Hughes: Hughes uses blues rhythms, first-person narration, and vernacular language to assert heritage and the struggle of Black American identity. In his poem “I, too,” he demonstrates acceptance of full citizenship in America and portrays hope for equality. “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” focuses on historical imagery of African heritage and American slavery, highlighting the speaker's endurance. In “The Weary Blues,” the rhythm of Blues music represents Black artistic tradition, demonstrating how Black art can turn pain into cultural expression. The tension between the idealistic and the reality of the American Dream, described in “Let America be America Again,” is expressed through a collective that asserts the right to the promised equality. “Nude Younger Dancer” explores Black physical beauty and freedom through a dancer, asserting the value that exists beyond constraints. “Harlem (2)” discusses the political assertion that a “dream deferred” doesn’t fade, but instead represents the possible buildup. Lastly, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” asserts that Black artists need to reject the desire to be “respectable” in the eyes of a dominant culture; instead, they should bravely assert their culture.
