Night Funeral in Harlem Fact

Night Funeral in Harlem Fact Analysis Report

In the poem "Night Funeral in Harlem," Langston Hughes argues that it is other people that make us rich, not material things. The title is significant in an ironic way because really this sentiment could be attributed to people in many different situations. The basic meaning of this poem is that cultivating good relationships is more important than cultivating wealth, and Hughes shows this through his use of rhyme, meter, imagery, and diction.

Hughes uses the elements of rhyme and meter especially well. The main stanzas of the poem have a very sing-song quality, making them sound almost like parts of a jump-rope rhyme. This contrasts with the scene described in the poem, which is of a young man's funeral in Harlem. Hughes uses diction very well, too, and describes his imagery very clearly and simply. This also contrasts with the rhyme and the meter of the poem, making it seem childlike and happy at the same time as it is somber and reflective about the boy's death, and about the fact that neither he nor his friends have a lot of money to pay for all of the things needed at a funeral.

The feelings evoked by this poem change every time it is read. At first, it can seem bitter and resentful, especially with the mention of the insurance man in the first four-line stanza (the third stanza of the poem). Yet the last stanza celebrates all of the things that people bought for the funeral as proof that he was well-loved, which gives the poem a much happier outlook. Re-reading it with this in mind, however, makes the first part of the poem sadder, because we know that the boy was well-loved and did not deserve to die. The bitterness of the first part of the poem is actually increased because of the changed attitude at the end of the poem, and each reading seems to broaden the emotions that the poem evokes. The form of the poem contributes to this spiral of emotion because of the way the poem is interrupted with the repetition of the title. Also, the way the poem switches back and forth between longer and shorter stanzas seems to suggest the same sort of double nature that the changing tone does.

Fact Sheet:

Before reading the poem, I thought that the title might be meant symbolically to refer to an incident or event, perhaps some sort of violent death. Because of the words "funeral" and "Harlem," I was fairly certain the poem would involve death in some way, as well as the African-American experience, specifically in that neighborhood of New York.

Important Words/Clauses: "Night funeral/In Harlem:" (repeated), where, fine cars, pay, lapsed, yet they, satin box, his head to lay, who, wreath of flowers, came, poor boy's friends, ends, who, preached, black boy, grave, Charged Five Dollars, girl friend had to pay, when, over, shut, head, played, prayers, dead, sped, light, shined, tear, so dear, so dear, folks, flowers, girl paid, their tears, Funeral grand.

Paraphrase: Night funeral in Harlem: How could they afford those two nice cars? He didn't pay his life insurance, so the company didn't pay, but his friends managed to get the cars anyway. Night funeral in Harlem: Who cared enough to send all the flowers? His friends got them to show their love, which they will want to when they die. Night funeral in Harlem: Who said the prayers at the gravesite? The old preacher wouldn't do the service until the boy's girlfriend paid him five dollars. Night funeral in Harlem: When the funeral was completely over and the boy's coffin was carried out to the hears, which drove too fast down the street, the streetlight even seemed like it was crying for the boy. He was well-loved by everyone, and their love made the funeral magnificent, even if things looked more poor.

Connotation: The meaning behind the literal sense of the poem seems to be that despite what hardships, disadvantages, and unfairness, human relationships are the really important things that make us rich. The words that Hughes uses juxtaposes symbols of money, greed, and death with love, friendship, and life -- insurance men with satin boxes, flowers and the greedy preacher man, etc. This implies that many people just don't understand what's really important.

Devices: As stated above, the rhyme and meter of the poem enhance the poem's varying meanings. In addition, the use of repetition drives home the central point of the poem. Though the constant refrain of "night funeral in Harlem" might at first seem to restrict the poem to a specific setting, the final message of the poem is universal, making this repetition ironic. This adds to the many layers of the poem.

Attitude: The attitude of the poet seems to go from bitterness to love by the end. This is shown in his diction, which starts out abrasive and almost accusatory, but by the end is reverent. Most of this is accomplished by the poem's multiple speakers. There are at least two different voices in this poem; on who asks the questions, and one who answers. As the answers reflect more and more the love that was felt for the boy, the first voice seems to get more drawn into the love.

Shifts: The major shift in the poem is subtle and ongoing, but it occurs in little leaps at each of the stanza breaks. Specifically, each repetition of "Night funeral in Harlem" intensifies the poem and signals another step towards the final message and emotion evoked at the end of the poem.