Langston Hughes "The Big Sea"

The speaker uses lines 30-40 ("I could not...largely excluded") primarily to

Emphasize the effects of racism by cataloging his experiences

In relation to the rest of the passage, the first paragraph provides

Historical information that illuminates the speaker's own circumstances

The word "education" (line 24) refers to

Learning obtained through experience

The second paragraph is significant in that the speaker

Makes use of the power of personal experience

The series of phrase in lines 12-14 ("in muscles... Became divine") suggests the

Many ways that class structure was maintained

The speaker used the word "impossible" twice at the beginning of the final paragraph (line 55) in order to

Highlight the strong feelings that the subject engenders

In context, the phrase "sleepless vigilance" (line 27) suggests

The determined enforcement of a system

Line 7 ("continually knocking his hands, head and heart") provides an example of

Alliteration

The speaker's tone might best be described as

Civil but angry

As used in line 55, "gainsay" is best interpreted to mean

Deny

The primary imagery of the passage is that of

Confinement

The final sentence of the passage (lines 58-64) moves from

Relating an incident to decrying its implications

The effectiveness of the final paragraph is primarily a result of its

Use of specific example

The speaker's primary purpose in the passage is to

Convey the psychological impact of a system of segregation