How does Langston Hughes create rhythm in the poem "Harlem"?

Langston Hughes' poem “Harlem” looks at the adverse, and potentially even catastrophic, effects of the lack of opportunity in some parts of American society.

Rhythm is the pattern created by the way the poet arranges words, stressed and unstressed syllables, punctuation, and sometimes even space. (There are more definitions for poetic rhythm, some quite complicated, but this will do for what we are talking about.)

One of the most obvious techniques Hughes uses to create...

Langston Hughes' poem “Harlem” looks at the adverse, and potentially even catastrophic, effects of the lack of opportunity in some parts of American society.

Rhythm is the pattern created by the way the poet arranges words, stressed and unstressed syllables, punctuation, and sometimes even space. (There are more definitions for poetic rhythm, some quite complicated, but this will do for what we are talking about.)

One of the most obvious techniques Hughes uses to create rhythm in this poem is repetition. Usually we think of repetition as being the repeating of specific words, but in “Harlem,” Hughes is repeating “structure.” By that I mean he is repeating the same kind of sentence over and over again—a question. There are six questions in this short little poem. But Hughes doesn't just ask any old question in any old way—he constructs them carefully. Notice that he starts off with a fairly innocuous question:

What happens to a dream deferred?

This is a reasonable question; there's nothing shocking about it. But the succeeding questions refine the poet's focus, relating increasingly unpleasant (rotten meat) and finally dangerous consequences (or does it explode?). The questions are at once questions and answers to the initial question.

Another way to create rhythm is to use parallel structure, which means to create similar structures within a confined space. Note the similarity in the way he asks the questions: “Does it,” “does it,” “or does it.” Two of the questions also contain second parts, which Hughes structures similarly to each other: “or fester,” “or crust.”

One of the most interesting things about this poem is the way Hughes uses space. We don't usually think of poets as visual artists, but some poets do actually pay attention to the way their work looks on the page. Notice that the first line, the initial question is separated from the rest of the poem by its placement. It begins on the left margin, where no other line begins. Hughes then gives an extra line space before he begins the next section. After asking three questions, Hughes creates a new section by adding another line space. He does this because he wants the next part to be perceived differently—because unlike all the statements before and after it, it is the only line in the poem that is not a question. This is the only place where the speaker actually puts forth his own suggestion:

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

This gives a momentary rest from the questions that the speaker has machine-gunned at the reader. Rest and variation is an important part of rhythm. But it isn't just rest that Hughes is constructing here, he is also setting up a powerful ending. Just when we think we are done with the insistent questioning, we get another extra line space and a change in tone; suddenly the situation becomes potentially violent:

Or does it explode?

It it both part of the previously established rhythm, thanks to the repetitive “or does” and different at the same time, because it is separated spatially and tonally. The appearance of the poem on the page, which we might call "visual rhythm," reinforces the poet's theme. 

What are five social and economic effects of overpopulation?

While arguments about social, economic and environmental effects of overpopulation are wide spread, it is also important to note that they have been overwhelmingly deemed problematic not only in obscuring inequality as the more fundamental cause of the supposed effects of overpopulation but also (by explicitly or de facto) locating/placing responsibility on the poor! The seminal proponents of overpopulation as a key causal factor was first and foremost Thomas Malthus—later to be followed by Garrett...

While arguments about social, economic and environmental effects of overpopulation are wide spread, it is also important to note that they have been overwhelmingly deemed problematic not only in obscuring inequality as the more fundamental cause of the supposed effects of overpopulation but also (by explicitly or de facto) locating/placing responsibility on the poor! The seminal proponents of overpopulation as a key causal factor was first and foremost Thomas Malthus—later to be followed by Garrett Hardin, and most prominent today, Paul and Anne Ehrlich.

