English Notes Latest Questions

  1. The main idea of the poem is about racism, showing how African Americans face unfair treatment from White Americans. The poet, using a woman speaker, also talks about sadness and losing loved ones. Both the poet and the woman feel the pain of losing someone they care about. The mention of a lover byRead more

    The main idea of the poem is about racism, showing how African Americans face unfair treatment from White Americans. The poet, using a woman speaker, also talks about sadness and losing loved ones. Both the poet and the woman feel the pain of losing someone they care about. The mention of a lover by a crossroads tree brings in a religious idea, like when Jesus was crucified. This connects the themes of racism and religion in a way that makes you think about how they are linked.

    Song for a Dark Girl Summary

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  1. The poem revolves around the theme of racism. Hughes emphasizes the racial discrimination faced by the African American community at the hands of the White Americans. They are oppressed, suppressed and looked down upon. The poem, through the woman speaker, also touches upon the theme of grief and loRead more

    The poem revolves around the theme of racism. Hughes emphasizes the racial discrimination faced by the African American community at the hands of the White Americans. They are oppressed, suppressed and looked down upon. The poem, through the woman speaker, also touches upon the theme of grief and loss. The poet and the woman feel the loss of loved ones. Both of them lose someone that they love and have to go through the grief of it. The description of the woman’s lover from a crossroads tree is a reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. This way, the poet also brings in the theme of religion in reference to racism.

    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.

    Song for a Dark Girl Summary

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