r sings of "Sun and softness," and "Sun and the beaten hardness of the earth". The softness of the sun and the hardness of the earth demonstrate the dichotomy of man's relationship with nature. Man basks in the beauty of nature while at the same time struggling against its forces. The earth is hard and we toil under the sun, yet we can appreciate the wonder of Sun and the song of all the sun-stars. Hughes musical language expresses without disdain this relationship between man and the earth. Again, in the poem "Dream Variations", Hughes demonstrates how nature helps celebrate and free the soul. The tone of the poem is celebratory and the speaker is joyous as he rejoices at the end of a day:To fling my arms wideIn some place of the sun,To whirl and to danceTill the white day is done.Then rest at cool eveningBeneath a tall tree . . .The speaker in the soul is free and liberated as he rejoices with nature.He celebrates in the sun, and rests beneath the comfort of a tree. Nature not only provides man with a means to express the freedom of his soul, but it also gives man relief. In contrast, a different side of nature is depicted in Hughes poem, "Song for a Dark Girl". The language in this poem paints a macabre picture of a racist south. In this poem, nature is harsh, unfair, and cruel. Instead of providingman with a means to express the freedom of his soul, nature confines the soul. Nature serves as a symbol for the captivity and death of the soul. The black man that is lynched in the poem could not be free in this society, and the girl he leaves behind mourns at the sight of the tree. For her, the image of this tree brings anguish to the soul: Way Down South in Dixie(break the heart of me)They hung my black young loverTo a crossroads tree.The tree is the object on which this girl's lover was hung. Nature becomes a symbol for the burden of the anguish of the soul. Nature's role in this poem not only kills the young lover, but...
