Lineage By Langston Hughes

The poems, “Lineage”, by Margaret Walker, and “Helen Keller”, by Langston Hughes have many similarities and differences in the theme, imagery, and figurative language. The theme in Walker’s poem is about how grandmas are very tough, and you should respect your elders, while the theme in Hughes’ poem is about when times are hard, find your inner strength. A similarity between the two themes is that both idolize and admire strong women that have the power to find strength through dark times. For example, Walker’s poem states, “...full of sturdiness and singing. My grandmothers were strong”. The speaker thinks the grandmas are strong and sturdy, which proves the theme is about strong women. There are also differences between the 2 poems. For instance,

In imagery for instance, Walker’s poem has much more vivid imagery in the lines, while Hughes’ poem only has sight in its imagery. In addition, Walker’s poem can help you imagine and visualize lines easier, however Hughes’ poem might be harder to imagine. Furthermore, Walker’s poem has 4 out of the 5 senses, using touch, sight, smell, and sound. For example, the poem, “Lineage” states, “They followed plows and bent to toil. They moved through fields sowing seeds.” You can picture the context very easily, which can also help you analyze the poem further. An example of imagery in, “Helen Keller” says, “She, in the dark, found light.” This is harder to imagine for people, since there are minimal details provided, which shows you can visualize Walker’s poem better. There are similarities in the poem’s figurative language. In particular, both poems have no similes in them, and both do have a few metaphors. There are differences in the figurative language, too. For example, Walker’s metaphor in the poem states, “They were full of sturdiness and singing.” This quote shows how the grandmothers were comparing their “jars” of qualities. Hughes’ metaphor in the poem says, “Through the soul’s own mastery.” This metaphor talks about how the soul has its own mastery and you can achieve mastery through the soul. What’s more is that Hughes’ poem has personification