This section contains 207 words (approx. 1 page at 400 words per page) |
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When Sue Wears Red Summary
The poet extols the beauty of a woman in red. He likens her face to an ancient cameo and says she resembles an Egyptian queen. The poem is punctuated by an exclamatory refrain.
When Sue Wears Red Analysis
When Sue Wears Red is an ode to a black woman's beauty. Again, a the grace of a black person is equated with antiquities; she is like an Egyptian queen and an ancient cameo turned brown by the ages. Like the Mexican market woman, Sue's face is not just brown. It has been browned. Her color is not just a marker. It is a process and it bespeaks the experiences that make her beauty go beyond the superficial. Sue's beauty is evocative because it tells a story. Hughes punctuates the poem with mentions of trumpets and the refrain, "Jesus...
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This section contains 207 words (approx. 1 page at 400 words per page) |
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