A Special, Imaginative Train in Langston Hughes Poem,...

Langston Hughes Freedom Train is a very imaginative poem and His idea of being free is clearly stated from the beginning to the end of this poem. However, although he clearly states everything he wants the reader to know, there are still something’s the reader has to think about before everything becomes clearer. The poem starts of by him wanting to know all about a special train he keeps hearing of. He says, I read in the papers about the Freedom Train/I heard on the radio about the Freedom Train. It sounds like the persona is ignorant about what exactly this train represents and he is very curious, because he uses words and phrases like â€Å"who/why/I hope/I’m going to checkup†, to portray a sense of ignorance about the train in lines 10, 15, 17. Getting towards the heart of the poem the Hughes becomes more concerned about the rules and right on this train. He goes into doubt that most African Americans would be treated fairly on this train. In lines 9 and 10 he says, Way down South in Dixie only train I see’s/got a Jim Crow car set aside for me. He also capitalizes, WHITE FOLKS ONLY/FOR COLORED† either to draw emphasis to the fact whether it is truly a freedom train. The repetition of â€Å"I’m gonna check up on this† is used to show more concern about this train. He specifically mentions Birmingham and Mississippi in lines 21 and 25 because these are cities that were deep into segregation at the time. In lines 22/23 he says, When it stops in Mississippi will it be