dan “A New Song” melalui diksi. Selain itu, saya juga menganalisis tema dari empat puisi Countee Cullen yang berjudul “Incident”, “Uncle Jim”, “Scottsboro, Too, Is Worth Its Song (A poem to American poets)” dan “A Brown Girl Dead” yang juga dianalisis melalui diksi. Kedelapan puisi tersebut menggambarkan diskriminasi yang dialami oleh orang-orang berkulit hitam, dan diungkapkan oleh Langston Hughes dan Countee Cullen melalui kata-kata yang berhubungan dengan diskriminasi.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Racial discrimination is “to treat differently a person or a group of people

based on their race origin” (“Racial Discrimination”) A clear example of

discrimination towards black people in America in 1920’s is that “Kentucky required separate schools, and also that no text book would be issued to a black would ever be reissued or redistributed, they were also prohibited interracial marriage” (“Segregation”).

Langston Hughes is a poet who gains fame “during the burgeoning of the arts known as the Harlem Renaissance” (Harper). Langston Hughes began to write in 1921 until 1954. In 1921, Hughes’ “The Negro Speaks of rivers,” was published in NAACP journal Crisis (“Langston Hughes Timeline”). Hughes’ first volume of poetry, The Weary Blues, appeared in 1926. A year later, Hughes’ second volume of poetry, Fine Clothes to the Jew, was published. In addition,

Langston Hughes’ first novel, Not Without Laughter was published in 1930. In

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-American music particularly blues and jazz. This sets his poetry apart from that of other writers, and it allowed him to experiment with a very rhythmic free verse” (Langston Hughes Biography). Langston Hughes’ poems that I will discussin my thesis are “I Dream a World”, “Ruby Brown”, “Merry-Go-Round” and “A New Song”. I choose to analyze the four poems in my thesis since they closely deal with discrimination towards black people.

Countee Cullen is a poet who attains fame “during the era known as the

New Negro or Harlem Renaissance” (Early). Moreover, Cullen also was known as

the most popular black poet and black literary figure in Dewitt Clinton High School. While in high school, Cullen won his first contest, a citywide competition, with the poem “I Have a Rendezvous with Life” (Early). At New York University, he wrote most of the poems for his first three volumes: Color (1925), Copper Sun (1927), and The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1927) (Early). Countee Cullen was “a

romantic lyric poet” (Johnson). Cullen’s poems that I will discuss in my thesis are

entitled “Incident”, “Uncle Jim”, “Scottsboro, Too, Is Worth Its Song (A poem to American poets)” and “A Brown Girl Dead”. I choose to analyze the four poems in my thesis as they deal with discrimination towards black people.

In my thesis, I am going to analyze the themes of Langston Hughes and

Countee Cullen’s poems. All of their poems are concerned with discrimination

towards black people. The definition of theme is “the central concept develops in

a poem” (Reaske 42). I will analyze the theme of the poems through diction,

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1. What is the theme of each poem? 2. How is the theme revealed?

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

1. To show the theme of each poem. 2. To show how the theme is revealed.

METHOD OF RESEARCH

I conduct library research for my thesis. First, I read the poems. After that, I analyze these poems through the dictions. And then, I search for a number of references from books and Internet websites. In the end, I draw conclusion from my thesis.

ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

I divide my thesis into three parts, preceded by the Acknowledgments, the Abstract, and the Table of Contents. Chapter One is the Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Method of Research, and the Organization of the Thesis. Chapter Two is The Theme Analysis of Four of Langston Hughes’s Poems. Chapter Three is The Theme Analysis of Four of Countee Cullen Poems. Chapter Four is the Conclusion. The thesis ends with Bibliography and Appendices, which

contain Langston Hughes’ and Countee Cullen’s poems and the Biographies of

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I am going to draw a conclusion on my analysis of four of Langston Hughes’s poems and four of Countee Cullen’s poems revealed through

diction. Four of Langston Hughes’ poems that I have analyzed in Chapter Two

are: “I Dream a World”, “Ruby Brown”, “Merry-Go-Round” and “A New Song.” Four of Countee Cullen’s poems that I have analyzed in the previous chapter are: “Incident”, “Uncle Jim”, “Scottsboro, Too, Is Worth Its Song (A poem to

American poets)” and “A Brown Girl Dead.”

There are several similarities between Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. First, they are both black people who come from the New Negro or Harlem Renaissance era, and they write poems about discrimination performed by white people towards black people. Secondly, in writing poems both Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen use simple words that are easily understood, in relation to discrimination. For example, in “I Dream a World”, Hughes uses the

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Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen use contrasting words in their poems. For example in “I Dream a World”, Hughes uses the words “black” and

“white”, while in “Uncle Jim”, Cullen uses the words “bitter” and “joy.”

