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Thread: Poem request

  1. #1

    Default Poem request

    Hey,
    I have to use the poem "Open Letter to the South" by Langston Hughes in an essay, Yet I cannot find it anywhere online, only bits and pieces. Does anyone know where I can find the full poem?
    Thanks,
    Hiji
    Last edited by John86; 03-25-2007 at 21:55.
    "How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." -Ronald Reagan

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  2. #2
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    From LINK,
    History Is A Weapon: A Selection of the Poetry of Langston Hughes (1902-1967)



    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    Open Letter to the South


    White workers of the South
    Miners,
    Farmers,
    Mechanics,
    Mill Hands,
    Shop girls,
    Railway men,
    Servants,
    Tobacco workers,
    Sharecroppers,
    GREETINGS!

    I am the black worker,
    Listen:
    That the land might be ours,
    And the mines and the factories and the office towers
    At Harlan, Richmond, Gastonia, Atlanta, New Orleans;
    That the plants and the roads and the tools of power
    Be ours:

    Let us forget what Booker T. said,
    "Separate as the fingers."

    Let us become instead, you and I,
    One single hand
    That can united rise
    To smash the old dead dogmas of the past-
    To kill the lies of color
    That keep the rich enthroned
    And drive us to the time-clock and the plow
    Helpless, stupid, scattered, and alone-as now-
    Race against race,
    Because one is black,
    Another white of face.

    Let us new lessons learn,
    All workers,
    New life-ways make,
    One union form:
    Until the future burns out
    Every past mistake
    Let us together, say:
    "You are my brother, black or white,
    You my sister-now-today!"
    For me, no more, the great migration to the North.
    Instead: migration into force and power-
    Tuskegee with a new flag on the tower!
    on every lynching tree, a poster crying FREE
    Because, O poor white workers,
    You have linked your hands with me.

    We did not know that we were brothers.
    Now we know!
    out of that brotherhood
    Let power grow!
    We did not know
    That we were strong.
    Now we see
    In union lies our strength.
    Let unions be
    The force that breaks the time-clock,
    Smashes misery,
    Takes land,
    Takes factories,
    Takes office towers,
    Takes tools and banks and mines.
    Railroads, ships and dams,
    Until the forces of the world
    Are ours!

    White worker,
    Here is my hand.

    Today,
    We're Man to Man.
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  3. #3

    Default Re: Poem request

    You my boy, Kurki, you my boy.
    "How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." -Ronald Reagan

    "It's somewhat ironic that closing spam threads increases my postcount"
    -Ser Clegane

  4. #4
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    Google is your friend. Good luck on your essay.
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Poem request

    I searched for over an hour. What did you type in google?
    I typed in everything concerning Langston hughes, An open letter to the south, even parts of the poem I remembered.
    "How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin." -Ronald Reagan

    "It's somewhat ironic that closing spam threads increases my postcount"
    -Ser Clegane

  6. #6
    Master of Few Words Senior Member KukriKhan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    I put the title in quotes, then Hughes. Then dug thru the cached version of the google-hits (which highlights the search terms). That site I linked to was about the 9th hit, after following a link to poetry.org.

    Elasped time: about 15 minutes (but speed-reading and lucky google-hits helped that). The trouble with searching for actual literature texts is all the critiques by academics cluttering the seach results. And of course, recent lit. might have copyright issues, and not be available at all.

    Luckily, your requirement was for a pretty obscure piece, but one likely part of a collection.
    Be well. Do good. Keep in touch.

  7. #7
    Honorary Argentinian Senior Member Gyroball Champion, Karts Champion Caius's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    Also www.chacha.com works too...




    Names, secret names
    But never in my favour
    But when all is said and done
    It's you I love

  8. #8
    Kanto Kanrei Member Marshal Murat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    COMMUNISM!

    Filthy COMMUNISM!

    Where can I sign up?
    "Nietzsche is dead" - God

    "I agree, although I support China I support anyone discovering things for Science and humanity." - lenin96

    Re: Pursuit of happiness
    Have you just been dumped?

    I ask because it's usually something like that which causes outbursts like this, needless to say I dissagree completely.

  9. #9
    Poll Smoker Senior Member CountArach's Avatar
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    Default Re: Poem request

    Quote Originally Posted by Marshal Murat
    COMMUNISM!

    Filthy COMMUNISM!

    Where can I sign up?
    Ditto.
    Rest in Peace TosaInu, the Org will be your legacy
    Quote Originally Posted by Leon Blum - For All Mankind
    Nothing established by violence and maintained by force, nothing that degrades humanity and is based on contempt for human personality, can endure.

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