How does one structure three claims for a literary analysis paper about Langston Hughes's poetry?

A claim is what you would use to support a larger argument, or thesis. When it comes to poetry, there are many ways in which you can create an argument and support it with claims. The most important part of writing a literary analysis is to have an argument that can be proven.

Generally, when writing about poetry, you'll end up writing about theme, poetic structure, figurative language, genre, and so on. Think about what...

A claim is what you would use to support a larger argument, or thesis. When it comes to poetry, there are many ways in which you can create an argument and support it with claims. The most important part of writing a literary analysis is to have an argument that can be proven.

Generally, when writing about poetry, you'll end up writing about theme, poetic structure, figurative language, genre, and so on. Think about what you want to prove and then think about the ways in which you'd prove this point.

Here's an example:

You could argue that Hughes's poem "Ballad of the Landlord," with its emphasis on the struggles of a tenant versus his landlord, is part of the social protest literature movement. This is your larger argument.

You would then make three claims which will help you prove this larger argument.

(The clothesline metaphor for argument is perfect: you make your main argument, which is the clothesline, and you hang the claims on this clothesline.)

For example, you could say that the structure of the poem, particularly the use of a ballad, suggests something sad or tragic, which in fact this poem is. You could talk about how the poem for the most part is in ballad form until the last few stanzas, which shift from the tenant's perspective to a larger white American perspective.

Then you could make the claim that this tragic character of the tenant is repeated in many others of Hughes's poems, including the "Madam to..." poems. You would use this claim to emphasize that Hughes's aim is to shed light on the struggles of black Americans.

Finally, you could make the third claim that Hughes's increasing use of colloquialisms in the poem emphasizes the frustration that occurs in black communities in regards to housing.

For the most part, when making claims, you need to make sure that you have a larger argument that you are supporting. Otherwise, the claims will feel like a grocery list of the poem's characteristics. The most important thing is to say something that advances discussion about a particular poem.