How was the singer singing on Lenox Avenue at night?
___ is a notable literary work by ___. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of ___.
Answer
How was the singer singing on Lenox Avenue at night? What was the subject matter of his songs? [NU: 2018]
Langston Hughes’s (1901-1967) poem “The Weary Blues” (1925) tells about a black piano player on Lenox Avenue at night. The poet listens to him. The music is sad and deep. The singer and his song show the injustice and suffering of the black people in America.
The Singer Sang Sad and Slow: The poet hears a Black musician playing the piano on Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The music is slow, sad, and sleepy, with a jazzy rhythm. The man sways back and forth while playing. The weak gas light makes the scene look even more lonely and quiet. The music he plays is the “Weary Blues.” It is a kind of blues song that expresses tiredness and sadness. The poet notices how the man’s dark hands press the white piano keys. It creates a sound so emotional that it feels like the piano itself is crying.
Subject Matter of the Song: The man’s song is about sadness and pain. It is about the suffering of the black people in America. He sings he has nobody in the world, only himself.
“Ain’t got nobody in all this world.”
He keeps playing. He says he has the “Weary Blues” and cannot be satisfied with life. He is not happy anymore. He even wishes he were dead. These lines show his, and the whole black African-American people’s deep pain, hopelessness, and emotional exhaustion.
The musician continues to pour his sadness into the song deep into the night. Finally, he stops. The poem ends by saying he sleeps like a rock or like a dead man, with the “Weary Blues” still echoing in his head.
In short, the poem shows the deep sadness and pain of Black people through the music of one lonely singer. His song becomes the voice of all who suffer from injustice in America.