Shara Mariel B. Escorpizo

2014-89091

Mr. Raymond Falgui

Eng 42 – THQ

Song for a Dark Girl

At first glance, I thought Song for a Dark Girl by Langston Hughes was about a sad or

emotional girl. I took the title quite figuratively and thought what he meant by dark were dark

emotions, not dark skin.

Way Down South in Dixie | (Break the heart of me) | They hung my black young lover |

To a cross roads tree. The southern states of America coined the term “Dixie” during the

American Civil War (1861-1865). During the war, lynching happened in the southern states of

America, most especially on African-Americans and other minorities that were not white. People

murdered them by hanging them on trees. It shows how Dixie was no safe place for African-

Americans then. The line in parentheses symbolizes the voice of the speaker of the poem who, I

assume, is also African-American. This line exemplifies minority whose views did not matter

then and shows how prejudiced and racist white people were in the late 19th century.

Way Down South in Dixie | (Bruised body high in air) | I asked the white Lord Jesus |

What was the use of prayer. During the widespread presence of lynching, white men showed no

mercy towards anyone of the African-American race. White men were gaining supremacy in the

states and the African-American people continued to be minorities, especially in Dixie. With

them losing lives to lynching, the African-American people are pushed to question the existence

of a higher being; why does God favor the white people. They were losing hope in attaining

justice seeing as no godly external force was putting them at ease.

Way Down South in Dixie | (Break the heart of me) | Love is a naked shadow | On a

gnarled and naked tree. In the third line, love is in the form of a dark girl hung by the tree.

‘Naked’ here may mean that the lynchers molested the girl before they hung her to the tree, and

‘shadow’ denotes a body stripped of color and dignity. Since shadows are silhouettes of an

object, the girl became only a shadow, which holds no face and no life. On the last line, Hughes

provided us a clearer image of where the girl was hung: a ‘gnarled and naked tree’. Naturally,

gnarled trees are ominous and depressing. Physically, it looks like a dying tree with its branches

extending low on its sides. Naked gnarled trees are even more depressing to look at because it

appears to be a sick and alone. Without leaves and a tall stand, these trees give off a gloomy

vibe, apt for the emotions that one would feel after witnessing death.

References:

1. "Dixie: Region, United States ". Encyclopaedia Britannica Online, Encyclopaedia

Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.

2. “Lynching”. Merriam-Webster Online, Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.