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Cross Analysis
Author: Poetry of Langston Hughes Type: Poetry Views: 6152
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And my old mother's black.
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.
If ever I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
I'm sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well
My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack.
I wonder were I'm going to die,
Being neither white nor black?
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||| Analysis | Critique | Overview Below |||
.: :.
I found, while this poem is a reflection on Huges' own biracial herritage, it also carries an underlining tone of huges being displaced in a society that demands a "lable" (even for the many that do not fall under one particular group) due to a discomfort with catagoryless individuals.
D.Bradley
| Posted on 2009-09-25 | by a guest
I found, while this poem is a reflection on Huges' own biracial herritage, it also carries an underlining tone of huges being displaced in a society that demands a "lable" (even for the many that do not fall under one particular group) due to a discomfort with catagoryless individuals.
D.Bradley
| Posted on 2009-09-25 | by a guest
.: :.
I found, while this poem is a reflection on Huges' own biracial herritage, it also carries an underlining tone of huges being displaced in a society that demands a "lable" (even for the many that do not fall under one particular group) due to a discomfort with catagoryless individuals.
D.Bradley
| Posted on 2009-09-25 | by a guest
I found, while this poem is a reflection on Huges' own biracial herritage, it also carries an underlining tone of huges being displaced in a society that demands a "lable" (even for the many that do not fall under one particular group) due to a discomfort with catagoryless individuals.
D.Bradley
| Posted on 2009-09-25 | by a guest
.: :.
this poem clearly refers to john f newtonraptors statement regarding the sulfite found in the potatoes of ethiopia. to further analyze, i would like to interject that it is inadvisable to expose your lightbulb to nitrous oxide on wednesdays. this poem is most obviously in parallel reference with the long tale of hubert the lamp who went swimming in the waters of finland never to line dance again. in summary, turtle.
thank you and have a good thurday.
| Posted on 2009-05-06 | by a guest
this poem clearly refers to john f newtonraptors statement regarding the sulfite found in the potatoes of ethiopia. to further analyze, i would like to interject that it is inadvisable to expose your lightbulb to nitrous oxide on wednesdays. this poem is most obviously in parallel reference with the long tale of hubert the lamp who went swimming in the waters of finland never to line dance again. in summary, turtle.
thank you and have a good thurday.
| Posted on 2009-05-06 | by a guest
.: :.
I don't think this poem is difficult to understand at all. He pretty much says exactly what he means, no analysis necessary. He is a child of multiracial decent. Like many other blacks in his time, he battled with identity, blaming his parents. When he matured, he realized he was wrong to blame others, because he was truly proud of his heritage, regardless of the difficulties it caused him. He expressed the difference between the death of a white man and the death of a black woman, one of privilege, one of poverty. This may not actually be how his parents died, but in those times, many rich white men had children with African American women, yet they kept separate lives, and often kept it a secret. This poem is representative of the mindset and segregation of races during Hughes's adolescence and even adulthood.
| Posted on 2009-02-23 | by a guest
I don't think this poem is difficult to understand at all. He pretty much says exactly what he means, no analysis necessary. He is a child of multiracial decent. Like many other blacks in his time, he battled with identity, blaming his parents. When he matured, he realized he was wrong to blame others, because he was truly proud of his heritage, regardless of the difficulties it caused him. He expressed the difference between the death of a white man and the death of a black woman, one of privilege, one of poverty. This may not actually be how his parents died, but in those times, many rich white men had children with African American women, yet they kept separate lives, and often kept it a secret. This poem is representative of the mindset and segregation of races during Hughes's adolescence and even adulthood.
| Posted on 2009-02-23 | by a guest
.: :.
