Life is Fine by Langston Hughes

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About Author

Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901^[1] – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance. He famously wrote about the period that “the Negro was in vogue”, which was later paraphrased as “when Harlem was in vogue.”

Summary

The poem Life is Fine written by Langston Hughes is about a lover who has probably been deceived by his beloved and is thinking of committing suicide. He tries twice to kill himself but reverts back by giving some reasons which reflect that he still has a will to live his life and ultimately he gives up the idea of killing himself by saying, Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!.

The poem consists of 6 stanzas but let’s divide the poem broadly into two categories. In the first part, he tries to kill himself yet fails and in the second part, his mindset changes and he decides to live his life. Thus, a complete change of mood.

Part 1: Attempts to Kill Himself

The poet or the lover says that he went to a river. He had probably been deceived by his beloved and is in depression. Thus he is under the influence of some trauma and has lost his thinking capability. As a result, he decides to end his life. He jumps into the river but soon comes out. He tried again but still comes back and cries. The water is too cold for him which he cannot bear. According to him “If that water hadn’t a-been so cold I might’ve sunk and died”. He sighs, it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

Again he thinks of killing himself and goes on the sixteenth floor of a building. He prepares to kill himself but the height frightens him and he decides not to jump. According to him “If it had not been so high, I might have jumped died“. And he sighs again, it was High up there! It was high! In spite of being in a depression, he retains his feelings. He is able to feel the coldness of the water and the height of the building. Thus his body is alive both physically and mentally. He just cries that expresses the intensity of his pain of the broken heart.

Part 2: Back to Life

The poet ultimately decides to keep himself alive. He regains his rationality and thinking capability that makes him say, for living’ I was born. Thus in this line, it is clear the reason behind his desire for suicide was love (I could’ve died for love). His beloved wanted to see him cry and die but he musters his courage and shows him that his Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

The poem in a way describes the journey of a man from the near-death to hope and ultimately a new life. It is a journey from I tried to think but couldn’t to for livin’ I was born i.e. from depression to recovery.

In the end, the poet or lover realizes that living his life in a better way without her is the best revenge rather than killing himself which instead could have been a victory for the beloved.

सारांश नेपालीमा

लाइफ इज फाइन हो भन्ने कविता ल्याङस्टन ह्युजले लेखेको हो । यो कविता एक प्रेमीको बारेमा हो, जो सायद आफ्नो प्रेमीबाट धोका पाएको छ र आत्महत्या गर्ने सोचमा छ।तिनले आत्महत्या गर्न दुई पटक कोसिस गर्छन् तर आफ्नो जीवन जिउने इच्छा अझै छ भन्ने कुरा झल्काउने केही कारणहरू दिएर पछि हट्छन् रअन्ततः जीवन ठीक छ भन्दै आत्महत्या गर्ने विचार त्याग्छन् किनकी ! Wine जस्तै राम्रो छ ! जिन्दगी ठिकै छ !।

कवितामा ६ वटा stanza छन् तर कवितालाई व्यापक रुपमा दुई विधामा विभाजन गरौं ।पहिलो भाग, उसले आत्महत्या गर्ने कोसिस गर्छ तर,असफल हुन्छ र दोस्रो भागमा उसको मानसिक झुकाव परिवर्तन हुन्छ र उसले आफ्नो जीवन बिताउने निर्णय गर्छ । तसर्थ, मूडमा पूर्णतया परिवर्तन भएको देखिन्छ ।

भाग १ आत्महत्या गर्ने प्रयास

कवि वा प्रेमीले आफू नदीमा गएको बताउँछन्। सायद तिनी आफ्नो प्रेमीबाट ठगिएका हुन सक्छन् र तिनी डिप्रेसनमा छन्। तसर्थ, यसप्रकार ऊ केही आघातको प्रभावमा छ, तिनले आफ्नो सोच्ने क्षमता गुमाएका छन्। फलस्वरूप, तिनले आफ्नो जीवन अन्त गर्ने निर्णय गर्छन् ।तिनी नदीमा हामफाल्छन् तर चाँडै बाहिर निस्कन्छन्।तिनले फेरि प्रयास गरे तर अझै फर्केर रुन्छन्। उसले सहन नसक्ने पानी एकदमै चिसो हुन्छ। उहाँका अनुसार “यदित्यो पानी त्यति चिसो नभएको डुबेर मर्न सक्थें। ऊ रुन्छ , त्यो पानीमा चिसो थियो, फेरि उनी आत्महत्या गर्ने सोचमा छन् र एउटा भवनको सोह्रौं तलामा जान्छन्। उसले आत्महत्या गर्न तयारी गर्छ तर उचाइले उसलाई तर्साउँछ र.उफ्रने निर्णय गर्दैन। उहाँका अनुसार “”यदि यो त्यति अग्लो,नभएको भए, म हाम फाल्ने थिएँ“। अनि ऊ फेरि रुन्छ, त्यहाँ उचाई थियो! त्यो त अग्लो थियो! अनि ऊ फेरि रुन्छ, त्यहाँ उचाई थियो! त्यो तअग्लो थियो ! तिनी निराश भए तापनि आफ्ना भावनाहरू लाई यथावतै राख्छन्। तिनले पानीको चिसोपन र भवनको उचाइ महसुस गर्न सक्छन्। तसर्थ, उहाँको.शरीर शारीरिक र मानसिक दुवै तवरमा जीवित छ। तिनी रुन्छन् र टुटेको हृदयको पीडा व्यक्त गर्छन्।

भाग २: फेरि जीवनमा फर्कनु

अन्ततः कविले आफूलाई जीवित राख्ने निर्णय गर्छन्। उसले आफ्नो तर्कसंगतता र सोच्ने क्षमता अनुसार म बा‍च्नको जन्मेको थिएँ भन्छन। यसरी उनको आत्महत्याको इच्छा हुनुको कारण स्पष्ट छ प्रेम थियो (म प्रेमका लागि मर्न सक्थें)।तिनका प्रेमी तिनलाई रुँदै मरेको हेर्न चाहन्थे तर तिनले साहस बटुले र आफ्नो जीवन ठीक छ भनेर wine जस्तै राम्रो ! जिन्दगी ठिकै छ ! देखाउँछन् !

Answer the following questions.

a. The poem is a 6 stanza-poem and it follows a rhyming pattern abcb with a break after each two stanzas. Why does the poet maintain a break after each two stanza? Does it have any significance to the meaning of the poem ?

= The poem has a rhyming pattern abcb with a break after each stanza. The poet maintains it to give emphasis on the central/main idea of the stanza.

b. The poet talks about his drowning and jumping experiences. What actually does he mean by them?

= The poet talks about his drowning and jumping experiences in the poem. He wishes to express that human life has to face with problems and these problems need solutions. Here, ‘drowning’ means ‘problems’ and jumping’ efers to the attempt to get their solutions.

c. The poet talks about death and life both. Which is more important to him and why?

= The poet talks about both life and death but he focuses on life because he feels life is full of pleasure and romantic experiences. He expresses it through ‘Life is fine ! Fine as wine! Life is fine.

e. The last line of the poem resembles with the title of the poem. What’s the correlation between them?

= The last line of the poem resembles its title because they are correlated in the sense that the ends in a positive sense. It tells us that we need to enjoy our life thinking that it is fine.

f. Would you agree that although the poem starts with a sad note, it ends with a positive note? Give reasons for your agreement or disagreement.

= I agree that the poem starts with a sad note and ends with a positive note because its beginning presents the problems and despair resulted by them, but the end tells us to enjoy our life because it is fine.