There are also several differences between the poems written by Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. The first, it concerns the speakers’ attitudes in their

poems. The speakers in Langston Hughes’s poems show optimistic attitudes

towards discrimination, which is because Hughes was born and grew up in a multicultural environment that it made him realize that “both black and white

people are equal in many aspects of life” (“Langston Hughes: Childhood”). On the

other hand, the speakers in Countee Cullen’s poems show pessimistic attitude towards discrimination, because Cullen was “raised and educated in a white

people community” (“Countee Cullen”), which is why he thinks like white person,

who thinks that it is impossible for black people to be free from discrimination. In addition, Hughes and Cullen have different styles in writing poems. Langston Hughes’ poems are conversational, while Countee Cullen’s poems are

narrative. For example, in Hughes’ “Merry-Go-Round”, Hughes includes a conversation between the speaker and a white boy, while, in Countee Cullen’s

“Incident”, the speaker narrates the discrimination that took place in his or her life

in details.

In my opinion, Hughes is successful in presenting the issue of discrimination in his poems. Four of Langston Hughes’ poems that show the spirit

of optimism in facing discrimination are very inspiring. For example, in my favorite poem, “I Dream a World,” the narrator shows his/her optimism to

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message that one should not easily give up. Moreover, one has to be optimistic and brave in order to survive from any hardships in life, such as discrimination.

Cullen is also successful in presenting the issue of discrimination. Through four of Countee Cullen’s poems that I have analyzed, one is aware of how

discrimination may have a destructive impact on one’s life. For example, in

“Incident,” the discrimination that the narrator experiences makes him or her

become pessimistic because he or she is burdened by the discrimination he or she has experienced in the past. Even though I disagree with the pessimistic attitudes of the narrators in Cullen’s poems, I believe one may learn to understand why

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

References:

Reaske, Christopher Russel. How to Analyze Poetry. New York: Monarch Press, 1996.

Internet Websites:

“Countee Cullen.” Poets. 2011. 30 May 2011. <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/55>

“Discrimination.” The Free Dictionary. 2010. 31 Mar. 2010. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/discrimination>

Early, Gerald. “Modern American Poetry.” English Illinois. 1997. 16 Aug. 2010. <http://www.englishillinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/Cullen/life.htm>

Gaston, Charlie. “The Meaning of a Single White Rose.” eHow. 2011. 11 May 2011.

<http://www.ehow.com/about_5152759_meaning-single-white-rose.html>Hamilton, Carol Vanderveer. “American Writers and the Sacco -Vanzetti case.” English Illinois. 2011. 18 May. 2011.

<http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/m_r/millay/hamilton.htm>

Harper, Donna Akiba Sullivan. “Black History Month.” Gale Cengage Learning. 2010. 31 Mar. 2010.

<http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resource/bhm/bio/hughes_1.htm>

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< http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/cullen/life.htm>

Kennedy, Randall. “A Note on the Word “Nigger.” Harp Week. 1999. 20 Apr. 2011.

<http://www.civilwarliterature.com/01introduction/thenword.htm>

Kindig, Jessie. “Scottsboro Boys, Trial and Defense Campaign (1931–1937).” Black Past. 2011. 23 May 2011.

<http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/scottsboro-boys-trial-and-defense-campaign-1931-1937 >

“Langston Hughes Biography.” Kansas Heritage. 2011. 30 Jun. 2011. <http://www.kansasheritage.org/crossingboundaries/page6e1.html>

“Langston Hughes: Childhood.” Shmoop. 2011. 1 Jun. 2011.

< http://www.shmoop.com/langston-hughes/childhood.html>

“Langston Hughes Timeline.” Shmoop. 2011. 24 Jun. 2011.

< http://www.shmoop.com/langston-hughes/timeline.html>

“Merry-go-round.” The Free Dictionary. 2011. 6 Apr. 2011. <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/merry-go-round>

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

“Pessimism.” Cambridge Dictionary Online. 2011. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/pessimism>

Pilgrim, David. “What was Jim Crow.” Ferris State University. 2000. 3 Apr. 2011 <http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm>

Richard, Cicely. “Poetry Analysis: Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats.” Helium: Poets & Poetry. 2011. 13 May. 2011.

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<http://www.kawvalley.k12.ks.us/brown_v_board/segregation.htm>

“The History of Sacco and Vanzetti.” Torre Maggiore. 2000. 2 May 2011. <http://www.torremaggiore.com/saccoevanzetti/english.html>

“The Precept of Black Inferiority.” Associated Content. 2011. 20 May 2011. <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2555309/the_precept_of_black _inferiority.html?cat=37>

“What are Stereotypes about Black People?” Answer. 2011. 3 Mar. 2011.

<http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100801150621AAcOIU 3>

Primary Texts:

“A Brown Girl Dead.” Poetry Foundation. 2010. 10 Aug. 2010. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171330>

“Incident.” Poetry Foundation. 2010. 10 Aug. 2010. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/171327>

“Merry-Go-Round.” Poems About. 2010. 30 Mar. 2010.

<http://www.poemsabout.com/poet/langston-hughes/page-11/>

“Ruby Brown.” Random House. 2004. 30 Mar. 2010.

<http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=97 81400034024&view=printexcerpt>

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<http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/protest/text11/cullenscotts boro.pdf>