What effect does Hughes achieve by repeating the phrase "does it" in "Harlem"?
In what way does the line “sags like a heavy load” in "Harlem" relate to the overall feeling of "The Weary Blues"?
Read the excerpt from "The Weary Blues."He made that poor piano moan with melody. O Blues!Swaying to and fro on his rickety stoolHe played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool. Sweet Blues!Coming from a black man's soul. O Blues! The phrases “O Blues!” and “Sweet Blues!” are examples of
Read the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back!Which best describes the speaker in this poem?
The speaker’s role in "Harlem" is to
Read the descriptions of rhyme schemes below.Free verse: poetry that does not use a consistent rhyme schemeIambic pentameter: a poetic rhyme scheme in which each rhyming line has ten syllablesBlank verse: poetry that uses unrhymed iambic pentameterRhyming couplets: a series of two consecutive lines that rhyme in a poemBased on the descriptions, what rhyme scheme does the poem "Harlem" use?
Which lines from "The Weary Blues" suggest that the speaker is impressed by the musician?
Read the poem “If We Must Die” by Claude McKay. If we must die—let it not be like hogsHunted and penned in an inglorious spot,While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,Making their mock at our accursed lot.If we must die—oh, let us nobly die So that our precious blood may not be shedIn vain; then even the monsters we defyShall be constrained to honor us though dead!Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe;Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow!What though before us lies the open grave?Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back!What sentence best conveys the speaker’s message?
What is one difference in the themes of "Harlem" and "The Weary Blues"?
Read this line from "Harlem." Or does it explode?Read this line from "The Weary Blues."Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.What sense do both of these lines rely on?
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