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Metaphor- A comparison between two unlike things not using "like" or "as". For example, "The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night" (Hughes, line 6). This illustrates that the rain and the song are two unlike things that are being compared to each other without using like or as.

Personification- When a nonhuman object is given human characteristics. For example, "Let the rain kiss you" (Hughes, line 1). This shows a physical feature that "rain" couldn't do without human-like characteristics.

Onomatopoeia- The use of words whose sounds echo their meanings. For example, "Let rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops" (Hughes, line 2). This illustrates that the word "beat" has an echo when read and makes a point in the poem.

Repetition- The technique in which a sound, phrase, or a line is repeated for emphasis or unity. For example, " The rain makes...The rain makes...The rain plays.." (Hughes, line 4-6). This shows that since the poem is talking about rain, the poets would have to reference to the rain multiple times.

Tone- The expression of a writer's attitude towards a subject. For example, " And I love rain" (Hughes, line 7). This illustrates that the tone is a very positive tone towards the rain. Due to that it influences people and how they feel.

Imagery- The descriptive language used in literature to recreate sensory experiences relating to sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell. For example, " The rain makes still pools on the sidewalks" (Hughes, line 4). This shows that imagery is shown by slight because the reader can visually see it in their minds.

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Let the rain kiss you            Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the guitar
The rain plays a little song on our roof at night
And I love the rain

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He was born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin Missouri. He went to Mexico for on year and the following year he went to Columbia University; which is located at New York City. He traveled a lot because he was working as a seaman. However, three years later, he finished his college education at Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania.  Most of his poems are mostly about the black culture and how it was influenced in America. He wrote plays, novels, short stories, and poetry. His writing was mostly influenced from the Harlem Renaissance that happened in the 1920s. In the end, he wanted to influence people today with his experiences' of his culture and what people went through back then. Due to that he didn't want to write about stereotypical stories that black people went through back then. He wanted his stories to be real and honest, so that people today really understand what they actually when through.

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Author's Biography Info
"Langston Hughes." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 01 Aug. 2016. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.
Historical Context Info
- Gibson, Donald B. "Langston Hughes." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 6 Apr. 2017.
- Sundquist, Eric J. "Who was Langston Hughes?" Commentary, Dec. 1996, p.55+. Global Issues in Context.
- PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
- "Books & Bibliography." Books & Bibliography | The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017.
Poem 1
Huges, Lanston, and David E. Roessel. Poems. New York: Knopf, 1999. Print.
Poem 2
Hughes,Langston. "April Rain Song." PoemHunter. N.p., 03 Jan. 2003 Web. 07 Apr. 2017.

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Historical Context for "April Rain Song" 

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Historical Context for "April Rain Song" 

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The experience that the author when through that influenced him to write about "his public leisure..." (Par.6). This shows that because of the racial experiences he went through. He wasn't going to let anyone stop him from what he loves to do.

Another experience he went through was that he was that people thought Negros were expected to write. So by writing this simple poem shows that he is not going to follow the stereotypical thoughts that the whites had. It states that "...Negro author as a being a typical or representative of a negro.."(Par.8). This shows that back then there was a standard something that Negros had to follow. Or they were expected to be followed.

The condition that influenced the author was the Harlem Renaissance. This shows that most of his writing was based off of this. For instance, it states, "...he skillfully argued the need for both race pride and artistic independence..." (Par.2). This shows that he is mostly influenced race and the value of equality.

Another condition he was influenced during this time period was this love for music. It states, "His devotion to black music led him to novel fusions of jazz and blues with traditional verses in his first two books." (par.3). this shows that during this time period there was an abundance of black culture through music and art. Which influenced him to write poems about the black culture.

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In the stanzas', the author doesn't use periods or any other punctuation. To show that when reading the poem, there is an emphasis when someone reads it there are no breaks. Meaning that when read, there is comfortable way of reading it. For example, " Let the rain kiss you" (Hughes, line 1). This shows that the author ended the line like to have fluidity.

The sentence structures, are all within one stanza. This shows that the author wrote it this way to make it understandable. For instance, "And I love the rain" (Hughes, line 7). This shows the simplicity and the cleanliness of the poem.

The capitalization, shows at every line that starts has a capital letter. For instance, " The rain plays a little song on the roof.." (Hughes, line 6), This shows that the capitalization was shown to help the reader understand that the whole point of the poem was to make it short and simple.

