English Notes Latest Questions

  1. The poem follows the regular rhyme scheme of an elegy. The rhyme scheme alternates within the stanzas. The first stanza has the AABA rhyme scheme, the second and the third stanza have ACDC and AAEA respectively. Song for a Dark Girl Summary

    The poem follows the regular rhyme scheme of an elegy. The rhyme scheme alternates within the stanzas. The first stanza has the AABA rhyme scheme, the second and the third stanza have ACDC and AAEA respectively.

    Song for a Dark Girl Summary

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  1. Refrain- refrain is used when a line is repeated in a stanza or a poem. In the poem, the first line is repeated at the beginning of every stanza. Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet comparesRead more

    • Refrain- refrain is used when a line is repeated in a stanza or a poem. In the poem, the first line is repeated at the beginning of every stanza.
    • Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the woman’s love to “A naked shadow/ On a gnarled and naked tree.”
    • Rhetorical question- a rhetorical question is a question asked by the poet without the intention of getting an answer but to put stress on an idea. In the second stanza, the woman asks the rhetorical question “What was the use of prayer.”
    • Allusion – allusion is used when the words or phrases in a poem refer to something else. In this poem the lines “They hung my black young lover/ To a crossroads tree” is a reference to the crucification of Jesus Christ.
    • Imagery- imagery is the use of words by a poet to paint a picture in the minds of the reader. Imagery can be of various types; tactile, olfactory, auditory, gustatory and visual. The poem uses visual imagery in the lines “They hung my black young lover/ To a crossroads tree.”
    • Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem the poet repeats the /b/ sound in the line “bruised body.”
    • Aside – aside is extra information given in the poem directly to the readers. In the poem, the poet uses the lines “Break the heart of me” and “Bruised body high in the air” to give a detailed description of the woman’s grief.

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  1. The poem revolves around the themes of denial and racism. The poet talks about the dreams and ambitions that African Americans have. These dreams are never realized because of the racial discrimination they have to face. They are denied these dreams because of the color of their skin. The society prRead more

    The poem revolves around the themes of denial and racism. The poet talks about the dreams and ambitions that African Americans have. These dreams are never realized because of the racial discrimination they have to face. They are denied these dreams because of the color of their skin. The society practices racism and builds walls around the African Americans which stops them from achieving their dreams. The walls of fear, racism and inequality stopped the poet from ever realizing his dreams.

    As I Grew Older Summary

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  1. The central idea of the poem is the impact of denial and racism on the dreams of African Americans. It explores the unfulfilled aspirations and ambitions faced by this community due to racial discrimination. The poet vividly highlights how societal racism creates obstacles and barriers, symbolized aRead more

    The central idea of the poem is the impact of denial and racism on the dreams of African Americans. It explores the unfulfilled aspirations and ambitions faced by this community due to racial discrimination. The poet vividly highlights how societal racism creates obstacles and barriers, symbolized as walls, preventing African Americans from realizing their ambitions. These walls, composed of fear and inequality, obstruct the path to achieving dreams and represent the profound challenges imposed by systemic racism.

    As I Grew Older Summary

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  1. Hyperbole- hyperbole is the use of exaggeration in a poem. In this poem, the poet exaggerates in the lines “Rose until it touched the sky—”, “Into a thousand lights of sun” and “Into a thousand whirling dreams/ Of sun!” Alliteration - Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line.Read more

    • Hyperbole- hyperbole is the use of exaggeration in a poem. In this poem, the poet exaggerates in the lines “Rose until it touched the sky—”, “Into a thousand lights of sun” and “Into a thousand whirling dreams/ Of sun!”
    • Alliteration – Alliteration is repetition of the same letter or sound in a line. In the poem the poet uses alliteration in the lines “there then”, “rose/ Rose”, “me and my”.
    • Simile- simile is used when the poet directly compares one thing to another by using the words “as” or “like”. In this poem, the poet uses a simile and compares his dream to the brightness of the sun in the line ”Bright like the sun”.
    • Irony – irony is used when what the poet says is in contradiction to what they actually mean. In this poem, the poet uses irony when he talks about the racial discrimination faced by his community in the lines “I am Black” “I lie down in the shadow”.
    • Symbolism- symbolism is when the poet uses words to symbolize a concept, person or idea in a poem. In this poem, “Sun” is used as the symbol for hope and dreams of the African American community.
    • Repetition- Repetition is a literary device in which a word, phrase, or line is repeated for emphasis or effect. The words “dream”, “hands”, “sun”, “wall” and “shadow” are repeated.
    • Metaphor- metaphor is used when the poet makes an undercut comparison between two things without using the words “like” or “as”. In the, the poet compares the wall in the poem to the racism and oppression the peot has to face from society.

    As I Grew Older Summary

     

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  1. The poem's central idea is acceptance of self. Although society today is more open-minded and accepting, in Hughes era, black people were looked down upon, shamed, ridiculed and discriminated against by the whites mostly due their darker skin completions. African American people therefore felt alienRead more

    The poem’s central idea is acceptance of self. Although society today is more open-minded and accepting, in Hughes era, black people were looked down upon, shamed, ridiculed and discriminated against by the whites mostly due their darker skin completions. African American people therefore felt alienated and indifferent from the rest of the world. It was also greatly emphasised due to migration into the native land of America. The poem revolves around a dream shared by this community of being free and independent. Towards the end of the poem, the poet appears to have accepted this concern and hopes for a better future.

    Dream Variations Summary

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  1. The poem consists of two stanzas with almost similar rhyme schemes. The poem’s rhyme scheme is abcb defeg. Hughes uses some similar words to rhyme. Although both the stanzas are identical in structure, the meaning is diverse. Dream Variations Summary

    The poem consists of two stanzas with almost similar rhyme schemes. The poem’s rhyme scheme is abcb defeg. Hughes uses some similar words to rhyme. Although both the stanzas are identical in structure, the meaning is diverse.

    Dream Variations Summary

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  1. One of the major themes of this poem is Racism. Hughes describes his longing for an oppressed world where he can live freely. The dream of Hughes in this poem is a common dream of most of the people in the African American community. Dream is another theme of this poem. In this dream, he separates hRead more

    One of the major themes of this poem is Racism. Hughes describes his longing for an oppressed world where he can live freely. The dream of Hughes in this poem is a common dream of most of the people in the African American community. Dream is another theme of this poem. In this dream, he separates himself apart from the world he currently lives in, for peace and comfort, dreaming of a place free from oppression. He emphasises his comfort brought by the night, which also implies the sympathy brought by the black community.

    Dream Variations Summary

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  1. Anaphora: Anaphora is repetition of a word or phrase, in this poem, the phrase “to fling my arms wide” is repeated in both the stanzas. Some words and other phrases are also repeated. Repetition: Words like “dance” and “whirl” are repeated along with some phrases in both the stanzas. Caesura: CaesurRead more

    • Anaphora: Anaphora is repetition of a word or phrase, in this poem, the phrase “to fling my arms wide” is repeated in both the stanzas. Some words and other phrases are also repeated.
    • Repetition: Words like “dance” and “whirl” are repeated along with some phrases in both the stanzas.
    • Caesura: Caesura is the use of punctuation for a natural pause in a verse. In this poem, “Dance! Whirl! Whirl!” is an example of the use of Caesura in poetry.
    • Metaphor: Metaphor is an implication used to portray meaning through a word that is unrelated to the cause. For example, in this poem, “dream” is a metaphor for Black community’s happiness and equality.

    Dream Variation Summary

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