They (along with other research conducted around the world) would attribute the following five social and economic effects to overpopulation:

1) overpopulation causes lower life expectancy

2) overpopulation causes depletion of natural resources 

3) overpopulation causes disease and epidemics

4) overpopulation causes increased crime and conflict as resources become more scarce

5) overpopulation causes standard of living and unemployment to rise

One set of evidence used in order to debunk this logic is known as the demographic transition model—whereby overpopulation (and the fluctuation of population rates writ large) can be seen as itself an effect of socially equitable economic growth. 

I need help analyzing this passage from Lord Of The Flies: Far beneath them, the trees of the forest sighed, then roared. The hair on their...

The passage is an extract from Chapter 6: Beast From Air and relates to the twins, Sam and Eric, who were tending the signal fire. The fire had died since the two had fallen asleep. They reignited the fire from the glowing embers and once the fire was going, Eric saw something in the dark which had just been revealed by the light from the fire. Alarmed, he drew Sam's attention to what he had...

The passage is an extract from Chapter 6: Beast From Air and relates to the twins, Sam and Eric, who were tending the signal fire. The fire had died since the two had fallen asleep. They reignited the fire from the glowing embers and once the fire was going, Eric saw something in the dark which had just been revealed by the light from the fire. Alarmed, he drew Sam's attention to what he had seen. The passage conveys their situation when they are looking at this unfamiliar sight.

The first line in the passage depicts the forest as a living, breathing organism, inhaling and exhaling. The wind is blowing and, accompanied by the ebb and flow of the tide, it sounds as if the trees and the forest is first sighing when the wind blows through it. The 'roar' could also be a depiction of the loud noise made by the wind rushing through the forest as it suddenly becomes more forceful. The line is quite dramatic and serves to emphasize the twins' anxiety and fear when they witness a terrifying object very close to where they are.

The fact that the boys' hair 'fluttered' and 'flames blew sideways from the fire' indicate that the wind has picked up and is blowing at full force, thus amplifying the sound as it whooshes through the trees and foliage. The boys hear a 'plopping noise of fabric blown open' from the object they have just seen fifteen yards away. The boys are terrified and run down to tell the others that they have just seen the beast.

What Sam and Eric do not realize is that they have just seen the body of a dead pilot who had been killed in an air skirmish above the island just that night. The body parachuted down to the island. The wind carried the body to the top of the island where it got caught 'among the shattered rocks'. The text makes it clear what happened then:

Here the breeze was fitful and allowed the strings of the parachute to tangle and festoon; and the figure sat, its helmeted head between its knees, held by a complication of lines. When the breeze blew, the lines would strain taut and some accident of this pull lifted the head and chest upright so that the figure seemed to peer across the brow of the mountain. Then, each time the wind dropped, the lines would slacken and the figure bow forward again, sinking its head between its knees.

With all the discussions about the beast that preceded this incident, the twins were obviously quite anxious and their awareness had been heightened. This led to their young and overly active imaginations running wild. The 'plopping' they hear is the sound the parachute makes as it is blown out and sucked in by the wind.    

When the Crotchet family toast to Scrooge, how is Bob Cratchit's attitude in contrast with his wife's attitude?

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the home of Bob Crachit where he witnesses the family's Christmas celebration.

After the dinner has been eaten, the hearth of the Crachits is prepared for the roasting of chestnuts on the fire. When the family draws around the fire, Bob raises his glass and says, "A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!" Then, he toasts,

"Mr. Scrooge!...I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder...

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to the home of Bob Crachit where he witnesses the family's Christmas celebration.

After the dinner has been eaten, the hearth of the Crachits is prepared for the roasting of chestnuts on the fire. When the family draws around the fire, Bob raises his glass and says, "A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. God bless us!" Then, he toasts,

"Mr. Scrooge!...I'll give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast!"

When he does this, Mrs. Crachit is disgusted. She cries,

"The Founder of the Feast indeed!...I wish I had him here. I'd give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he'd have a good appetite for it."

