《英美诗歌鉴赏课件》Langston-Hughes

1、Langston Hughes(1902-1967)兰斯顿休斯Langston HughesHughes in 1923Hughes in 1928 while attending Lincoln UniversityFormer residence African-American poet, novelist and playwright and columnist.Most popular and versatile writer in the Harlem Renaissance.Wanted to capture the traditions of black culture in

2、written form. Brief introduction of Langston HughesHarlem RenaissanceThe Harlem（哈莱姆纽约黑人住宅区） Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920 s and 1930 s. At the time, it was known as the “New Negro Movement”. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.Many French-sp

3、eaking black writers from African and Caribbean kribi(:)n colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance.Aim : African Americans sought a better standard of living and relief from the institutionalized racism in America through literature.Langston Hughes was of African Am

4、erican, European American and Native American descent. Ethnicity Langston HughesHughes worked various odd jobs ,like crewman,busboy, cook,journalist,etc.Hughes had traveled to West Africa ,Europe, the Soviet Union，China and parts of the CaribbeanLangston HughesExperiences During the Spanish Civil Wa

5、r,Hughes worked as journalist with Heimingway.Some academics believe that Hughes was homosexual and included homosexual codes in many of his poems.Langston HughesExperiences Langston Hughes died of complications from prostate cancer in May 22, 1967, in New York. In his memory, his residence at 20 Ea

6、st 127th Street in Harlem, New York City, has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission, and East 127th Street has been renamed Langston Hughes Place. His styleUnlike other notable black poets of the period, Hughes refused to differentiate between his personal experienc

7、e and the common experience of black America, he wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music, laughter and language itself.He would also use humor, loneliness, and despair, to imitate the sound of blues

8、and jazz music with words.In summaryViews of the working class lives of blacks in AmericaPride in the African American identity and its diverse cultureEmphasis on folk and jazz rhythms as the basis of his poetry of racial prideSelected Works PoetryThe Negro Speaks of RiversApril Rain SongAs I Grow O

9、lderI, Too, Sing the American DreamsMe And the MuleProseLaughing to Keep From Crying (1952)Drama Black Nativity (1961)Dont You Want to Be Free? (1938)NovelNot Without Laughter(1930)Autobiography(自传）The Big Sea I Wonder as I Wander（我漂泊，我思考）The Negro Speaks of Rivers . First published in The Crisis in

10、 1921, The Negro Speaks of Rivers, which became Hughess signature poem, was collected in his first book of poetry The Weary Blues (1926). Langston Hughes wrote “the negro speakers of river” while on a train ride to Mexico. When his train crossed Mississippi River, Hughes was inspired by its beauty a

11、nd was also reminded of its role in sustaining slavery in America. Then Hughes took out a letter his father had written him and wrote this poem on the back of its pages.“梦想”代表着美好的理想和希望，加入没有梦想，生活就会逝去目标和方向，就会变得死气沉沉。Dreams 中的梦想还有其他的含义：是保守种族歧视之苦的美国黑人对自由、平等和民权的向往，是黑人们忍受压迫、剥削和社会不公正待遇所不可缺少的精神支柱。 DreamsHold

12、 fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged birdThat cannot fly.Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams goLife is a barren fieldFrozen with snow.This is a very brief poem, just two stanzas, eight lines long. Structurally, the poem has a simple rhyme scheme of A,B,C,B.Its theme is to never giv

13、e up; its moral is that giving up is equal to death.Analysis of DreamsHughes uses two metaphorsto help the dream stay alive. He compares the death of a dream to a living a life like a broken winged bird, that is, useless and without spirit or reason for living. Life without dreams is also compared t

14、o a barren field, lifeless, without fruit.Me and the mule My old mule, Hes gota grin on his face. Hes been a mule so long Hes forgotten about his race. Im like that old mule - Black - and dont give a damn! You got to take me Like I am. Me and the Mule在Me and the Mule中，Hughes描述的是一个服从、温顺、心地善良的老黑奴汤姆叔叔的

15、形象。它的脸上总是挂着笑容，而且它听命于主人的使唤为时已久，几乎已经忘记了自己的种族本能。诗人对这头骡子有着深厚的感情，因为他跟自己一样，都长着黑涩的皮肤。Hughes 并不因为自己是黑人而感到羞耻，相反，他公开表示为此感到自豪。Not Without LaughterIn this novel, Hughes tried to depict a typical negro family in Kansas. The protagonist (主角) of the story is a boy named Sandy, whose family must deal with a variety

16、 of struggles due to their race and class.This is his first novel, which won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature.The power of his worksHughes stressed a racial consciousness and cultural nationalism devoid of self-hate.His want to unite people of African descent and Africa across the globe to encourage pride in their diverse black folk culture.A. Hughess life and work were enormously influential during the Harlem Renaissance.B. The works of Hughes helped to inspire the Ngritude movement in France. A radical black self-examination