Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Request," Langston Hughes presents a stark and succinct expression of a desire for escape, using minimal language to convey a deep yearning for freedom and peace. The poem, through its brevity and directness, captures the essence of someone seeking a way out of their current circumstances, symbolized by the request for money and the wish to go to a place where time—and the pressures that come with it—no longer matter.

The poem begins with a straightforward demand: "Gimme $25.00 / and the change." The use of "Gimme" rather than "give me" lends an informal, almost urgent tone to the request, as if the speaker is in a hurry to obtain the money and leave. The specific amount of $25.00 is modest, suggesting that the speaker isn't looking for wealth but simply enough to make a quick escape. The inclusion of "and the change" adds a touch of practicality to the request, indicating that the speaker is mindful of every penny, which might hint at their economic constraints or their need to make the most of what little they have.

The next line, "I'm going where the morning and the evening won't bother me," reveals the deeper motivation behind the request. The speaker seeks a place where they are free from the daily grind, from the passage of time that brings with it the burdens of morning obligations and evening weariness. The desire to escape the cyclical nature of day and night suggests a yearning for a state of existence where the pressures and stresses of life are absent. This place, where "the morning and the evening won't bother me," represents a kind of utopia or refuge—a space of peace, free from the demands and disruptions that typically govern daily life.

Hughes uses the simplicity of the language and the directness of the request to convey a powerful sense of urgency and longing. The poem speaks to the universal desire to escape from the relentless pressures of time and the responsibilities that come with it. For the speaker, the modest sum of $25.00 represents the means to attain this escape, a small but significant step towards a place where they can find solace and freedom.

"Request" is a poignant reflection on the human desire for peace and the lengths to which one might go to achieve it. The poem's brevity leaves much unsaid, allowing readers to fill in the gaps with their own experiences and understandings of what it means to want to escape from life's burdens. Hughes captures the essence of this desire in just a few lines, making "Request" a powerful statement about the need for rest, freedom, and the pursuit of a life untroubled by the relentless march of time.

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