Non-fiction Research Writing
The Writing of the Senses and the Production of Emotion in the Poetry of Langston Hughes
“The Writing of the Senses and the Production of Emotion in the Poetry of Langston Hughes” examines Hughes’ poems titled “Weary Blues” and “Jazz Band in a Parisian Cabaret” to examine the function of sound historically and culturally in African American writing, and further, how Hughes uses sonic language to employ the reader to empathy for the experience of his African American characters.
The Sonorous Breath of Humans in Bonds
“The Sonorous Breath of Humans in Bonds” examines Frederick Douglass’ writing of the Sorrow Songs, tunes that enslaved African individuals would sing as they traveled along the plantation grounds or worked in the fields. Through consideration of Douglass’ sonorous language, it is evident that he makes the experience of sound available to the reader in a way that employs empathy for the individuals experiencing the pain of racist cruelty.