I don't think this poem is difficult to understand at all. He pretty much says exactly what he means, no analysis necessary. He is a child of multiracial decent. Like many other blacks in his time, he battled with identity, blaming his parents. When he matured, he realized he was wrong to blame others, because he was truly proud of his heritage, regardless of the difficulties it caused him. He expressed the difference between the death of a white man and the death of a black woman, one of privilege, one of poverty. This may not actually be how his parents died, but in those times, many rich white men had children with African American women, yet they kept separate lives, and often kept it a secret. This poem is representative of the mindset and segregation of races during Hughes's adolescence and even adulthood.
| Posted on 2009-02-23 | by a guest
I don't think this poem is difficult to understand at all. He pretty much says exactly what he means, no analysis necessary. He is a child of multiracial decent. Like many other blacks in his time, he battled with identity, blaming his parents. When he matured, he realized he was wrong to blame others, because he was truly proud of his heritage, regardless of the difficulties it caused him. He expressed the difference between the death of a white man and the death of a black woman, one of privilege, one of poverty. This may not actually be how his parents died, but in those times, many rich white men had children with African American women, yet they kept separate lives, and often kept it a secret. This poem is representative of the mindset and segregation of races during Hughes's adolescence and even adulthood.
| Posted on 2009-02-23 | by a guest
.: :.
I believe what Hughes is trying to convey is a state of racial ambiguity that mixed race people feel. They are not white nor are they black and therefore do not fit into a defined racial category.
| Posted on 2009-02-17 | by a guest
I believe what Hughes is trying to convey is a state of racial ambiguity that mixed race people feel. They are not white nor are they black and therefore do not fit into a defined racial category.
| Posted on 2009-02-17 | by a guest
.: :.
this was hard to undderstand except that he thanks god every day for his life and parents and wants to end up as a good man.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
this was hard to undderstand except that he thanks god every day for his life and parents and wants to end up as a good man.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
.: :.
This shows how to live your life and it was difficult to understand the concept of the learning in the process of undivided indinviduals-a mix between his parents and him and the poverty that was going on due to slavery.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
This shows how to live your life and it was difficult to understand the concept of the learning in the process of undivided indinviduals-a mix between his parents and him and the poverty that was going on due to slavery.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
.: :.
I think the definition of “crossbred; hybrid” works best in this poem because what Langston Hughes is saying is that he is a mixed breed between his mother and father; one is black and poor, the other is white and rich. He is also showing how the blacks were unequivalent to the whites during that time period and he doesn’t know where his life is going to take him. The whites were more respected and the blacks were neglected due to the slavery during that time. I think that Hughes wrote this right after his parents died because he has found out where their lives ended and now he takes all his “curses” back because he wants to live a respected life. He cannot blame his parents from what he turned out to be and he it is undecided if he will turn out to be respected and accepted or neglected and rejected by the society.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
I think the definition of “crossbred; hybrid” works best in this poem because what Langston Hughes is saying is that he is a mixed breed between his mother and father; one is black and poor, the other is white and rich. He is also showing how the blacks were unequivalent to the whites during that time period and he doesn’t know where his life is going to take him. The whites were more respected and the blacks were neglected due to the slavery during that time. I think that Hughes wrote this right after his parents died because he has found out where their lives ended and now he takes all his “curses” back because he wants to live a respected life. He cannot blame his parents from what he turned out to be and he it is undecided if he will turn out to be respected and accepted or neglected and rejected by the society.
| Posted on 2008-11-07 | by a guest
.: :.
This poem was difficult to understand and I didn't really understand the purpose of it. To me it was a complete waste of time. Thank you Langston Hughes. Those are five minutes that I will never get back!!!!
| Posted on 2008-10-28 | by a guest
This poem was difficult to understand and I didn't really understand the purpose of it. To me it was a complete waste of time. Thank you Langston Hughes. Those are five minutes that I will never get back!!!!
| Posted on 2008-10-28 | by a guest
.: Cross :.
this poem to me says that he doesnt respect his mother the same as he does his father. i see it as he is ashamed and is not accepted by society. in time he comes to accept the fact that he can not help where he comes from so he wishes his mother well. he is not sure weather he will die a respected white or a neglected black.
| Posted on 2008-04-10 | by a guest
this poem to me says that he doesnt respect his mother the same as he does his father. i see it as he is ashamed and is not accepted by society. in time he comes to accept the fact that he can not help where he comes from so he wishes his mother well. he is not sure weather he will die a respected white or a neglected black.
| Posted on 2008-04-10 | by a guest
.: :.
