Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Drunkard," Langston Hughes captures the essence of intoxication and the inner turmoil of someone caught in the cycle of drinking as a means of escape. The poem, with its rhythmic flow and evocative imagery, delves into the psychological and emotional states of a person who uses alcohol to blur the lines between day and night, reality and forgetfulness. Through the gradual buildup of intensity in the poem, Hughes explores themes of memory, oblivion, and the passage of time.

The poem opens with a focus on the sensory changes that occur as the speaker becomes more intoxicated: "Voice grows thicker / as song grows stronger." The "thicker" voice suggests the slurred speech that often accompanies drunkenness, where clarity is lost and words become heavy and muddled. This physical change in the voice mirrors the emotional weight that the speaker carries, as if the burden of their thoughts and feelings is making it difficult to speak clearly.

At the same time, the "song grows stronger." This indicates that as the speaker drinks more, they become more engrossed in their singing, perhaps losing themselves in the rhythm or melody as a form of release. The song represents both an outward expression of emotion and an inward retreat into the comforting, yet numbing, embrace of alcohol. The growing strength of the song suggests that it becomes a powerful, perhaps overwhelming, force in the speaker's attempt to drown out their thoughts or pain.

The next line, "as time grows longer until day," conveys the passage of time as the speaker continues to drink through the night. The phrase "time grows longer" evokes the sensation of time stretching out endlessly, a common experience during prolonged periods of drinking, where the hours seem to drag on and blend together. The reference to "until day" hints at the inevitability of the coming dawn, which the speaker may be dreading. The daylight symbolizes reality, responsibility, and the harsh truths that the speaker is trying to avoid.

The final lines of the poem, "trying to forget to remember / the taste of day," encapsulate the central struggle of the speaker. The repetition and paradox of "forget to remember" suggest a deliberate effort to block out memories or thoughts, yet with the underlying acknowledgment that these memories are still present, just below the surface. The "taste of day" represents the sober reality that the speaker is trying to escape. The use of the word "taste" implies a sensory experience, something tangible that the speaker can almost physically feel, making it harder to ignore. Daytime, with its associations of clarity and truth, is what the speaker is attempting to avoid by staying in the comforting, yet deceptive, embrace of the night and the bottle.

"Drunkard" is a poignant exploration of the inner life of someone struggling with alcoholism. Hughes effectively captures the cyclical nature of drinking as both a coping mechanism and a source of further despair. The poem illustrates how, in seeking to escape from the realities of life, the speaker becomes trapped in an endless loop of trying to forget, yet inevitably remembering the very things they wish to avoid.

Through his careful choice of words and the poem's rhythmic, almost musical quality, Hughes creates a vivid picture of the drunkard's world—one where the boundaries between night and day, reality and oblivion, are blurred by the thickening voice and the stronger song. The poem offers a window into the emotional complexities of addiction, highlighting both the temporary solace it provides and the inescapable truth that eventually, day will come.

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