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1. C. As an interjection, “well” typically appears in more casual or conversational speech and writing. It also suggests the continuation of a conversation because it often precedes a response to a question (e.g., “What do you think about life?”; “Well, I’ll tell you”). Finally, the word often prefaces a conclusion or summary—in this case, of the speaker’s philosophy of life.
2. D. By placing “bare” on its own line, Hughes not only underscores the word’s meaning (the line is literally bare of anything else) but also creates a visual low point after which the lines become longer as the speaker’s determination grows. In addition, he begins the next line with the conjunction “but,” underscoring the break from what has preceded it.
3. D. The contraction “I’se" (“I is”) is a feature of AAVE, as is dropping the -g from verbs like “going” (though this is common to many other English dialects as well).
4. A. “Mother to Son” is an example of free verse, which does not adhere to any strict meter or rhyme scheme.
5. B. The initial repetition of “and” highlights the number of obstacles the speaker has faced in life—”tacks,” “splinters,” unfinished floors, etc. By the end of the poem, however, Hughes’s use of anaphora underscores the speaker’s determination (“And reachin’,” “And turnin’,” etc.
By Langston Hughes
Children’s Rhymes
Children’s Rhymes
Langston Hughes
Cora Unashamed
Cora Unashamed
Langston Hughes
Dreams
Dreams
Langston Hughes
Harlem
Harlem
Langston Hughes
I look at the world
I look at the world
Langston Hughes
I, Too
I, Too
Langston Hughes
Let America Be America Again
Let America Be America Again
Langston Hughes
Me and the Mule
Me and the Mule
Langston Hughes
Mulatto
Mulatto
Langston Hughes
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston
Not Without Laughter
Not Without Laughter
Langston Hughes
Slave on the Block
Slave on the Block
Langston Hughes
Thank You, M'am
Thank You, M'am
Langston Hughes
The Big Sea
The Big Sea
Langston Hughes
Theme for English B
Theme for English B
Langston Hughes
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
Langston Hughes
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes
The Ways of White Folks
The Ways of White Folks
Langston Hughes
The Weary Blues
The Weary Blues
Langston Hughes
Tired
Tired
Langston Hughes