The Great Gatsby And Harlem By Langston Hughes - 1089 Words

The roaring 20’s was an astounding time in the history of the United States of America. Many authors published novels, poems, and other works of literature to show their readers what it would be like to experience this time frame. Some examples of these works include The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes. Both of these pieces of literature include literary elements to appeal to the reader’s senses and imagination. A prevalent theme that has been found in works of the roaring 20’s is the wealth that someone may or may not achieve. Literary elements such as figurative language, irony, and symbolism are profound in both The Great Gatsby and â€Å"Harlem†, adding depth to both literature works. One literary element that is prevalent in both pieces is their use of figurative language. In The Great Gatsby the author uses figurative language to give an example of times during the roaring 20’s. Daisy Buchanan is described using phrases such as gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor, a woman whose voice is full of money. These phrases contrast with the poor world of the couple George and Myrtle Wilson. While Daisy is soaking in money, George and Myrtle basically live in a dust bowl. Figurative language is also used in â€Å"Harlem† when Hughes attempts to give an idea of what a deferred dream would resemble itself as. He compared a postponed dream to a raisin drying up in the sun and he also gives a strongShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Naturalism In F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Awakening1358 Words   |  6 Pagesby writing The Awakening. Langston Hughes draws attention to African Americans’ struggles in a country divided b y racism through his poems, â€Å"Mother to Son† and â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers.† F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the changes of America during the roaring twenties in The Great Gatsby to reveal the rise of a new social class, the â€Å"new money.† Throughout the movements of naturalism, the Harlem Renaissance, and modernism, authors such as Kate Chopin, Langston Hughes, and F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizeRead MoreRoaring Twenties : A Decade Of Extravagance939 Words   |  4 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, William Falkner, Langston Hughes, and Ernest Hemmingway all found their spotlight each with an original work of literature that got the human race not only entertained but aware. In the novel The Great Gatsby, penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a story about a rich man living in the early 1920’s New York. The titular character, Gatsby, has an interesting story that was one of the first modern day love stories. Gatsby had an extravagant mansion which people partied inRead MoreEssay on Modernism at Its Finest in Literature756 Words   |  4 Pagesnovels used the concept of the American dream to make people question whether the dream still existed in the mist of the First World War and the Great Depression. In describing the American dream, one is led to believe that the individual is led to self-triumph, and their life will progressively get better and better in America. In Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, the American dream is perceived originally by the thought of discovery and the pursuit of happiness. Money, parties, andRead MoreAfrican American Dream1039 Words   |  5 Pagessegregated country throughout history, even toda y. Langston Hughes, an African American author who was a major figure in the Harlem renaissance wrote a poem called I, Too, Sing America, which quotes â€Å"They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, â€Å"eat in the kitchen,† then†. This quote and perspective of Langston Hughes is important because it shows the racial inequalityRead MoreAnalysis Of The Great Gatsby And I Too, Sing America979 Words   |  4 Pagesheard, especially if it an unpopular opinion, so they turn to writing. This popular writing style allows people to express their opinions through underlying themes in their stories thus allowing writers to be spokespeople of their times. From The Great Gatsby to The Crucible to â€Å"I, Too, Sing America,† each author has expressed the values, critiques of society and traits of their times through their stor ies and poems. During the early 1920’s, America experienced a post-war economic growth, which increasedRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1138 Words   |  5 Pages The Roaring 20’s â€Å"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.† (F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby). This is a famous quote from Fitzgerald because this is what the 1920’s was about.The American Dream was about working hard for what you want and this quotes sums it up. Everybody in the 1920’s worked hard for what they had and wanted. The 1920’s was a time to remember. The 1920’s was known by so many names. For example the Jazz Age, Flappers, the ‘New† Women andRead MorePoem : The American Dream1037 Words   |  5 Pagesdream, but sometimes factors such as discrimination and unequal opportunities provide barriers to ones chance of reaching this American dream. Even if one were to attain the dream, will it last? Body-- The poem Harlem by Langston Hughes is about the fate of a â€Å"dream deferred.† Hughes then uses vivid analogies to evoke the image of a postponed dream. He imagines it drying up, festering, stinking, crusting over, or, exploding. Each analogy has a different meaning behind it. Drying up like a raisinRead MoreChanges in Era and American Culture Reflected in Its Literature1774 Words   |  7 Pages As the eras changed, so did American culture. Literary works including The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, reveal two main characters who are alienated by their societies and who are not valued for their true worth as individuals. Both characters in these novels endure an identity crisis, which then leads to them become their own tragic hero/heroine. Both F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, depict characters that reinvent themselvesRead MoreThe American Dream Through Literature1496 Words   |  6 Pagesof econo mic prosperity and optimism (Izaguirre 45). It seemed the American Dream was realized, but literature of the era would suggest something different. On one end of the spectrum, there is the Harlem Renaissance, creating a revolution in the arts in African American culture. For poet Langston Hughes, America still hasn’t realized the American dream. In his poem â€Å"The Weary Blues†, he writes Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor. He played a few chords then he sang some more— â€Å"IRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1935 Words   |  8 PagesFlappers, innovation, invention, prosperity, cars, industrialization, the Jazz Age. These are all words that come to mind when one thinks of the 1920’s in America. Many people believe it was a great time in American history, however these individuals are only seeing one side of the story. Yes, the 1920’s were a time of growth in some area’s of society, and were portrayed as a time that allowed people to be free and be themselves, a time where people could finally let loose. However, this could not