I made the connection of Christ dieing on the cross for our sins, and he is trying to get forgiveness from his parents. And also, Christ died on a right side up cross, while St. Peter was buried on an upside down cross, trying to help exemplify the differences between the mother and the father.
| Posted on 2008-02-03 | by a guest
I made the connection of Christ dieing on the cross for our sins, and he is trying to get forgiveness from his parents. And also, Christ died on a right side up cross, while St. Peter was buried on an upside down cross, trying to help exemplify the differences between the mother and the father.
| Posted on 2008-02-03 | by a guest
.: Cross :.
Is it necessary to perpetuate errors from one website to another? In this version of Hughes thoughtful poem, the second to the last line reads: I wonder were I'm going to die. This error appears in many online postings of the poem because people merely copy and paste without thought a human trait that the poem seems to address: prejudices copied and pasted from one generation to the next. The line in question should read: I wonder where I'm going to die. The stanza breaks are also incorrect. Poets make conscious decisions about the wording *and* visual presentations of their poems. To disregard both is an insult to the poem and the poet; and this poem and poet deserve better.
| Posted on 2007-10-24 | by a guest
Is it necessary to perpetuate errors from one website to another? In this version of Hughes thoughtful poem, the second to the last line reads: I wonder were I'm going to die. This error appears in many online postings of the poem because people merely copy and paste without thought a human trait that the poem seems to address: prejudices copied and pasted from one generation to the next. The line in question should read: I wonder where I'm going to die. The stanza breaks are also incorrect. Poets make conscious decisions about the wording *and* visual presentations of their poems. To disregard both is an insult to the poem and the poet; and this poem and poet deserve better.
| Posted on 2007-10-24 | by a guest
.: Cross :.
When I read this poem it made me think of the cross between black and white and how he's unsure of where he stands in america's view because he seems to not have a race. He has denied he is black or white so he cannot possibly be at the same social status as his parents. He is not taken in by the african culture because he is part white and he isn't taken by the whites because he is black. He is taking his curses back from his mother and father because he realizes that this is all he has left of his heritages and without them he is no longer part of either society.
| Posted on 2005-12-08 | by Approved Guest
When I read this poem it made me think of the cross between black and white and how he's unsure of where he stands in america's view because he seems to not have a race. He has denied he is black or white so he cannot possibly be at the same social status as his parents. He is not taken in by the african culture because he is part white and he isn't taken by the whites because he is black. He is taking his curses back from his mother and father because he realizes that this is all he has left of his heritages and without them he is no longer part of either society.
| Posted on 2005-12-08 | by Approved Guest
.: personal :.
this has always been such a personal piece for myself. the depths of confusion can be tricky to one of mixed race as i well know. to me i see this as being a poem for one "crossed" nearing the end of thier own life. it would appear to be the reflection on their own life and the poor judgement that he cast on others. His mortality is questioned once he realized that complete differences that both parents faced in their lives. it seemes that the speaker is now facing his own, knowing that he is indeed neither the class status that his parents held. the confusion and the pain is evident if you can comprehend where he is coming from.
| Posted on 2005-03-08 | by stolie77
this has always been such a personal piece for myself. the depths of confusion can be tricky to one of mixed race as i well know. to me i see this as being a poem for one "crossed" nearing the end of thier own life. it would appear to be the reflection on their own life and the poor judgement that he cast on others. His mortality is questioned once he realized that complete differences that both parents faced in their lives. it seemes that the speaker is now facing his own, knowing that he is indeed neither the class status that his parents held. the confusion and the pain is evident if you can comprehend where he is coming from.
| Posted on 2005-03-08 | by stolie77
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