When he hears this invective against Scrooge, Bob Crachit reminds his wife that it is Christmas Day. Nevertheless, his wife continues. She mocks the title bestowed upon Scrooge by her husband: "'The Founder of the Feast indeed!'" She then expresses the wish that Scrooge were there so that she could give him "a piece of [her] mind"; that is, when she could insult him for his causing her family to be penurious.

However, when the charitable Mr. Crachit urges his wife to be kind; Mrs. Crachit relinquishes, agreeing to toast him, "Long life to him!...He'll be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!" Obediently, the children drank from their cups, but it was without enthusiasm. For, Scrooge was the "Ogre of the family"; his name cast a pall over the celebration. It is only afterwards that the general cheer resumed. 

Why is Leonardo da Vinci so significant to art and culture?

Even nearly 600 years from the time he was born, Leonardo da Vinci remains a renowned artist, mathematician, writer, and inventor. He is particularly significant to the worlds of art and culture thanks to the lasting legacy of his works and ideas. 

His status as one of the world's all-time great artists is cemented thanks to the fact that two of his paintings are among some of the most beloved pieces of art ever created....

Even nearly 600 years from the time he was born, Leonardo da Vinci remains a renowned artist, mathematician, writer, and inventor. He is particularly significant to the worlds of art and culture thanks to the lasting legacy of his works and ideas. 

His status as one of the world's all-time great artists is cemented thanks to the fact that two of his paintings are among some of the most beloved pieces of art ever created. He began work on what might be the world's best-known painting—The Mona Lisa—in 1503. This was just a few years after he finished his three-year project of painting The Last Supper on the back wall of the dining hall in the Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery.

Because da Vinci was an inventor who challenged ideas of what was possible, his cultural significance remains today. Though the helicopter wasn't invented until the twentieth century, da Vinci's fifteenth century sketches are believed to have established the framework for these flying machines. He is also credited for inventing early iterations of scuba gear, the parachute, and the first robot.

Describe the relationship between Jem and Scout in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

Jem and Scout are brother and sister, and are Atticus Finch's only children.  Their mother died of natural causes when Scout was little.

On the whole, the two get along fairly well.  They serve as co-conspirators and playmates throughout the book.  When Dill Harris visits Maycomb during the summers, Jem and Scout join him in games that range from riding in a large tire to touching the door of the Radley house.  As Atticus sometimes works late hours, Jem is also given the occasional task to "look after" Scout when Calpurnia is not there.

Like any siblings, there are points of friction as well.  As Jem gets older (he is older than Scout by several years), he tries to distance himself a bit from Scout and often asserts his superior knowledge in a way that drives Scout crazy.  On the whole, however, the two have a strong relationship.

What is comical about the old man in "The Last Leaf"?

Mr. Behrman is a little old curmudgeon. a little Jewish man with a Yiddish accent. He is the type who complains about almost everything, but he really has a generous heart.

When Johnsy informs him that Sue has declared that she will die when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, he immediately flares up and says in his heavy accent,

"Vass!...Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die...

Mr. Behrman is a little old curmudgeon. a little Jewish man with a Yiddish accent. He is the type who complains about almost everything, but he really has a generous heart.

When Johnsy informs him that Sue has declared that she will die when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, he immediately flares up and says in his heavy accent,

"Vass!...Is dere people in de world mit der foolishness to die because leafs dey drop off from a confounded vine?" I haf not heard of such a thing....Vy do you allow dot silly pusiness to come in der brain of her? Ach, dot poor leetle Miss Yohnsy."

His angry outburst is comical because of his accent, and because he feels that Sue is supposed to have been capable of preventing her friend Johnsy from thinking certain ways. In addition, he abruptly refuses to pose for Sue, but when she becomes angry, calling him an "old flibbertigibbet," he changes directions by asking her who said that he would not pose, claiming that he has been ready to do so for half an hour. When he does pose for Sue, the reader can imagine how silly he looks on an upturned kettle for a rock upon which he is to sit.