Poetry · Question
How does Poetry develop the theme of Poverty and Class Struggle?
Answer
Poetry by Langston Hughes develops Poverty and Class Struggle across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Economic hardship and class inequality are starkly portrayed in 'God to Hungry Child,' 'Porter,' and 'Grant Park,' where the poor are exploited and forgotten by the wealthy.
The woman's 'scanty wares' and daily grind of selling 'day in, day round' underscore a life of economic marginality.
Lists low-wage occupations (dish-washers, elevator-boys, crap-shooters) to highlight the class positions of the laughers.
The beggar boy's physical poverty is contrasted with the richness of his spirit, as expressed through his flute.
Evidence in the book
- Mexican Market Woman
The woman's 'scanty wares' and daily grind of selling 'day in, day round' underscore a life of economic marginality.
- Laughers
Lists low-wage occupations (dish-washers, elevator-boys, crap-shooters) to highlight the class positions of the laughers.
- Beggar Boy
The beggar boy's physical poverty is contrasted with the richness of his spirit, as expressed through his flute.
- Mother to Son
The imagery of a broken, bare staircase symbolizes the material deprivation and class struggle faced by the speaker.
- Young Prostitute
The young prostitute's withered face and broken stem metaphor highlight the physical toll of economic desperation and the commodification of her body.
- Grant Park
The poem directly confronts the physical and spiritual toll of poverty on the speaker's brothers, highlighting systemic inequality.
- Prayer for a Winter Night
The poem starkly highlights the desperation of the poor who cannot afford warmth or sustenance, leading to a plea for death as an escape.
- A Song to a Negro Wash-Woman
The poem highlights the economic realities of a wash-woman's life, working for white families while building her own home and community.
