Langston Hughes’s “Beaumont to Detroit: 1943”

Context

“Beaumont to Detroit: 1943” was first published in 1943. Beaumont, Texas and Detroit, Michigan, were the locations of two “race riots” in a series of riots that swept the land from May 12 to August 29, 1943, at the height of U.S. involvement in WWII. Both of these riots were related to race, with the former starting because a Black man was wrongly accused of raping a White woman, and the latter starting because of reports that White men had thrown a Black baby and mother into the river; however, in both cases, racism, war, socioeconomic conditions, and fear of new immigrants a limited employment were what caused larger tension. The reasons for starting were simply catalysts and not the cause.

The poem is split into eight quatrains (four-line stanzas). These stanzas have an ABCB rhyme scheme; however, there is no consistent metrical pattern in the poem.

Looky here, America

What you done done--

Let things drift

Until the riots come.

Now your policemen

Let your mobs run free

I reckon you don't care

Nothing about me.

You tell me that hitler

Is a mighty bad man.

I guess he took lessons

from the ku klux klan.

You tell me mussolini's

Got an evil heart.

Well, it mus-a been in Beaumont

That he had his start--

Cause everything that hitler

And mussolini do,

Negroes get the same

Treatment from you.

You jim crowed me

Before hitler rose to power--

And you're STILL jim crowing me

Right now, this very hour.

Yet you say we're fighting

For democracy.

Then why don't democracy

Include me?

I ask you this question

Cause I want to know

How long I got to fight

BOTH HITLER--AND JIM CROW.  

The first line identifies whom the speaker is addressing. The diction of “looky here” is also more a colloquialism or slang. What might this suggest about the speaker? Is there a particular tone achieved via this phrase?

Paraphrased: America, look what you’ve done… This grammar of this phrase is technically incorrect and is again more colloquial. Think about how this relates to the speaker.

And finally, the first stanza relates to the historical context and reason for the poem’s creation. The line also has incorrect but colloquial grammar.

Look at the use of enjambment and punctuation. The first line continues to the second, and is an example of enjambment. What effect might this have in relation to its content and context?

The speaker addresses America and says “your mobs” are running free. What does this suggest?

Again, consider the colloquial grammar in the poem. What does this tell us about the speaker and his attitude?

What effect does the diction of “tell” have in relation to America addressing the speaker?

Why do you think hitler is not capitalized?

How would you describe the diction of this line? Why might this be important?

How would you describe the speaker’s tone in these lines?

For context, the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK, are a racist, white supremacist hate group in the US which began after slavery had ended and targeted, and still do, Black Americans.

Mussolini was the fascist leader of Italy during WWII.

Again, consider why his name is not capitalized.

Similar to the previous stanza, the government is “tell[ing]” its people these things; how would you describe the language?

How might including colloquialism and dialect help to make the poem more personal? Does it suggest anything about the speaker or the context?

Whom do you think the speaker is addressing and describing when he talks about Mussolini getting his evil heart from Beaumont?

This stanza does not end with a final break but a longer dash, implying a lengthy pause. Why do you think this choice was made?

Again, note the colloquial language and slang.

And, again, consider the use of the capitalisation. Hitler, Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan, nor Mussolini are capitalized. Why?

Whom is the speaker addressing? What is the speaker’s tone towards the addressee in this section? How does it differ from other stanzas, and how is this tone achieved?

First of all, for context, Jim Crow refers to a set of laws in the American South which segregated Black and White Americans and limited where they could eat, live, and travel. Here, the speaker uses Jim Crow as a verb, and states that the addressee did this to the speaker. This verb is also in the past tense. What impact does this declarative statement and use of pronouns have? Moreover, what does not capitalizing Jim Crow do?

What effect does this longer pause have in relation to the rhythm, the characterisation of the speaker, and the tone?

The speaker uses Jim Crow as a verb again, but this time in the present progressive which suggests it is still happening. Moreover, what effect does capitalizing “STILL” have, especially now that it is apparent that the speaker is particular with how they use capitalization?

In this stanza, both sentences are enjambed, crossing over to the next lines. What effect might this structure have? Consider the content, context, and how pauses might impact tone.

What effect might this rhetorical question have? Consider that rhetorical questions either do not expect an answer or do not need one. Then, consider how the use of such a device might link to the characterisation of the speaker, the tone, or the themes.

This last stanza also has a lot of enjambment. To what extent does this impact the poem?

What effect does capitalizing the final line have? How does this impact tone? How would you read such a line?

You might want to check out…

Click here to watch an informative video about the Beaumont Race Riot.

There is also a small film about the race riot called The Example. You can watch the trailer here.

For more historical context, click here.

You might also want to consider this poem alongside the Pisan Cantos, or the poems from Trilogy, or Moore’s “In Distrust of Merits,” How does it expand our idea of the range of poetic responses to WWII?