Children’s Rhymes

An analysis of Langston Hughes’ poem starts with the title "Children's Rhymes." The title both prepares and misleads the reader about the poem’s subject matter. Typically, the rhymes of children are playful. In an earlier version of “Children’s Rhymes,” Hughes juxtaposes the rhymes about race with lighthearted children’s rhymes. In the version referenced here—the more common version—the rhymes are only about race. Thus, the title is ironic and somewhat unexpected. The rhymes of the child involve a serious subject. Using the playful form of children’s rhymes, the speaker confronts a complex and horrifying reality. Approaching this poem without knowledge of Langston Hughes or his work, the reader might expect a fun or flippant poem. The extreme seriousness of the children’s rhymes produces irony and deliberate deception.

At the same time, the title accurately reflects the poem in that the poem rhymes and maintains a jumpy rhythm. The poem relies on repetition and rhyme to keep its bouncy flow. Even when some of the words don’t rhyme exactly, they sound similar, like “kids” (Line 2) and “President” (Line 5). More so, the recurring appearance of certain words—sends/sent in Stanza 1, bug/bugs in Stanza 2, and ain’t in all three stanzas—reinforces the poem’s propulsive beat.