During the time Americans migrated to the industrial north, cities such as Chicago, Washington dc, and new York city held new opportunities of both economic and artistic. The legacy of the Harlem renaissance opened doors and deeply influenced the generations of African American writers that followed including Robert Hayden and Gwendolyn brooks.
Brass Spittoons by Langston Hughes
Clean the spittoons, boy.
Detroit,
Chicago,
Atlantic City,
Palm Beach.
Clean the spittoons.
The steam in hotel kitchens,
And the smoke in hotel lobbies,
And the slime in hotel spittoons:
Part of my life.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars a day.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars
Buy shoes for the baby.
House rent to pay.
Gin on Saturday,
Church on Sunday.
My God!
Babies and gin and church
And women and Sunday
All mixed with dimes and
Dollars and clean spittoons
And house rent to pay.
Hey, boy!
A bright bowl of brass is beautiful to the Lord.
Bright polished brass like the cymbals
Of King David’s dancers,
Like the wine cups of Solomon.
Hey, boy!
A clean spittoon on the altar of the Lord.
A clean bright spittoon all newly polished--
At least I can offer that.
Com’mere, boy!
Clean the spittoons, boy.
Detroit,
Chicago,
Atlantic City,
Palm Beach.
Clean the spittoons.
The steam in hotel kitchens,
And the smoke in hotel lobbies,
And the slime in hotel spittoons:
Part of my life.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars a day.
Hey, boy!
A nickel,
A dime,
A dollar,
Two dollars
Buy shoes for the baby.
House rent to pay.
Gin on Saturday,
Church on Sunday.
My God!
Babies and gin and church
And women and Sunday
All mixed with dimes and
Dollars and clean spittoons
And house rent to pay.
Hey, boy!
A bright bowl of brass is beautiful to the Lord.
Bright polished brass like the cymbals
Of King David’s dancers,
Like the wine cups of Solomon.
Hey, boy!
A clean spittoon on the altar of the Lord.
A clean bright spittoon all newly polished--
At least I can offer that.
Com’mere, boy!
the poem points out that the "boy" has a lot of responsibilities. he traveled a lot from detroit, to chicago, to atlantic city, to palm beach where he had to clean spittoons which is a metal pot with a funnel top. he had to work all the time only making nickels, dimes, dollars, and two dollars a day. the boy had no name in the poem. Was he not important for them to know his name? the poem had repetitions of "clean the spittoons" and "hey boy! a nickel, a dime, a dollar, two dollars a day." the boy had to work to get through life basically. There is an analogy comparing "bright bowl of brass is beautiful to the lord." "Bright polished brass..." "a clean spittoon on the altar of the Lord." "A clean bright spittoon all newly polished." To how the spittoons are supposed to be cleaned so that you get a better understanding.