The Negro Speaks Of Rivers by Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:
I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than theflow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Life Is Fine by Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevatorSixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,And eat well,
And grow strong.

Tomorrow,I'll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody'll dare
Say to me,
"Eat in the kitchen,"
Then.

Besides,
They'll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed--

I, too, am America.

My Favourite Poet

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was a great American writer. He was one of the earliest innovators of the new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best-known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes stressed the importance of a racial consciousness and cultural nationalism devoid of self-hate that united people of African descent and Africa across the globe and encouraged pride in their own diverse black folk culture and black aesthetic.
Hughes had a very poor relationship with his father. Hughes lived with his father in Mexico for a brief period in 1919. The relationship between the two was strained and unhappy, causing Langston to attempt suicide multiple times.
Langston Hughes was a great man that wanted to change America for the greater good. His poems emphasised how the African Americans were treated unequally. He had a goal to bring back the old America. From “Let America Be America Again”, we realise that he was passionate about America, how he wants America to revive the American Dream. His ultimate
goal was for every race to be equal, and that the Africans Americans will be treated equally with the other races.
Langston Hughes was a very straightforward man who spoke his mind when needed to. He could express himself, his life very clearly onto his poems. He did not regard other people’s views towards him. He wanted to speak blatantly.
Langston Hughes’s poems always had a meaning behind a poem; he always had a reason for writing it. His poems went beyond just plain writing; he wrote poems to show his opinion towards a particular subject.
On May 22, 1967, Langston Hughes died from complications after abdominal surgery, related to prostate cancer, at the age of 65. His ashes are interred beneath a floor medallion in the middle of the foyer leading to the auditorium named for him within the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. The design on the floor covering his cremated remains is an African cosmogram titled Rivers. The title is taken from the poem The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Hughes. Within the center of the cosmogram and precisely above the ashes of Hughes are the words My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

Langston Hughes was a brave and great man that influenced others to follow his footsteps. His contributions to poetry would never be forgotten.

'Life Is Fine' by Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine

1)I think that this poem used hyperbole as the poem said that "I came up once and hollered!I came up twice and cried!" and "I stood there and I hollered!I stood there and I cried". The author wants to tell us the his life was not good.

2)I like this poem because iwe t is easy to understand and the language use is not to profound. The author express his life emotionally. The author also appreciate his life a lot as he decided not to kill himself. The author also 'send' a message that tell us to appreciate our own life because for livin' we was born. The author that wrote poem is also very touching.I hope to read more poems written by this poet, Langston Hughes.

Gathering Party With My P6 Friends

Last Saturday, I went to a gathering party at my P6 friend's house. It was a potluck BBQ party. Although not all my ex-classmates could attend, but there were still a big cloud of them. I am very glad to see them. Before we started the BBQ party, all of us went for swimming at the swimming pool. We played some water games. We also took pictures in the swimming pool. After swimming, we dried ourselves and started the BBQ party. Starting the fire was a challenging part as the charcoals were quite hard to catch fire. Soon, the fire was lit and everyone were happy. We had sausages, fish balls, chicken wings, lamb slices and many more. All of us had a very good time. After everyone is bloated, all of us have to tell a joke or a story. Most of my friends told spooky ghost stories and scared everyone. Some told funny jokes and some told cold jokes. We end our party at about 10pm, we all were very happy and hope to organize another party soon.