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Langston HughesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
"We never know how high we are” by Emily Dickinson (circa 1870)
Like “Tired,” this poem uses simplistic, disarming language to address complex issues. “Tired” features common words like “beautiful” and “kind” to symbolize the world the speaker wants to bring about, while Dickinson’s poem uses “the sky” to represent the potential and limitations of humans. As with the speaker in “Tired,” the speaker in Dickinson’s poem assumes the reader is on her side, shown through the plural pronoun “we.”
“This Is Just To Say” by William Carlos Williams (1934)
In Williams’ poem, fruit represents a personal moment between the speaker and someone he is close with. Although the subject matter differs sharply, both “Tired” and “This Is Just To Say” rely on precise images and plain language. Williams was associated with the Imagist movement, and he was not against writing about politics because he, too, contributed to New Masses.
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes (1951)
“Harlem” is one of Hughes’s better-known poems. It regularly appears in anthologies, and it features many of the elements in “Tired.” Both poems ask the audience questions. In “Harlem,” the speaker wants to know, “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Line 1).
By Langston Hughes
Children’s Rhymes
Children’s Rhymes
Langston Hughes
Cora Unashamed
Cora Unashamed
Langston Hughes
Dreams
Dreams
Langston Hughes
Harlem
Harlem
Langston Hughes
I look at the world
I look at the world
Langston Hughes
I, Too
I, Too
Langston Hughes
Let America Be America Again
Let America Be America Again
Langston Hughes
Me and the Mule
Me and the Mule
Langston Hughes
Mother to Son
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Mulatto
Mulatto
Langston Hughes
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston
Not Without Laughter
Not Without Laughter
Langston Hughes
Slave on the Block
Slave on the Block
Langston Hughes
Thank You, M'am
Thank You, M'am
Langston Hughes
The Big Sea
The Big Sea
Langston Hughes
Theme for English B
Theme for English B
Langston Hughes
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
Langston Hughes
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes
The Ways of White Folks
The Ways of White Folks
Langston Hughes
The Weary Blues
The Weary Blues
Langston Hughes