An epigram is a brief and quotable statement. It can be satirical, paradoxical, humorous, or simply clever. The epigram is the one-liner of literature.

Read more at: http://www.freelancewriting.com/articles/ff-using-the-epigram-as-a-literary-device.php
Copyright © FreelanceWriting.com - All content on our website is copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be re-produced, or re-printed, online or offline.

 I would rather believe in something and find it to not exist,

 than to believe in nothing and find out it does.

An epigram body is brevity, but it has wittiness, signification and soul in this body. People can receive a lot of knowledge and wit from it. In Hughes first epigram it is more of an optimistic view on life, while the second is more of a pessimistic view point.

In Langston Hughes “Two Somewhat Different Epigrams,” I believe that it is about the religion. In the epigrams Hughes said, “Oh, God of dust and rainbows, help us see that without dust the rainbow would not be” (Hughes pg.525). Hughes wants to tell us that there are always two sides to everything and need to find balance from it. He also wants people to see that you cannot enjoy life without seeing the bad side and overcoming any obstacles along the way. If you believe god will help you see the good and bad. Without the bad (dust) you cannot see the good (rainbow). Maybe this is the punishment of God but it is also rewarding.

In the first epigram it is like he is asking god for help when he says “help us see”. He is basically asking god to help us see the bad in each other so the good can be appreciated. In the second epigram “And God, who sometimes spits right in its face,” he is saying that the human race makes good and bad choices, we are not much better.

I think all three epigrams have similarities. Hughes is asking god to help us see the good and bad in each other.  In my epigram I am simply saying that I would rather believe in something than believe in nothing. If someone makes a poor choice just believe in them and give them hope. We can learn a lesson from bad things then it will still be greatness. Sometimes, god just wants you to learn from it.

Works cited:

    
Hughes, Langston, "Two Somewhat Different Epigrams I" Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. Pearson, 2012. 526. Print.

An epigram is a brief and quotable statement. It can be satirical, paradoxical, humorous, or simply clever. The epigram is the one-liner of literature.

Read more at: http://www.freelancewriting.com/articles/ff-using-the-epigram-as-a-literary-device.php
Copyright © FreelanceWriting.com - All content on our website is copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be re-produced, or re-printed, online or offline.