This section contains 265 words (approx. 1 page at 400 words per page) |
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Ruby Brown Summary
In "Ruby Brown," Hughes tells the story of a young, beautiful black woman who works in the kitchen of the white Mrs. Latham. Ruby yearns to feed her joy and asks herself what is possible with her earnings. In the stanzas following the opening description, we learn that Ruby now lives in the high shuttered houses near the River, and that the white men now pay her more than she ever earned when she worked in kitchens.
Ruby Brown Analysis
This is the first poem in the collection that is decidedly narrative. This poem goes beyond image and vignette to tell a story, and the story is a tragic one. Ruby Brown, being black, is an outcast in her town of Mayville, and there is nothing to feed the flame of joy that yearns to burn within her soul. Her desperation...
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This section contains 265 words (approx. 1 page at 400 words per page) |
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