FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE AND CRAFT
W
hat are the qualities of writing that make some writers more
interesting than others to you? Certainly the subject matter
makes a difference. When you have interests in science fiction,
adventure, or horror, you naturally gravitate toward those. But the
way a writer puts words together also affects a reader’s interest. For
example, what makes a piece of writing descriptive? Suspenseful?
Fast paced? Good writers know how to use words to craft language
that captures readers and draws them in. Language and craft involve
a variety of elements that work together to create certain effects.
Here are a few things we will look at in this lesson to focus on
Hughes’s use of language and craft:
■
Choice of words
■
Use of sound and rhythm
■
Use of repetition
4
LESSON
As you read “The Weary Blues,” circle or highlight the language that
makes the strongest impression on you. In your Response Notes, write
what comes into your mind because of the language the author uses.
© GREAT SOURCE. COPYING IS PROHIBITED.
The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes
Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,
I heard a Negro play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light
He did a lazy sway. . . .
He did a lazy sway. . . .
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.
With his ebony hands on each ivory key
He made that poor piano moan with melody.
O Blues!
Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.
Sweet Blues!
Coming from a black man’s soul.
O Blues!
In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan—
Response
Notes
describes rhythm?
interesting description
repeats, like
in a song
FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE AND CRAFT
19
Response
Notes
“Ain’t got nobody in all this world,
Ain’t got nobody but ma self.
I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’
And put ma troubles on the shelf.”
Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.
He played a few chords then he sang some more—
“I got the Weary Blues
And I can’t be satisfied.
Got the Weary Blues
And can’t be satisfied—
I ain’t happy no mo’
And I wish that I had died.” p
opopopopopopopopopopopopopopopo
•
What lines of the poem create the strongest impressions? In the
Double Entry Chart below, write the line or lines from the poem
in the left column. Explain your selections in the right column.
DOUBLE ENTRY CHART
Write the best examples of:
Choice of words
Explain why you think so
Use of sound and/or rhythm
•
20
LESSON 4
Share what you listed with a partner or a small group. After
listening to what your classmates had to say, what words or
phrases would you add to your chart?
© GREAT SOURCE. COPYING IS PROHIBITED.
Use of repetition
•
Hughes wrote about a piano player in “The Weary Blues.” Think of
a person about whom you would like to write a poem. You might
choose to write about a friend, a family member, a famous singer,
a movie star, or an athlete.
.
The subject of my poem is
Spend some time thinking about this person in the following
ways:
1
List several words or phrases that describe the person, both
physically and emotionally.
2 Use a combination of sound and rhythm to describe the
person.
3 Use repetition that will emphasize some particular good or
bad quality about the person.
© GREAT SOURCE. COPYING IS PROHIBITED.
•
Use your lists above and any other language that comes to mind
to write a poem about the person.
Focusing attention
on a writer’s word choice and the use
of sound, rhythm and repetition will help
you understand what the author is
trying to emphasize.
FOCUSING ON LANGUAGE AND CRAFT
21