Oral Poetry Discussion

PERSONAL REACTION TO ‘‘BEEHIVES’’

-JEAN TOOMER

PERSONAL REACTION TO ‘‘THANK YOU MA’AM’’

-LANGSTON HUGHES

RELATION TO STATUS QUO ‘‘BEEHIVES’’

-JEAN TOOMER

RELATION TO STATUS QUO ‘‘THANK YOU MA’AM’’

-LANGSTON HUGHES

‘’BEEHIVE’’:

 In my understanding of ‘’Beehive’’ by Jean Toomer, I notice that the other is dreamy of a euphoric world where there seems to be no worries. Perhaps is he desperate of living his life as he wants to escape by getting ‘’drunk’’ and wishing to ‘’fly out past the moon’’? He seems to dream about getting away from his present situation as he mentions that he wants to ‘’curl forever in some far-off farmyard flower’’. He refers to his world as a ‘’waxen cell’’ and he, a drone, desires to escape the buzzing chaos of what could be understood as the city. The author longs for the solitude and peace of the country. The author has a dreamy tone as he expresses his wish to fly past the moon. 

Exaggeration: ‘’There swarms a million bees’’. There probably aren't exactly one million bees. Usually in a hive (we have some at our house, and the bees are especially cute when they climb up my arms), there are close to 70, 000 bees. Therefore, saying that there are a million bees is an exaggeration. 

The whole poem is an allegory: John Toomer is depicting jam packed buildings, being beehives and describes the daily life of citizens metaphorically making honey for the global capital. He seems to be describing the constant loneliness and relaxation, saying ‘’ And I, a drone, Lying on my back, Lipping honey’’. He uses the imagery of some ‘’far-off farmyard flower’’ to express his need for openness and living in nature to find solitary peace out of the city. ‘’Black hive’’ may refer to the multi-cultural dominance of some races in cities. 

Alliteration: ‘’far-off farmyard flower’’ emphasizes on the sound f. 

Metaphor: ‘’Bees passing in and out the moon, Bees escaping out the moon, Bees returning through the moon’’. Passing in and out the moon refers to the many citizens traveling, and after seeing them come and go out of the city, he wishes to himself escape the buzzing chaos. The ‘’waxen cell’’ expresses his feeling of being trapped in the chaos of a buzzing city. He is not happy and desires to change his lifestyle. 

Persona: The author refers to himself as a drone licking honey on his back. By doing so, he is pointing out to us that he is a lazy man, surely watching the hardworking bees produce honey, and he suddenly desires something more natural and simplistic, such as life in a farmyard. 

‘’THANK YOU MA’AM’’: 

Idiom: ‘’She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails.’’ Having ‘’everything in it but hammer and nails’’ means they have every possible tool or supply except for the most basic ones needed for a task. This sentence appeals to the short story because between the lines we can read that this woman probably does not work hands on, but surely has some taste of class or fashion. 

Simile:  ‘’And next time, do not make the mistake of latching onto my pocketbook nor nobody else’s—because shoes come by devilish like that will burn your feet’’. Here the author reflects on the guilt which a person goes through when he steals things. This appeals to the story by evoking the senses; feeling the sensation of being burnt hurts, and so does guilt. 

Colloquial Diction: ‘’Now ain’t you ashamed of yourself?’’. In the short story, the large woman speaks with colloquial diction and is very comfortable and informal in the way that she speaks (in most of the sentences, but this is only one example). 

Imagery: ‘’She was a large woman with a large purse’’. This sentence emphasizes on the fact that she must be powerful and in charge because of her size. Her carrying that purse symbolizes her self-sufficiency and life experience.

Symbolism: ‘’The woman did not watch the boy to see if he was going to run now, nor did she watch her purse which she left behind her on the day-bed.’’ This represents trust and temptation. Because Mrs. Luella is not looking, the boy has every opportunity to seize it, as he had tried to steal it before. The fact that she is voluntarily not looking at it shows that she wants to give a chance for the boy to be trusted, as she would have liked to be trusted when she was a teenager. 

Irony: ‘’The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter’’. It is ironic that the lady who had almost been the victim of robbery does not react with anger or call the police. Instead she carries the boy home to feed him, wash him and teach him how to behave. 

Allusion: ‘’I got a great mind to wash your face for you. Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”. Mrs. Jones is suggesting that she is a motherly or care-taker figure as she cares for the well-being and cleaness of this teenager. 

CONNECTION AND CONTRASTS BETWEEN TEXTS