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Langston Hughes's Cargador De Flores, Diego Rivera

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A man struggles, unable to rise to his feet. A woman toils, unable to support her companion. A fuchsia basket torments, unable to consider the damage it inflicts. A society discriminates, unable to give its workers equality. In his painting Cargador de Flores, Diego Rivera denounces subjugation by portraying two commoners and their constant struggle to survive. Rivera employs these workers as a representation of the proletariat class of Mexico, and by utilizing his illustration to depict the working people of his country, he applies this artwork to exhibit the efforts of the Mexican laborer. Furthermore, the artist contrasts the blossoms with the workers who bear their weight. The florets are illuminated with a rich coral and gold arrangement, …show more content…

Hughes furthers the views of Rivera by criticizing the elite of New York City at a time when the rest of society suffers through a haughty advertisement for an upscale Manhattan hotel. As he describes the extravagance of the Waldorf-Astoria, he proclaims, “Dine with some of the men and women who got rich off of your labor, who clip coupons with clean white fingers because your hands dug coal, drilled stone, sewed garments, poured steel to let other people draw dividends and live easy” (Hughes 32-36). In this section of the poem, Hughes asserts that the established class exploits the worker for its own gain. This system allows the most fortunate individuals to indulge in the luxuries of the Waldorf, but it oppresses those who dedicate themselves to laboring for the aristocracy. Advancing his assessment of the strict inequality of his time, Hughes illustrates that the gentry is often indifferent to the plight of the commoner. In the depiction of the apartments available at the Waldorf-Astoria, he questions, “$10,000 and $1.00 are about the same to you, aren't they? Who cares about money with a wife and kids homeless, and nobody in the family working?” (45-48). Hughes utilizes this portion of his writing to exhibit the absolute separation between the two societal factions. To the wealthy, unemployment and homelessness are distant issues, but to the poor, these problems display their prominence every day. This disparity is reminiscent of the workers in Rivera’s painting; the hopelessness with which the laborers are portrayed suggests a significant disconnect between the working class and the higher classes of society, which is symbolized by the beauty of the

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