Compare and Contrast Essay of “The Weary Blues” and “The Trumpet Player”

by Langston Hughes
Essay written by Simone Chivers (12MM)

Until the dawn of the 20th century the pale-skinned poets and their rose-tinted
interpretation of the world dominated the whimsical world of literature. But the fiery
uprising of the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1920’s shook America to its core.
Fortified black voices broke out across the nation, effectively using rhythms and
cadences so clearly defined by the African-American culture, but the soulful voice
that rose above the rest was the voice of Langston Hughes. The poetry that Hughes
crafted was filled with sensual rhythms and beats. His stanzas united the beautiful
simplicity of blues and jazz music with the heart rendering soulful cries of a race
defined by oppression. The influence of music in the poetry of Langston Hughes is
clearly evident in two poems entitled The Trumpet Player and The Weary Blues.
Commonalities can be drawn on various literary and musical devices effectively
utilized to instill a feeling of poignancy, regardless of race or affiliation. Three such
commonalities are the use of vivid imagery, the influence of musical techniques and
tone. Techniques used to conjure a voice for the African American race, a voice
flouted by the white American.

The effective use of imagery Hughes employs in both The Trumpet Player and The
Weary Blues truly submerges the poems into the heart of the reader. In The Weary
Blues Langston Hughes describes an outing listening to a blues musician in Harlem,
and gives the reader an awareness of the emotional state of the troubled musician. “
With his ebony hands on each ivory key he made that poor piano moan with melody,”
a sorrowful yet elegant display of imagery. The image of those black hands on the
pale ivory keys implies the transformation of an instrument typical of Western culture
and idealisms, with a flavour and flair characterized by the Harlem Renaissance. The
piano itself is personified as the soulful moans echo and reflect the staunch splendour
of the black tradition. It is that same tradition that fuels the singers’ hunger to live as
when he returns home sans the sensual melody of the blues, he lay in his bed and
“slept like a rock or a man that’s dead.” Similarly in Trumpet Player Hughes refers to
music as a release of emotion clearly evident in “ But softly as the tune comes from
his throat trouble mellows to a golden note.” The effective final offering in the last
stanza instills a feeling of hope within the soul. A hope that through “the rhythm from
the trumpet at his lips” can propel the troubled mind from memories of “smouldering
slave ships” into a world of equality and nationalist pride. Hughes also conveys the
effect of “the music from the trumpet at his lips” and the ability to calm the anger
within the boiling black soul. The references to “liquid fire” and “hypodermic
needles” suggests the level of desperation the African Americans possessed to forget
about the tumultuous life they were subjected to. A life Hughes portrayed could be
ameliorated through music, a natural anti-depressant to a troubled soul.

