Langston Hughes was an American poet, novelist, playwright, and social activist. Of African-American and mixed descent, he strongly encouraged pride in heritage and race. The essay was written from the point of view of a white man having a conversation with a colored man named "Simple." At the start, they were discussing Be-bop music, a style of jazz known for a quick tempo, musical complexity, and impressive improvisation. Beyond that, Simple explained the division between races as a consequence of different histories and experiences. Simple observed that white musicians failed to mimic the soulful rhythms of Be-bop, purportedly because they lacked the same history of struggle and suffering. Simple explained, "That's where Be-bop comes from, beaten right out of some Negro's head into them horns and saxophones and piano keys that plays it" (Hughes par. 24). When the narrator reacted with surprise, Simple added, "That's why real Bop is mad, wild, frantic, crazy - and not to be dug up unless you've seen dark days too" (Hughes par. 30). The first example, which used a polysyndeton, concretized the idea that music is pulled from one's life experiences, in this case the suffering of an entire people group. The second example, which used an asyndeton, explained why Be-bop music was so special - "white folks do not get their heads beat just for being white" (Hughes par. 26).
Hughes was able to provide insight to "white folks" on the daily struggles that stemmed simply from being born a colored person, and to present a different angle on the issue. The whole essay was written very well, working through subtext and colloquialisms to convey a greater meaning. Hughes concluded the essay with this clever use of parallelism: "’Your explanation depresses me,’ I said. ‘Your nonsense depresses me,’ said Simple" (Hughes par. 31-32). Yet again, the very storyline itself - the narrator's troubled reaction to Simple's ideas - wholly exemplified Simple's argument.
Hughes was able to provide insight to "white folks" on the daily struggles that stemmed simply from being born a colored person, and to present a different angle on the issue. The whole essay was written very well, working through subtext and colloquialisms to convey a greater meaning. Hughes concluded the essay with this clever use of parallelism: "’Your explanation depresses me,’ I said. ‘Your nonsense depresses me,’ said Simple" (Hughes par. 31-32). Yet again, the very storyline itself - the narrator's troubled reaction to Simple's ideas - wholly exemplified Simple's argument.
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| The photo shows Dizzy Gillespie, a famous Be-Bop trumpeter. (Source) |
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