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The poem that the author wrote is not like any other poem. The author uses pleasing words like "rain". This word shows that there is a pleasing factor towards our brain. Due to that when people hear that its raining, people automatically get excited. For example, "Let the rain sing you a lullaby" (Hughes, line 3). This shows that rain is used as a pleasing point of view. The tone is pleasing or happiness. Due to the fact that the word rain is used multiple times to emphasize that is is very pleasing to mouth and the brain.

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The theme of this poem was to represent that rain is basically happiness. The rain is suppose to symbolize how rain can effect peoples' moods. For instance, there are people who get excited about the rain. But on the other hand there are others that don't get excited about the rain. He expresses his happiness towards the rain. For example, it states "And I love the rain" (Hughes, Line 7). This symbolizes the passion that a person can have and how it can affect the person for the day. A simple thing, like rain can change the mood of someone very quickly.

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Langston Hughes wrote "I, Too" during the front of the racism and inequality towards African-Americans. He was exposed to the hardships of being a young black male in his this time period. As stated in the article, "...Historical roots of African-American slavery suddenly unfolded before him." (Sundquist, par.4). The article gives helps the audience realize that what Hughes was writing about was going on all around him, that his emotions in his poems were also those of the African-American community.

Hughes also went through a rough patch with his father when he was younger. This greatly impacted his writing because he didn't have the "father-son" bond everyone else might have had. For example, "...in a ten-minute flash of inspiration on a trip o visit his estranged father in Mexico..."(Sundquist, par.4).
Having no relations to his father would have deprived him of the bonds between a father and son, and the care he would have gotten.

During his time period, Langston Hughes was experiencing the Harlem Renaissance. For example, "Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars." (par. 1). The arrival of such rich black culture and literature influenced Langston Hughes topics of poems.

Also, during his time period he would have also been influenced by Martin Luther King Junior. As stated in the article, "Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1958. Dr. King’s first book; the story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the beginning of the Nonviolent Civil Rights Movement." (par.3). MLKJ wrote many books about the writes of the African-American community which could have impacted Hughes's view on the matter as well.

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In each stanza the author uses periods twice, yet not in the second to last line. This is to give the reader a sense of pause or breath throughout the other stanzas of the poem.

The author also doesn't ask any questions within the text. This is most likely to show the reader that he is in control and gives the character more freedom in the actions he describes.

Lastly the author talks in different tenses within the poem. The first and second paragraphs start in the present tense, then he moves to future tense in the third and fourth stanzas, then back again. Hughes gives the reader a sense of place within the poem, referring to the actions the character is making, and will make later on.

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The subject of the poem is an African-American man. The author is discussing the actions of the character in the poem. The author wrote the text to convey the racist views and discrimination against African-Americans of his time period. The poem is happening in the present and past tense. The setting is in some sort of house with a kitchen. The tone of the poem is serious and stern. The mood the author conveys is confident and also serious.

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The central theme of this poem is the injustice and discrimination against the African-American community in Langston Hughes's time period. The theme conveys the message of the poem by exposing the crimes people committed back then to the audience. The reader is able to understand the differences in the views people had on African-Americans in the authors day and today.

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Allegory- A literary work with two or more levels of meaning: one literal level and one or more symbolic levels. As the author states, "I, too, sing America." (Hughes, line 1). This quote could mean that the character is literally singing "America". Or on a more symbolic level, the author could be referring to the emotional context in which he might feel when talking about America.

Imagery- Is the descriptive language used in literature
to recreate sensory experiences relating to sight, taste, hearing and smell. As the author states, "...dark brother." (Hughes, line 2). The author illustrates the character as having dark skin, referring to an African-American man being discriminated against, in the text.

Setting- The time and place of the action of a short story, novel, play and etc.. For example, "They send me to eat in the kitchen..." (Hughes, line 3). The author describes where the character is; sent into a kitchen.

Irony- Contrast between expectation and reality, usually surprising the reader or viewer. For example, "And be ashamed.." (Hughes, line 17). The quote can be seen as ironic because the characters that discriminate against him end up being ashamed of their actions because the realize he is beautiful.

Parallelism- The repetition of a grammatical pattern to express idea that are related or equal in importance. As stated in the text, "I, too, sing America." (Hughes, line 1 & 18). The author repeats this line to express the importance of the connotations it brings up in the poem.

Repetition- Technique in which a sound, word, phrase or line is repeated for emphasis or unity. As the author states, "...eat in the kitchen..." (Hughes, line 3 & 13). The author repeats this phrase to show the discrimination African-Americans would be exposed to during his time period.

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I, too, sing America.

I am the dark brother.
They Send me to eat in the kitchen
When Company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,
I'll be at the dinner table
When  company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed-

I, too, sing America.

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By Jacqueline Han and Meghan Coughlin