Langston Hughes’ “A Song to a Negro Wash-woman” and “Song” stuck out at me this week. I found a similar connection between these two poems, the references to color and race that Hughes’ used. “A Song to a Negro Wash-woman” describes the type of work and long hours that African American working women endured. To me, it seems that Hughes’ used “white suds”, “Miss White Lady’s kitchen”, and “white clothes” to emphasize the power of the wealthy white class. This poem focuses on the hard work that black women did to get by and provide for their families ("I know how you send your children to school, and high-school, and even college. I know how you work and help your man when times are hard.") I think the lines, "And I've seen you singing, wash-woman. Out in the backyard garden under the apple trees, singing, hanging white clothes on long lines in the sun-shine. And I've seen you in church a Sunday morning singing, praising Jesus..." can also represent the purity that black women held and how religion helped them through the hard times. In the last stanza, Hughes' describes the wash-woman as a "singing little brown woman", "singing strong black woman", and the "singing tall yellow woman" with "arms deep in white suds." This stands out to me because I think the use of color, brown, black, and yellow highly contrast the woman's "arms deep in white suds." The wash-woman obviously works for whites because she has to, but there is still a strong sense of uplift to Hughes' poems as well.
I also found color references in the poem "Song" with the words dark, light, night, and brown. In the beginning Hughes' is talking about a black woman.
"Lovely, dark, and lonely one,
Bare your bosom to the sun.
Do not be afraid of light,
You who are a child of night."
I think dark represents the skin color of the woman, but also emphasizes the loneliness and hard life she has led. "Do not be afraid of light" could mean don't be afraid of whites or don't be afraid of life.
"Open wide your arms to life,
Whirl in the wind or pain and strife,
Face the wall with the dark closed gate,
Bear with bare, brown fists-
And wait."
Again, I believe Hughes' message is not to be afraid of life and the world. Although times are hard and fight back ("Beat with bare, brown fists" and wait for change.
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I also chose to write about " a song to a Negro Wash woman." I thought the color also ment that there was power and wealth in the color white. I also thought that Hughes ment that because the washwoman while she was working she would wash away her sins. She was doing something good and that god would praise her forenduring such a laborous job in the present life. He would glorify her in the afterlife.
I agree with you. The poem “Song” seems like Hughes is talking about the life of any black women of the time. He seems to say, you are a black women who is lovely don’t hide away but instead “bare your bosom to the sun”. All this time you have been forced to “be a child of night”, but no more instead “do not be afraid of the light”. He says, “Open wide your arms to life” I feel like he is stating to the race don’t be afraid of the world embrace it; make it your own. Face the “gate” open it “beat with bare, brown fists” don’t let the door/gate of hope, life, happiness close you out instead you need to take your heart and free yourself.
The poem, A Song to a Negro Wash-Woman, seems to be Hughes’ tribute to the working African American woman of this time. Hughes recognized the long, hard hours that women faced to provide for their families. Throughout this poem, Hughes represented this working African American woman as strong and respectable. I think that a lot of African American women at this time could relate to this poem and feel a sense of pride from their lifestyles.
I really hadn't thought about it that way, but I think you make a great point. He didn't have to say that the suds were white or that the laundry was white but he chose to anyway. It seems almost like he was trying to emphasize the image of whiteness.
Hello,
I found a YouTube channel with an emotional interpretation of Langston Hughes' poem, Negro.
https://youtu.be/qVYGXSsG100
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