In this capstone, I will examine two of Langston Hughes poems “Mother to Son” “’Elevator boy”. These two poems I will dissect and fully interpret the meanings and symbols and imagery that both poems show. I hope by the end of this my audience will have a full understanding of lyric address and how these two poems deal with constructing communities from its audiences. I argue that through lyric address we are able to see the communities that people are put in through poetry.
I think that through the use of Langston Hughes poetry this will be very evident. Lyric address shapes the way people see different people in different communities. Many do not understand or know what lyric address is. Lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though they are often in the lyric mode. What Lyric address contends of is who is the author talking to many believe that it is to himself or to the audience. Lyric address is the “who” in whoever the poet is addressing in his poetry. I believe that lyric address and discourse go hand in hand with one another. Discourse community is a group of people who share a set of discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those goals. Linguist John Swales defined discourse communities as “groups that have goals or purposes and use communication to achieve these goals.”(Gutenberg Project) This is seen all through poetry is especially during the Harlem Renaissance. The two poems mentioned earlier by Langston Hughes that I will be uncovering show evidence of discourse community and use of lyric address. I have one interesting outlook on this. I believe that through lyric address you are able to put people into community groups based on the literature and beliefs that they have. This where you get discourse communities. I believe that across both poems I see Langston Hughes talking through the same character “(the son in both poems) theme in both poems. The common theme I see is struggle and how everyday life is not easy. This character is related to lyric address and discourse community through both poems. It connects the character from one poem to another and that creates that community.
One thing you must know first is a little background on the author and how his poetry deals with discourse community and lyric address. Langston Hughes was born “James Mercer Langston Hughes”, he was born February 1st in 1902. In Joplin Missouri. He is the child of James Hughes and Carrie Langston. Shortly after Hughes was born his parents separated for reasons unknown. His father then moved to Mexico. “Hughes was raised primarily by his grandmother, Mary, until she died in his early teens. From that point, he went to live with his mother, and they moved to several cities before eventually settling in Cleveland, Ohio.” (Britannica) It was during this time that Hughes first began to write poetry. One of Langston Hughes teachers introduced him to authors like Walt Whitman. Walt was one of his primary influencers on his writing style. Whitman’s style of writing and expressing exactly how he feels is what Langston Hughes took pride in. Langston graduated high school and wrote one of hist first poems “The Negros speaks rivers”. After doing so he moved to Mexico with his father for a short period of time. Hughes was highly praised for his success from his poem. Once he left Mexico and returned to the united states Hughes attended Columbia University. It was here that he got accustomed to the Harlem renaissance. The Harlem renaissance “was an intellectual, social, and artistic explosion centered in Harlem, New York, spanning the 1920s. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”, named after The New Negro, a 1925 anthology edited by Alain Locke. The movement also included the new African-American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by the Great Migration, of which Harlem was the largest.” (Britannica) Hughes was an original pioneer for the Harlem renaissance. Growing up Hughes worked many different jobs. Many that required intense labor you can see this by his description of how some of his poetry conveys the everyday working man. His poem like a “Dream Differed” “Mother to son” “Elevator boy” and “The Negro Mother” all of these poems exemplify an everyday African American and the troubles that they endure. Because of this very reason is why people loved and hated how Langston Hughes wrote and how he portrayed these characters in his poems. This also made him very loved by the African American community. “On the date of May 22, 1967 Langston Hughes lost his life due to complications of prostate.” (Britannica) Langston Hughes background explains so much about how pivotal he was to Harlem renaissance. Because of his poetry during the renaissance it was able to fuel the black community. This is why I believe Hughes poetry deals with discourse community and lyric address. As a poet Hughes was able to construct a community through his poetry. The way he uses his characters are what aids in the use of the rhetorical device of lyric address. He is able to persuade his audience on a notion and able to bring them together.
In “mother to son” The mother is telling the boy that all her hardships that she has endured he will too endure. That even though life is not easy you always have to keep pressing forward and never look weak. “Well, son, I’ll tell you: Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair. It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor Bare.” The first stanza clearly indicates the mother talking to the son. Explaining to him that life has not been a “crystal stair”. That there are problems around every corner of life and places where you have never been before. This imagery depicts the mother telling the boy about her life and what she has gone through. The second stanza takes a turn “But all the time I’se been a-climbin’ on, And reachin’ landin’s, And turnin’ corners, And sometimes goin’ in the dark Where there ain’t been no light. So boy, don’t you turn back.” She encourages the boy to stay on the bath that even though you may face trouble, you should never give up. The final stanza shows a positive outlook “Don’t you set down on the steps ’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard. Don’t you fall now— For I’se still goin’, honey, I’se still climbin’, And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.” The reiteration of how life has not been a crystal stair drives on the main point of my argument. In this poem you see a story and it provides imagery about a mother relaying her information to her son on how important it is to not give up. This is an associated theme across the second poem “elevator boy”.
