notes+from+sub

From the footnote: 1. First published in // Opportunity // magazine in 1925 after it won first prize in the poetry section of its literary contest. Hughes reprinted it later in his collection // The Weary Blues // in 1926. The title alludes to Artie Matthews’ huge ragtime hit, “Weary Blues,” published in 1915. The most popular recording of it is Louis Armstrong’s instrumental-only version of 1927. ** 2. **  [1]   Lennox Avenue: a working class street in Harlem known for its jazz clubs and cabarets. In // A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Voices of an African American Community //, Lionel Bascom observes that NAACP and // Crisis // magazine founder W.E.B. DuBois promoted “high cultural forms rather than the vernacular expressions, and stories set on Striver’s Row rather than Lennox Avenue cabarets” (19). Striver’s Row is a nickname for an area of distinguished row houses and apartments where upwardly mobile African Americans lived. I am indebted to Angel Quicksey (class of 2008) for this information. ** 3. **Written in jazz age. High point of racial tension.  ** 1. What is the genre, or form, of the poem? ** Narrative, also lyrical free verse. This is because it is first person perspective. Combines music and poetry  ** 2. Who is speaking in the poem? ** A person who is observing a man singing the blues. Omniscient because knows thoughts <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">3. What is the argument, thesis, or subject of the poem? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">The subject and argument is that blues is a method of conveying emotion, that can allow the emptying of emotions so bliss can be achieved. (sleep) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Meditation or blues <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Performing and no ones cares. Just think no ones cares, but someone is listening. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">4. What is the structure of the poem? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Emphasis on lines from indentation <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> These are interjections <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Syncopation <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Arranged into iambic pentameter, broken up by lyrical phrases that show emotion <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Peom has couplets interspeed with <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">5. How does the poem make use of setting? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Lennox Avenue: a working class street in Harlem known for its jazz clubs and cabarets. In // A Renaissance in Harlem: Lost Voices of an African American Community //, Lionel Bascom observes that NAACP and // Crisis // magazine founder W.E.B. DuBois promoted “high cultural forms rather than the vernacular expressions, and stories set on Striver’s Row rather than Lennox Avenue cabarets” (19). Striver’s Row is a nickname for an area of distinguished row houses and apartments where upwardly mobile African Americans lived. I am indebted to Angel Quicksey (class of 2008) for this information. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Dimly lite place, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Location where jazz was very poplular <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Rickety stool = not fancy place <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">(driven out by white tourists) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">6. How does the poem use imagery? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">poor piano moan with melody = shows that the piano is being playes with emtoin, it is becoming part of the player, showing what he thinks and feel, analgoy <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">. Also personification of piano · <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">ebony hand and irvery keys = contrast, black and white. Brings up segregation · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">sad raggy tune like a musical fool = shows emotins, state of being of song, allows reader to see it. <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> · <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Stars went out and moon = close of poem goes out of moon · <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Sounds = bring out images. Enomompia. · <span style="color: windowtext; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Deep voice and mel tone = paint player <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** 7. Are there key statements or conflicts in the poem that appear to be central to its meaning? **   · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I ain't happy no mo' = blues is a languge of pain, It expless emtoins allow them to fade · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Conflict = wheter man wants to die or not. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">No rest for an artist = blues goes through his head · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> Conflicts between people = contrast between audience response and player? · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Lyrics = sad with the world, and with him slef. Someone let him down. · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Blues tradition expmpilified the soul of the black community, no one listens to them. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">8. How does the sound of the poetry contribute to its meaning? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">9. Examine the use of language. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Uses Vernacluar when singer sings to show his culture and education · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Uses musical words to enhance musical quilitys. o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">deep song voice with a melancholy tone o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">croooned o <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">fool · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">blues is many rhythms put toghet using pentitonic scale · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">song in poem, lot of vernacluar · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Not a good peom – Jamie · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Long vowels make it lazy · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Rhytimg couplet empahiss music · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Lysics in song makr it blues · <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Personifaication of piano = feels sadness of musica and player. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">10. Can you see any ways in which the poem refers to, uses or relies on previous writing? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Title = allusion to Artie Matthews’ huge ragtime hit, “Weary Blues,” published in 1915. The most popular recording of it is Louis Armstrong’s instrumental-only version of 1927. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">11. What qualities does the poem evoke in the reader? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">12. What is your historical and cultural distance from the poem? ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">13. What are the world-view and the ideology of the poem? **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> · Blues is sad · The dark skinned people are mistreated · Group venting. · Musical is translator and interrogator and brings people together.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">0. **** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Context  **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Sounds like a song, about music. Blues music. Given beats by sounds of words and their long vowels to slow down the reading. It sounds slow and sad by word choice.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Breaks like “Oh blues” stop you from reading fast.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">It is like improve, like jazz, its just thorwn out there
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Ryhtms in words empahisis the jazz and blues. The singers foot and sound of music
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Emotion = depressed that the man would wish that he was dead. Shocked for the disregard of life
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Think that he will regret his wishes
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Not fan of blues did not link to it.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Felt bad for the guy because he was depressed. Then he is might as well be dead.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Music is escape for emotions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Makes feel sad\
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Indifferent because not musical. Think of where they are coming from.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I do not play music
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I did not grow up in Harlem
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">I did not go to a blues club
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Some people are musical. Some have played blues
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Helped to understand the timeperiod.