How does the poet use colour as a symbol of race?
How does the poet use colour as a symbol of race NU Langston Hughes - is a prominent African-American poet He often uses colour as a symbol of race in his poems In I Too Sing America and The Weary Blues the colour black is connected with the identity pain and strength of black African Americans Colour in I Too Sing America In this poem the speaker calls himself the darker brother I am the darker brother The word darker here is about skin colour It is a symbol of race Here the speaker means to say that he is just another American regardless of the color of his skin He is just a black brother He loves America and shares the same hope and dream But he also feels the pain of racial inequality Because of this colour he is sent to eat in the kitchen when guests come
But at the same time the speaker is proud of being the darker brother He believes that tomorrow people will see his beauty So the colour here shows both the suffering and pride of the African-American race Colour in The Weary Blues In this poem Hughes describes a black singer singing a sad song at Lenox Avenue at night He writes Coming from a black man s soul O Blues Here the word black is not only about skin It becomes a symbol of the deep sorrow and struggle of the race The man s dark skin colour is joined with his sad song The Weary Blues shows the tiredness of black life under racial injustice So in both poems colour is used as a symbol of race In I Too Sing America the darker skin shows inequality but also hope for respect In The Weary Blues the black singer shows the sorrow and suffering of his race