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juxtaposing/metaphor/imagery
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Langston Hughes uses juxtaposition, imagery, and metaphor in his poem to explore
African Americans' protest for their rights.
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mother to son / let America be America again
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Juxtaposition: bracket, (A never was A to me, no freedom & equal), stanza 4 uses the
different kinds of people (poor white fooled, Black slave scared, red remove from land)
/ juxtaposition (dream broken) emphasize control by the high state.
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Stanza 4-7 shows different people, different people, but all are controlled by others.
Protest for equality, show society is not balanced, and gain more rights, not controlled,
free
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Metaphor: stanza 10, people as leeches, people gain all, using anything they can.
<Mother> X crystal stairs, tacks in it, splinters, boards torn up.
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Protest: not want people like leeches (keep gaining X stop), crystal to show how Black
treated, reveal the systemic race oppresses, no right no money
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Imagery: X crystal stairs, tacks in it, splinters, boards torn up, no carpet on the floor—
Bare. Use AAVE, showing imagery of the uncultured, uneducated, AF people.
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Protest: crystal poor, less edu, no way to survive. AAVE low edu, not accepted by people.