Consider Hughes' description of jazz in the exerpt from "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (911-2) in relation to the poem, "The Weary Blues."  How do they relate?  Where does the singer's voice come from?  Where does his song come from?  Why?

[Message #2   01:18:22 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
Nick Bamber:
i think that in his exerpt about jazz, hughes was referring to people like this when he said that the artist needs to be proud to be black and quit talking about his bad times.  his voice and song are coming from his soul, just like hughes said on pg. 911.  i think this is to show that he really means what he sings and hes not just saying that for pity.

[Message #3   01:22:59 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
alison weaver:
 The two writings relate because they talk about jazz as being very important to the negro race.  It defines who they are through music.  Teh singers voice comes from within him because it is the song of his race.  The last line of the poem when it says that the singer is sleeping or dead I took to mean that without jazz the singer is dead or will die.  If jazz is not running through his blood then he is a man no longer.

[Message #4   01:23:12 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
Ted Rellstab:
Jazz muisic, I think was used in these poems as a way of self indentity and escapement.  It allowed the black people to stand aside of the white people.  There music allowed them the abitility to feel secure and allow them to express the feelings that they may not have been able to express otherwise.  Their music definetly comes from their souls and hearts because it became their way of expressing the issues that confronts them everyday.

[Message #5   01:23:14 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
Codey Mack:
The song is coming from the singers soul. He is expressing his feelings about how he and all blacks are being treated.  The singer also takes pride in the music.  His people created the blues and he is proud of that.

[Message #6   01:26:49 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
adam wakefield:
They both use jazz as a way of expressing how they feel.  It is a source for them to express themselves and be proud.  Jazz is their music and they can relate to what is being said.  His voice comes from his heart and how he feels about the situation.

[Message #7   01:29:31 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
Manda Knaggs:
These two relate because they both talk about the dark beating rhythm of blues and how it speaks to the situation of blacks at the time.  They also talk about getting rid of the weary and troubles of their situation and taking pride in what they are and that way having peace with themselves and being able to sleep at night.

[Message #8   01:32:26 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
emily fritsche:
The two are related because they both speak about the troubles that the african americans had while they were in slavery.  But at the same time they are trying their best to forget them and move on with their lives.  Jazz is the main theme in both poems and this is their way of expressing themselves.  They would let their feelings out in the form of jazz music and this is what got them by day after day.

[Message #9   01:33:12 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
vanessa hughes:
they both comment on the expression of the Negro life in a white world.  Jazz is very important ot the black culture because it is free music.  they can forget about all the hardships of growing up in a white dominated culture and enjoy life.  i think that the singers voice is always there.  it represents  all the people who feel oppressed.

[Message #10   01:38:43 PM, Monday, November 30, 1998]
Karen Hylek:
The singer's voice is coming from his every day experiences as being a black man.  Everyday he is reminded that he is not good enough and is not as equal as the white man.  His words describe his feelings about his life and his troubles.  He tells himself to put his problems to the side and just deal with the way life is.  But, he continues to say that he can't be satisfied with the way he lives and the way he is treated and viewed.  In some ways he thinks that life would be much better. The two relate in the way that jazz is an expression of feeling and they tell a story of one's thoughts and experiences.