Writer's Notebook

Negro-- Langston Hughes

"I am a negro:

black as the night is black,

black like the depths of my Africa."

The reason I chose this poem is because it reminds me of the book I am reading, and what people in the South went through. Not only were they discriminated when they were slaves, but even after they were emancipated they were not treated fairly. This poem just reiterates that opinion. This poem just shows that no matter what it comes down to the fact that someone is black. The narrator describes how he has been a slave, worker, singer, and victim, but he continues to come back to the "plain and simple".."I am a negro."

One thing that I want to take away from this poem is the repetition in both the beginning and ending of the poem. This repetition strengthens the meaning behind the words and makes this poem all the more powerful. It seems that no matter what the narrator accomplishes in life he will always be known just for his race.

Writer's Notebook

"Hope"-- Ariel Dorfman

"Somebody tell me frankly

what times are these

what kind of world

what country?

What I'm asking is

how can it be

that a father's

joy

a mother's

joy

is knowing

that they

that they are still

torturing

their son?

This poem is so powerful, not only the thoughts behind the words, but the set up of the poem. Throughout this piece the author seems indecisive about what she wants to write and how she can word something so painful for her to think about. This really shows what happens in other countries, and how we are lucky that we live in such a safe environment. Even though they knew the fate of their son they had no choice, but to proceed on with life. The pathos in this poem is incredible. It is so heart wrenching how she tells the reader that the only joy in her life is to know that her son is still being tortured, because that means he's still not dead, which derives the meaning of the title.

One thing that I would like to take away from this poem is her use of questions. The questions not only express what she is feeling, but also further the development of pathos in the poem. It allows the readers to interpret, while interjecting her own thoughts and beliefs. Another interesting aspect of the poem is her repetition or slight change of words, "and he may might could still be alive." I feel like this technique in the poem really shows her hopefulness, but also shows how she is unsure about the whole situation.