Meaning Of The Weary Blues

'The Weary Dejection' describes the functioning of a blues musician playing in a club on Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The piece mimics the tone and form of Dejection music and uses free verse and closely resembles spoken English. The poem was written by Langston Hughes in 1925 during the Harlem Renaissance, a period of time when African-American artists, musicians, and writers enjoyed appreciation and popular credence.

To brainstorm, I will analyze the verse form line by line, which y'all can read in full here. Then, I volition comment on the piece'south structure. Finally, I will make note of the work'due south historical context.

The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes

Analysis ofThe Weary Blues

Lines 1-iii

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
(…)
I heard a Negro play.

The first line of 'The Weary Dejection' begins past describing the music as "drowsy" and "syncopated." The erstwhile is a musical term that ways that the beats, accents, or rhythm of a piece are intentionally misplaced. This specific audible landscape, coupled with the prototype of a man "rocking back and forth" as he croons creates an near haunting epitome in the mind of the reader.

Another matter to notation is that the start few lines establish a single, individual speaker. It'southward likely the speaker is a member of the audience at this particular concert.

Lines 4-vii

Down on Lenox Avenue the other night
(…)
He did a lazy sway. . . .

This group of lines continues to add together definition to the scene created in the piece. The reader immediately learns the location of the verse form'due south setting, Lenox Avenue, long a haven for jazz and Blues.

The fifth line of 'The Weary Blues' adds to the eerie feeling cultivated. The streets are not just lit by lights; they are lit by gaslights giving off a "pale slow pallor." This is also some other case of how musical terms, such as "dull" are used repeatedly to describe the night.

The repetition of "He did a sway. . ." is too noteworthy. The two lines are reminiscent of a musical refrain. They as well imply a sense of continuous movement.

Lines 8-11

To the tune o' those Weary Blues.
(…)
O Blues!

Next, as hands clamber beyond ivory keys, we learn more about the performer and performance. The second line is most probable a reference to segregation, which was, at the time, a reality around the United states. Black and white are immune to mingle in the poem, making beautiful music.

"Weary Blues" seems to be the name of the vocal he's singing, and as I mentioned, the man is playing the pianoforte. Brand special note, of that "poor pianoforte." The man is not only playing, only in keeping with the piece's tone: he makes it "moan with tune."

Lines 12-14

Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool
(…)
Sweet Blues!

The imagery used in the side by side few lines is of special note. Like the "poor piano" from the previous line, everything in the verse form seems to be well worn, adjoining on decrepit. He has a "rickety stool." The melody he plays is "raggy."

"Musical fool" may be a reference to the jesters and court fools of the past. Peradventure it'due south implying this man is from the lower rungs of social club only entertaining the modern-twenty-four hour period lords and ladies of New York.

Lines fifteen-22

Coming from a black human'south soul.
O Blues!
(…)
I's gwine to quit ma frownin'
And put ma troubles on the shelf."

Finally, the blues man begins to sing. He sings to the speaker directly, to the reader direct. The way he sings, in colloquialisms, thickly accented, is indicative of a member of the poor working course.

The lyrics themselves are heartbreaking. If, as Blues often is, they are considered to exist autobiographical, then the vocalist becomes more than sympathetic.

Lines 23-30

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the flooring.
He played a few chords then he sang some more—
(…)
I ain't happy no mo'
And I wish that I had died."

As the song goes on, we larn more well-nigh the vocalist. His mournful vocalization matches his tragic words, and he seems to be living in the shadow of a deep depression.

Once more, the repetition of the word "thump" is used to mimic the sound of music. In this case, the thumps are used to keep the trounce.

Lines 31-35

And far into the night he crooned that tune.
(…)
He slept like a stone or a man that'southward expressionless.

The terminal four lines of 'The Weary Blues' create a sense of encroaching darkness. First, the stars go out, so the moon. Finally, the music fades. I imagine the musician trudging abode through the night and the tranquility. Then, even he fades away, sleeping like the expressionless.

The concluding discussion, "dead" seems to be stressed. It's possible that the poet is implying that the subject of this work died soon after the piece ends.

Information technology's besides interesting that the speaker hither seems to become omniscient. He or she knows what the singer does afterward the set.

Structure

As previously noted, the poem uses rhyme and rhythm in interesting means. The composition mimics the shifting structures and patterns of Jazz music. The indented lines are emphasized both on the page and in the reader'southward heed as if they are being sung. 'The Weary Blues' is written in free verse, merely information technology contains a number of rhyming couplets throughout. Apply of the word "negro," used at the fourth dimension as a derogatory term, serves to stress the bailiwick of the piece as an outsider and member of the lower class.

Historical Context

'The Weary Blues' is from the first collection of Langston Hughes'southward poetry, titled 'The Weary Blues'. Hughes was a prolific writer. He wrote poetry, prose, and plays. He won a number of awards. He was also a social activist. He was born in Joplin, Missouri and traveled the globe working as a seaman. He eventually settled in New York, which is where he died.