Elevator Boy to me is the epidemy of lyric address. Here I believe that Langston Hughes is now the same boy from “mother to son” but grown up now. In this poem he talks about his life and the ups and downs he is currently facing. “I got a job now Runnin’ an elevator, In the Dennison Hotel in Jersey. Job ain’t no good though. No money around. Jobs are just chances Like everything else. Maybe a little luck now, Maybe not.” I see this as one of the points the mother was telling the son. That life aint a crystal stair. As you can see the son is now fully grown and on his own talking about his life and job. The last half of the poem is interesting. “Maybe a good job sometimes: Step out o’ the barrel, boy. Two new suits an’ A woman to sleep with. Maybe no luck for a long time. Only the elevators Goin’ up an’ down, Up an’ down, Or somebody else’s shoes To shine, Or greasy pots in a dirty kitchen. I been runnin’ this Elevator too long. Guess I’ll quit now” What I think these last lines of the poem is the son talking about life in general. He says “I been runnin’ this Elevator too long. Guess I’ll quit now” earlier in the poem he explains all the other things as well. Maybe a woman to sleep with maybe a chance to make some money. Here the son is talking about how his life is just a repeated cycle of going up and down. Even though is job is working as an elevator boy this is a metaphor for his life in general. His life has been a complete struggle with it shares of ups and downs.
Many people wonder what these two poems have in common. This leads back to my overarching point in this entire discussion. I believe that across both poems I see the same character in just later point in his life. Hughes as a poet allows you as the reader to interrupt what the poems means to you. He allows your mind to run and accumulate an interpretation for yourself. Hughes himself after a short period of time expanded his poetry to social injustices of the African American community. He uses his poetry to paint a picture of the world around us and how unjust it actually is. In my own opinion I believe this works well with discourse community.
Thought there are no recollections on Hughes take on discourse community. You can see through the analysis of his poetry. What Hughes did believe in is “counter public discourse” which is discourse within the public sphere, dominant publics exist whose discourse can subordinate other publics or exclude them from a related discourse. Counter publics are the result of discourse and/or people feeling marginalized, ignored, inadequately voiced, or silenced within the public sphere. “Counter public refers to those publics that form through mutual recognition of exclusions in wider publics, set themselves against exclusionary wider publics, and resolve to overcome these exclusions.” What Hughes believes these exclusions are is the injustices done to African Americans. It is at the heart of his poetry. He believes in the opposite of what the current culture wants and shows the negative light it shows on a community. Hughes uses this in his poetry for the African American’s people he gives them a voice and it is very evident within his poetry. In both poems we see the pain and oppression that these individuals have endured in their lifetime and how it has shaped them into who they are now. In his poetry the African American people are excluded from life like they are not important in anyway shape or form. This draws on the notation when the characters in his poems talk about the struggles that they encounter. The counter public is very important when it comes to discourse in his poetry because this is the discourse from which his poetry is formed. It all comes from the opposition and that adds to the effect of the poem.
Though Hughes had no particular take on discourse his Essay “The Racial Mountain” explains a lot about what community he aligned himself with. The essay that he wrote was written in 1926 and it shows his disappointment for one of his fellow poets Countee Cullen. Hughes said this “One of the most promising of the young Negro poets said to me once, “I want to be a poet—not a Negro poet,” meaning, I believe, “I want to write like a white poet”; meaning subconsciously, “I would like to be a white poet”; meaning behind that, “I would like to be white.”(1) And I was sorry the young man said that, for no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself. And I doubted then that, with his desire to run away spiritually from his race, this boy would ever be a great poet.” () This is the very counter public from which Hughes poetry resides. This young poet rather be white than be black because of how they are treated. Hughes enjoys being a black poet because he comes from the counter public side. The world he partakes in and his poetry are the counter public. Hughes also calls this The Racial Mountain. You can feel this in both the poems “Mother to Son” and “Elevator Boy” Both poems talk about that existing struggle that African Americans have to deal with on a daily basis. “But this is the mountain standing in the way of any true Negro art in America—this urge within the race toward whiteness, the desire to pour racial individuality into the mold of American standardization, and to be as little Negro and as much American as possible.” This divide hurts any young poet, tis divide is seen in both poems as well. In both poems they talk about how life isn’t easy and its universally known that because of this divide that life is ultimately harder. This is what the mother was trying to warn her son in “Mother to Son”. She tries to prepare her son for the struggles that await him. These issues transcend into the next poem and the son then talks about his life and the transitions that he encounters every day. This divide is the reason for the poetry itself.
