"Merry-Go-Round" is a poem written by Langston Hughes, a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. The poem presents a vivid and poignant portrayal of the reality of life in the African American community during the time period in which it was written.
In the opening lines of the poem, Hughes describes a merry-go-round as a symbol of the cyclical nature of life. He writes, "Round and round and round / We go, / Where we stop nobody knows." This imagery suggests that, like the movement of the merry-go-round, life is constantly in motion, moving forward without any clear destination.
The speaker of the poem then reflects on the struggles and hardships that are faced by the people in the African American community, stating, "We sweat and strain / And ride on, / Up and down the scales / Of life." This imagery suggests that the journey of life is often difficult and requires a great deal of hard work and determination in order to overcome obstacles.
Despite the challenges faced by the African American community, Hughes' speaker remains optimistic, stating, "But we're gonna ride / On and on." This determination and resilience in the face of adversity is a hallmark of the African American experience.
As the poem comes to a close, Hughes offers a final reflection on the nature of life, stating, "Life is just a merry-go-round / We gotta ride." In this final line, Hughes suggests that, despite the struggles and hardships faced by the African American community, life is ultimately a journey that must be embraced and lived to the fullest.
Overall, "Merry-Go-Round" is a powerful and poignant poem that captures the realities and challenges faced by the African American community during the Harlem Renaissance. Through vivid imagery and thought-provoking language, Hughes offers a thought-provoking meditation on the cyclical nature of life and the resilience and determination needed to overcome obstacles and move forward.
Favorite Poems: Merry
Man is called a social animal. His parents divorced when he was young and his father moved to Mexico. From where the child comes from, Jim Crow laws segregate the blacks from the whites. Blacks are not given the equal place in the society. The justice system of Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in Analysis Of The Civil Rights Movement civil rights were written by civil rights activists, or for the occasional poem they were written by a white after reviewing the horrible circumstances that were endured and conquered by the African Americans. He was raised by his grandmother until he was 13, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, before the family settled in Cleveland, Ohio. The speaker, a child from down south, has grown up around racism and that is all he knows.
Like other active members of the Harlem Renaissance, Hughes had a strong sense of racial pride and through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children's books; he promoted The Black Man and Langston Hughes decent living and have equal rights across America. This child is deprived of that joy and the merry go round makes it apparent that everybody should have the right to sit where they please and go where they please regardless of the color of there skin. Merry-Go-Round by Langston Hughes Where is the Jim Crow section On this merry-go-round, Mister, cause I want to ride? One can discern that this slavery system imposes a double burden on the Negro through severe social and economic inequalities and through the heavy psychological consequences Search for Identity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes Essay Search for Identity in the Poetry of Langston Hughes In exploring the problem of identity in Black literature we find no simple or definite explanation. The two poems; Strange Fruit, and merry-go-round touch on just one of the civil rights issues of the time. As they get closer to the merry-go-round, he anticipates all the fun he will have, but then a puzzled look crosses his face. For instance, in the Encyclopedia Britannica on the Jim Crow Laws it states, "From the late Research Paper On Langston Hughes Langston hughes was a poet that was Born feb 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. As a black child he has been put in the back and set aside but he can't be put in the back on a merry go round because there is no back, it is just a circle.