Explication of a poem - Essay Example

The Weary Blues The Weary Blues The Weary Blues is centered on a musician. The itself illustrates how he has worn himself out from singing the blues. This gives the reader an idea of what the poem is about. It is also similar to the song by Artie Mathews written in 1915 and there is a possibility that Langston Hughes derived the title from this song. The speaker is an individual who is excited to share his experience about a musician he had heard. Apart from his excitement, he mainly focuses on creating an atmosphere as well as a detailed description of the event.

He mainly tries to describe the event, without dwelling on how much he enjoyed it. He attempts to be cool and at the same time acts like the reader knows The Weary Blues. The speaker himself has memorized the lyrics of the song. The poem contains numerous literary devices, which are used in explaining the tone and theme of the poem. There is also catchy use of symbols in the poem, including long O sounds and hard C and T sounds. However, the poem is simplistic in terms of its words and no phrases were confusing.

The use of the word Negro is one controversial aspect in the lyrics. The unusual aspect of the poem, one that is appreciated is that Hughes combines both poetry and music. In fact one is not likely to read three lines of the poem with coming across something related to music. In addition, Hughes utilizes words such as “rocking”, “drowsy”, “pale dull pallor” and “rickety stool” to suggest a melancholy feeling. Hughes also utilizes colloquial language to woo his audience. The speaker skillfully illustrates elements of jazz and blues throughout the poem.

Once one familiarizes himself with the characters and the atmosphere in the poem, he/she is likely to get into it straight away. The poem is more of sharing an experience of jazz and blues rather than a complicated story. ReferencesHughes, L. (1926). The weary blues. New York: Knopf.