Poetry

This collection of poems is the author’s second book of poetry. It generally centers around the notion of love and the unity that may be achieved when two forces come together. This love not only extends to humans but the world in which the author finds himself living in. 

Although this collection of poems was criticized at the time for its blunt title, Hughes believed it spoke an honest truth about life for African Americans in Harlem during the early 1900’s. An example of a typical hardship faced was having to sell their clothes to Jewish pawn shops in order to buy necessities, hence the title. Other themes presented in the poetry book touch upon subjects dealing with love, God and music. 

Coming out of the Harlem Renaissance, this book is number 59 of 128 special edition copies that were printed on handmade paper and signed by the author himself. A collection of poems can be found within, generally centering around the idea of faith, in which the author parallels the hardships of Christ to the racial tensions African Americans suffered during the 1920’s. 

Centering around her family and her childhood, the author presents a series of poems that feel nostalgic to almost all those who read. The theme of self-discovery is prevalent in this work as the author not only examines those around her but also her own place in the world.