One question that many people wonder on the matter of civic discourse and lyric address is how is it seen today? My only response to this is to just look around the world today. If you actually stop and ask yourself why is there so much anger in America today with all groups of life clashing? Its simple honestly, it is because these groups of people are related because of their specific discourse community. “A discourse community is a group of people who share a set of discourses, understood as basic values and assumptions, and ways of communicating about those goals. Linguist John Swales defined discourse communities as “groups that have goals or purposes and use communication to achieve these goals.”(wiki) this same definition goes right along with how Hughes views the Counter public discourse. The same problems that Langston Hughes dealt with in his time due to racism and unfair treatment are the same problems that we in America are facing today. “who but the Lord” by Hughes paints a vivid picture of America today. All in short due to the recent events that happened this summer with George Floyd death and the spring of acknowledgment of police brutality it makes Hughes poetry hold true. The African American people is the discourse for which his poetry talks about. It is also self-evident that much of his poetry express the hardships that African American people of all ages can attest to, that this world is “kinder Harder” for them. That the world today does not see them equal. As earlier you see discourse community is about how one group share a common goal or interest which puts them in a category amongst themselves. The African American community here in 2020 has been crying out. All of the injustices like police brutality and unfairness is still alive and well today just like in Hughes poetry. The African American community feel the same way and there must be a change in order to combat the issues and needs that Langston Hughes poetry describes. This is what America is to the black man, this is his burden.
I believe again that across both poems you can see the same character through Langston Hughes poetry “Mother to Son” and “Elevator Boy” Both poems show examples of lyric address and discourse community. What both poems demonstrate is the struggles and how hard life is for African Americans. I believe this was Langston Hughes overall point when he decided to make these poems. All of his poetry is related to a specific discourse “African American people”. He wanted the African American people to be heard and felt. He was well known for making characters and idols in his poetry, I felt that in these two poems it was very prominent the message he was trying to convey. By using the effects of lyric address to address the discourse community it allows the reader to completely immerse themselves in the poetry and words that are used to articulate the poem. Langston Hughes was a pioneer of his time and avidly built the Harlem renaissance. He was one of the main influencers of this movement. Because of his poetry and what it portrayed it shows how today those problems are still being faced in society. That the same discourse community that the “Mother to Son” talked about and in “Elevator boy” is the same issues that are still prominent in today’s society. From the shooting to killing of innocents and even police brutality. The African American community is still finding out that “life aint no crystal stair” that every hardship that they face will not be in vein. It also allows them to see themselves for who they are how far they have come. It also shows them that they have to keep pushing forward to reach the desired goals of the do=discourse community. I believe that it is fairness equality for all and understanding that things must be better. In order to make the world a better place and we must first look in the mirror to make this change. This is ultimately what I got out of “Mother to Son” and “Elevator Boy” and how I have seen across both poems the same character speaking. This is also how I saw both rhetorical devices within them. This how we are able to see the communities that people are put in through poetry. And just how far one’s community can reach.
Through all of Langston Hughes pottery these two poems have led me to see a different prospective when it comes to discourse community and lyric address. Langston Hughes as a poet has forever shaped the realm of poetry for better. Through the use of his poetry and his description has forever shaped what poetry is. Think about it from this prospective discourse community is the things that we associate ourselves with and lyric address is whom the writer or speaker is talking about or where he is coming from. The way which Langston Hughes writes poetry allows for both of these two poems to flow together. This is why I see the same speaker across both poems. It feels like he is telling a story within his poetry and it is more engaging to the reader. The speaker across both poems is explaining his discourse to the audience that is reading the poetry. This allows for you to interrupt the poem anyway you choose. All in This should be more than enough evidence to prove to you that both discourse and lyric address go hand and hand with one another. I hope that after reading this that you can better understand why it is, I make this assumption. I challenge you as you look at poetry from now on to expand into a deeper thinking and understanding of the poetry that you read. Understand and see how the poet has progressed and how he uses the same voice and characters across multiple poems. How is it related? What does it mean? Why is he doing this? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself when engaging in this mindset. Like Langston Hughes always said, “When a man starts out to build a world, he starts first with himself”.
Works Cited:
Gutenberg, Project. “Discourse Community.” Discourse Community | Project Gutenberg Self-Publishing – EBooks | Read EBooks Online, www.gutenberg.us/articles/discourse_community.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Langston Hughes PUBLISHER Encyclopædia Britannica DATE PUBLISHED July 27, 2020 URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/Langston-Hughes ACCESS DATE November 06, 2020
Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. New York :Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 1994.
Wikipedia contributors. “Discourse community.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 Oct. 2020. Web. 6 Nov. 2020.
Westover, Jeff. “Langston Hughes’s Counterpublic Discourse.” The Langston Hughes Review, vol. 24, 2010, pp. 2–19. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26434683. Accessed 6 Nov. 2020.
Bertschman, Don. “Jesse B. Simple and the Racial Mountain: A Bibliographic Essay.” The Langston Hughes Review, vol. 13, no. 2, 1995, pp. 29–44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/26434430. Accessed 2 Dec. 2020.