Updated:

Analysis of “Trumpet Player” by Langston Hughes Coursework

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

Scansion and Analysis

A thorough analysis of any poem cannot be done without providing the background on the time it was written at. Langston Hughes, the author of the poem, was quite a significant person during the Harlem Renaissance – a movement for the revival of the African American culture which took place in the 1920-1930s. He fought relentlessly for the African American cultural legacy to be recognized, cherished and protected. Moreover, Hughes also was one of the poets who first tried to promote the jazz poetry – a form of literary art. The poem Trumpet Player embodies the concept of the jazz poetry, while simultaneously reflecting the suffering and the humiliation the Black community still faces from the world.

Now, the structure of the poem is quite unusual for traditional poetry. It is comprised of forty-four lines, which are split into four eight-lined and two six-lined stanzas. There is a lot of similarities between the first, second and fifth stanzas – they are opened by the same line of “The Negro / with his trumpet at is lips” (1-2; 9-10; 33-34). Each of these three stanzas bring out the exposition, describing the said man both emotionally and physically. Hughes uses metaphors such as “dark moons of weariness” (3) or “honey / mixed with liquid fire” (18-19) to represent both the exhaustion and some sense of soothing that emanates from the player. The rhythm of the poem is not hard or marching which is in character for most poems in the aggressive genre of commination and denunciation. Rather, the poem flows like a serene river – strong and steady, without the rapid power of a too big a flow. However, such an approach does not make the poem any less powerful in its meaning or sounding – the lines resonate deeply with the rhythm, and elicit a feeling of deep story behind each of them.

Explication

The free rhyming of the poem allowed Hughes to experiment with his words, creating unusual transitions and strong metaphors. The first line “The Negro” (1), which repeats itself throughout the poem, is a statement rather than a description, a declaration of belonging and understanding. The next line, “with the trumpet in his hands” (2), represents the settings the author finds himself and most of his fellow creators in most of the time. Those are the dim, cheap bars where Black people could speak and perform more freely than anywhere else. The memories of being enslaved are fresh in the lines of “where the smoldering memory of slave ships / Blazed to the crack of whips about thighs” (5-8). The authors reinstates that there is still a long way to the freedom than it seem, for these memories live in the dark bags beneath the trumpet player’s eyes. This was the era of the Civil Rights, and the prejudices against the Blacks were strong due to the fact that they fought so fiercely to become equal to the Whites. Later, these prejudices would lead to even more deaths and aggression, to the case of Emmett Till, but for now, the society was yet stemming in its own controversies.

When the author speaks of how the “vibrant hair” of the hero were tamed, smoothed down to gleam like a jet, he recalls how the White culture had forced the Blacks to give up their individuality. The player has to match in his appearance with the Whites in order to be even remotely accepted into their world, in order to become a little less inferior to them. Still, there is no hiding the nobleness beneath all this imposed appearance, as it is written in the line “were jet a crown” (16). The music that flows from the player’s trombone is sweet and gentle like honey; yet it conceals a liquid fire in it, an ecstasy that could never be ignored. The music betrays the player’s real feelings, his desire for freedom, for equality, but the memories of his ancestors lies heavily on his shoulders, leaking into his performance.

Hughes describes his hero’s longing beautifully – as the player seeks out the moonlight, Langston reveals that it is hidden in the spotlight that reflects in his eyes. A call for the sea becomes a call for a drink in a bar – the wild element is broken and tamed to just a bar glass. As the author describes the man’s jacket, he claims that the player “does not know / upon what riff the music slips” (37-38), but the music remains comforting to him, a “hypodermic needle to his soul” (39-40). The music dissolves the player’s troubles and problems, leaving only a warm, gentle feeling, even if only for a moment.

Work Cited

Hughes, Langston. “Trumpet Player”, 1947.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2022, December 15). Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-trumpet-player-by-langston-hughes/

Work Cited

"Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes." IvyPanda, 15 Dec. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-trumpet-player-by-langston-hughes/.

References

IvyPanda. (2022) 'Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes'. 15 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2022. "Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes." December 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-trumpet-player-by-langston-hughes/.

1. IvyPanda. "Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes." December 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-trumpet-player-by-langston-hughes/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "Analysis of "Trumpet Player" by Langston Hughes." December 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-trumpet-player-by-langston-hughes/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1