Poem Assignment Part One: Response: Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes

Emily Dickens

Emily Dickinson can be considered a poet that was very passionate about her career. From her poems, it can be deduced that she could have considered poetry as a calling rather than an occupation that is done to earn a living. She appreciates life and this is further translated in her work as they are of an exemplary quality. I like the fact that she explores different personas in her works which is a clear indication that she appreciates the different stages that life presents. This is also an important way of winning the hearts of diverse populations that can identify with her pieces of work.

Her use of the first person narrative in these poems illustrates that they are fictional. In this regard, it can be posited that Dickinson sought to differentiate her life from her work. This is an important aspect because then, her works would not be included in her biography. This is an ideal step that is taken by the poet and notably, she avoided the mistakes that most poets make in this regard. The inherent humor adds a light and playful tone to her work thus diversifying the different approaches and making her poems important for different functions. This is likeable because then her poems can be employed during different situations and address a variety of audiences that could have varied needs.

What I dislike about the poet’s work is the type of style that she employs in writing her poems. Her use of language and style can be considered compromising because of her elimination of inessential language as well as punctuation. This compromise the quality and specifically the coherence of her work as meanings cannot be easily devised by any audience. Notably, she distills helping verbs as well as connectors that are imperative in helping the audience to understand her messages. In addition, she drops the endings of nouns and verbs and thus distorts the meaning of her poems. In other words, her work is unfinished and in some cases can be mistaken to be rough drafts.

Readers in this regard find it difficult to reconnect the meanings accordingly and derive importance from the presented poems. This disregard for grammar is arguably not beneficial as it has far reaching impacts on the ability of the audience to understand and appreciate her pieces of work. In some instances, the pronouns that she employs do not correspond to any word found in the poem. This complicates the whole message and makes it impossible for the audience to derive relative meanings. In addition, it is certain this makes the poem a puzzle to resolve rather than a message to enjoy and appreciate. Essentially, the poet compresses her language and develops her own meanings that are unknown in the literary circles. In essence, she seems to be overwhelmed by the desire to use different word as opposed to the need to communicate the message with utmost clarity.

Nevertheless, her use of rhyme can be considered very distinctive and relatively appealing. This is hidden within her lines and succeeds in creating a rhythmic effect even when they are not explicit. At this point, it is certain that her experiment with this style bears beneficial impacts and makes her work exemplary. Generally, I think Dickinson was a passionate poet who sought to experiment different styles and strategies in her pieces of work.

Langston Hughes

The poems of Langston are simple and can be easily understood by the audience and at the same time very comprehensive to relay the message to the readers effectively. The language employed is direct and as such, it communicates factual information in an effective manner. Readers do not need to spend a significant period of time trying to decipher underlying meanings as these are actually on the surface. Notably, he sought to explore the challenges and injustices of the Black population in the then society. This was a unique decision especially considering the fact that the setting of his poems was predominated by a White population.

What I like about his poems is the employment of a relevant dialect to suit his audiences. The language that is used in poems such as “I’m still here” succeeds in incorporating the spirit and beliefs of his target audience. Basically, this implied that the populations under review had suffered significant hardships but were still determined and hopeful that they would find their freedom. Irrespective of the fact that he uses a language that is common to the audience and very simple, he still manages to employ powerful poetic devices in form of metaphors and rhyme. Thus the use of a simple language can be considered to have been deliberate as it enabled the target population to derive the elative meanings accordingly and be in position to employ the same for their individual benefit.

Another aspect hat I like about the poems presented by Hughes pertains to the inherent inspiration. The poet does not mince his words when exploring the truths and realities that are presented in the society. Apart from celebrating the persistent and hopeful spirit of the African population, Hughes also underscores the different negative aspects of the conditions that were presented by the Americans and which made it difficult for the Africans to exist in a harmonic manner. This was a courageous and a daring move especially considering the fact that the then society was predominantly White. This implied that the poet had greater regard for his audience as opposed to selfish interests of making profits. This was noble move as it further made the audience more hopeful.

Also, it can be argued that the poet understood that the future conditions could possibly be different and his poetry would be appreciated by all populations in the long run. Notably, significant changes have taken place and differences in races have been reconciled over time. Currently, the White population can also derive inspiration from Hughe’s poems and be able to employ the same in their daily lives.

This is because the themes that have been explored by the poet are uplifting in times of despair and can be employed in different situations. What I dislike about his poetry is the fact that he confined the message to his audience. Over time, this has made it difficult for other audiences to benefit optimally form the same. The message is also confined to a single historic event of maltreatment of the Black populations in America. Making efforts to relate and apply the message to other events have proven ineffective over time. This confinement makes it impossible to diversify the audience and can be considered a lack of creativity on the part of the poet.