ghes uses a great deal of connotation throughout this poem. The most obvious example is the word “muddy” which not only arouses a great deal of sensory image but also means “black.” He represents his race with the word “mud.” A major shift in this poem occurs when the speaker mentions the “raising of the pyramids” which was a slave practice of ancient Egypt. While this shows the point at which there was a major “downfall” in black culture there still seems to be an optimistic undertone for the future. In the end the theme seems to be this: If black society keeps pushing anything is possible and blacks could very conceivably return to a state of nature.“Porter”, another of Hughes works is representative of just how discontent blacks are with the white society in which they live. The speaker in this poem could be any member of black society who recognizes that black society’s actions are what keeps them beneath the white man in terms of society ranking. Throughout this poem the speaker gives way to the wishes of the white man. This poem is directed to any black man who feels dominated by white society. This poem basically states that all day long black men play servant to whites who “own” the world. It also goes on to say that blacks do nothing more than obey the white mans every order with an endless number of “yes sirs.” There are two major examples of how connotation is utilized throughout this poem. The word “climbing” and the word “owns” both have alternate meanings. “Climbing” means striving to better black life, while “owns” means runs in terms of the white man. Hughes displays a great deal of discontentment for the white man throughout this poem. A shift occurs when he begins to speak of how the “Rich old white man/owns the world.” This shows that blacks ...