The influence of music in Langston Hughes’ poetry is clearly evident and eloquently
communicated throughout both poems, although in dissimilar ways. In The Weary
Blues, the use of musical techniques is expected as a result of the title, but the way in
which Hughes gives new life to jaded musical elements transcends the boundaries of
typical Caucasian literature. From the opening line “ Droning a drowsy syncopated
tune…” Hughes uses “syncopated” to interrupt the flow of the line. In musical terms
syncopated is defined as “a shift of accent in a musical composition that occurs when
a normally weak beat is stressed; when an expected rhythm is modified in an
unexpected way. Syncopation in music might be analogous to situational irony in
literature when something other than what would be expected or logical happens.” An
effect clearly illustrated in the opening phrase, a theme characterizing both poems. A
reference to the musical form of jazz is made in the opening stanzas where Hughes
repeats a previously displayed motif “rocking back and forth” but instead of directly
repeating the phrase, Hughes added something new with the “to and fro.” This can be
interpreted as analogous to a jazz musician who follows the lead and rhythm of his
fellow musicians but introduces something different when it is their turn for a solo.
Hughes also utilizes the word “raggy” to communicate the idea of quilting, where a
beautiful masterpiece is created out of scraps of worn material. This can be compared
to the melodies of blues and jazz, because you can hear the different themes
intertwined together to create an avenue for the African American’s to be
emancipated and sense a freedom to express their sorrow. Similarly in The Trumpet
Player musical influences and references are also used, both poems communicate the
idea that music can liberate the soul and mind. However in contrast to The Weary
Blues, the musical references in The Trumpet Player seem to be obvious but they
filled with a density of symbolism. A prime example of this is the gentle repetition of
“The negro with the trumpet at his lips.” On the surface we see that the African
performer is playing the trumpet, but beneath the refrain lies a deeper emotion, that
the roots of oppression suffered by the African American race run so deeply, the sole
way with which the “negro” could obtain true natural happiness was through “the
music from the trumpet at his lips.” The ingenious use of rhyme in The Trumpet
Player is used sparingly and unexpectedly, a technique characterized by the musical
form of jazz, a form where improvisation is the norm and where the rules are left to
the interpretation of the artist. The liberation that jazz evokes can be referenced to the
desire of the African American people to be viewed as equal, and Hughes’ sparing use
of rhyme is a point of subtle rebellion, against the biased malice of the white
American. Through both The Weary Blues and The Trumpet Player it is clear that
Langston Hughes lives and breathes the art of music, his soulful cries and desire to
obtain a voice for the black American was effectively communicated through musical
allusions and references.

However whereas I previously drew reference to musical techniques in the two

poems, literary techniques were of equal importance in contribution to the tone of the
poem. The thriving use of monosyllabics, rhyme, alliteration and assonance create a
mood of undeniable hope through music. “Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,
rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,” the opening statement from The Weary
Blues utilizes the effectiveness of long monosyllabics “tune” and “croon”, which
force the reader to pause a great deal longer than usual. These melodic words
contribute to a sense of a dream that is anticipating acceptance, a theme Hughes
employs in many of his poems. The tune/croon rhyme coupled with the night/light
rhyme in the following line, implies that the easily assumed “moon” reference will
occur. The reader spends the entirety of the poem anticipated this ambiguous word
and when it is finally alluded to in the denouement of the poem the reader feels a
sense of gratifying relief. Furthermore Langston Hughes utilizes the technique of
three accented syllables at the end of a line; an example of this is “By the pale dull
palor of an old gas light.” The accented tone of “old gas light” imparts the impression
of the words rocking back and forth, a tone referred to directly in the poem. Similarly
in The Trumpet Player Hughes uses rhyme to convey a musical whimsy in the tone,
however in contrast to The Weary Blues the rhyme is more predictable but
nonetheless valuable. A breathtaking example of this is “ the music from the trumpet
at his lips is honey mixed with liquid fire, the rhythm from the trumpet at his lips is
ecstasy distilled from old desire.” Like The Weary Blues, The Trumpet Player has a
sensual rhythm that formulates a swaying motion within the soul, aided by the
grouping of syllables. The most prominent examples, in my opinion, being “golden
note” and “liquid fire” where Hughes employs the same technique he did in The
Weary Blues where three syllables were accented at the end of a line for emphasis.

Words cannot adequately encompass the awful suffering of the African American
race at the hands of their own countrymen. But Langston Hughes makes the best
attempt at communicated the soulful struggle and longing for liberation through his
poetry. In The Weary Blues and The Trumpet Player Hughes communicates his
feelings through vivid imagery, musical influence and reference and most importantly
he uses literary techniques made famous by his Caucasian predecessors but twisted
those same techniques through his own interpretation and desire to break away from
the white stereotype. Although I myself am not African and cannot possibly imagine
the pain and suffering they witnessed and experienced, the poetry of Langston Hughes
confirmed my prior knowledge of the effects of music on the soul. Hughes effectively
intertwined music and literature to create two unique masterpieces, his desire to give
African American’s a voice is eloquently communicated and conveyed.