Second Generation New York by Langston Hughes

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New York is a city that everyone wants to visit or live in. This city offers many opportunities and memories along with its gleaming high skyscrapers, towers, and bridges. Because of its people, it is also known as a city that never sleeps. Its transportation never stops because so many people need to ride on it. Moreover, restaurants, stores, and other establishments do not close because of numerous daily customers. However, some people consider it a city that never sleeps because the people are too loud, even at dawn, when people need to sleep, rest, and prepare for the next day. As a result, some people still prefer not to stay here due to the noise and tirelessness that can be felt here. However, in Langston Hughes’ poem “Second Generation: New York,” the narrator states that New York is a pleasant place to live and that the time spent is worthwhile. As a result, the poem informs readers that there is a place where they can consider themselves to be at home. Furthermore, the author employs imagery, flashbacks, and anaphora to convey the feeling of being at home to the readers.
Langston Hughes employs imagery throughout the poem. Imagery has aided him in clearly describing the differences between the cities the author compared. Specifically, imagery has aided the narrator in distinguishing New York from the other cities. According to the poem, the narrator’s mother is from Ireland, and the father is from Poland. However, their family has also spent time in New York. In describing Ireland, the narrator’s mother also employs imagery. It is seen in these lines: “Mama/ Remembers the four-leaf clover/ And the blue Irish sky” (Hughes, lines 1–3). The mother describes Ireland as a place full of the four-leaf clover and blue sky. Meanwhile, the narrator's father uses imagery to describe Poland. It is seen in these lines: “Papa/ Remembers Poland/ Sleighs in the wintertime/ Tall-snow covered fir trees/ And faces frosty with rime” (Hughes, lines 16–20). The father is clearly describing Christmas in Poland in these lines. It is clear from the narrator’s mother and father’s descriptions that they both love the cities from which they came. Nonetheless, despite hearing all of the nice things said by the parents, the narrator believes in New York’s beauty. The author stated that while the parents recall pleasant memories of Ireland and Poland, the narrator recalls more of New York. These lines reflect the author’s longing for and nostalgia for ...