are still in a state of “bondage.” The overall theme though seems to be that if the black man keeps serving the white man then he will keep running the world. The black must stand up for himself in order to gain his true freedom. “Refugee in America”, the final poem selected for analysis in this paper, is a prime example of how Hughes views his place in society. The speaker is a black man who is kept down by the white man’s liberty. While he feels free in his heart, he has never experienced the benefits of this so called “liberty.” The purpose of this poem that has obviously been written to influence black society, is to show black people that freedom in their hearts is not enough. They must organize in order to feel truly liberated. “Refugee in America” basically states that Freedom is felt in the speaker’s heart but Liberty is far from it. The white man is what has made the speaker “cry.” Hughes once again uses a small amount of connotation throughout the course of the poem. The major example is the word “sings.” It seems to truly mean stresses or emphasizes. This poem is indeed written with a truly remorseful attitude. The major shift occurs in the second stanza when the speaker begins to speak of Liberty. Rather than feeling liberty in his heart it does nothing more than make him cry. When he states “If you had known what I knew/ you would know why it is obvious that he has had some traumatic experience in which the white man has treated him poorly. Very similar to the rest of the poems it is obvious that the theme of this poem involves black society taking action as a whole. It is not enough to “sing” freedom. Black society must gain their liberty as a whole. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Porter,” and “Refugee in America” are all prime examples of the way in which Hug...
