IT Home Learning Lesson 1

Life Is Fine by Langston Hughes

I went down to the river,
I set down on the bank.
I tried to think but couldn't,
So I jumped in and sank.

I came up once and hollered!
I came up twice and cried!
If that water hadn't a-been so cold
I might've sunk and died.

But it was Cold in that water! It was cold!

I took the elevator
Sixteen floors above the ground.
I thought about my baby
And thought I would jump down.

I stood there and I hollered!
I stood there and I cried!
If it hadn't a-been so high
I might've jumped and died.

But it was High up there! It was high!

So since I'm still here livin',
I guess I will live on.
I could've died for love--
But for livin' I was born

Though you may hear me holler,
And you may see me cry--
I'll be dogged, sweet baby,
If you gonna see me die.

Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

1. How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?

Hyperbole is used in the poem, as the word "die" stressed the author's distress and tired of living. He"hollered" and "cried" which indicates that the water is extremely cold and the building is supremely high in an exaggerated manner. The metaphor in the poem is "I stood there and I hollered! I stood there and I cried!". "Fine as wine" is the simile in the poem, while the symbolism is the river and the building.

2. Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.

I like Life Is Fine because it is meaningful. The author intends to commit suicide but in vain, but is it because of the coldness of the river and the height of the building? In my opinion, when someone wants to jump down, he or she would choose the highest building to do it, since the person has already decided to commit suicude, no matter what happened will change his decision. However, in this poem, the author is still aware of cold, and height which shows that there is a still a thirst for life in him. After that, he found out that life is fine. From this poem, I understand that we will encounter a lot of difficulties and setbacks in our life. We may feel distressed and give up and lost the will to live on, but it gives us power to stand up again. There has to be reason for everything that happens to us or in our life. Thus, we should think positively. As we live longer, we understand failure and success, life and death. We will found out that life is fine, sooner or later.