In Langston Hughes’ performance of his poem, “The Weary Blues”, he uses sound and the speed of his voice to emphasize his melancholy theme. He opens up the poem by drawing out the opening word “droning”. Hughes is performing the action of droning by reciting the poem in a low, slow voice. In the second line, he draws out the word “croon”, which is another word that means to use a soft, low voice. Speaking in this manner, Hughes certainly creates a feeling of weariness. He repeats the lines “He did a lazy sway”, stating how the man’s actions match his slow tune. When he repeats the lines, he draws out the vowel sounds, again using slowness for emphasis. The way he draws out the vowel sounds throughout the poem makes the words sound like sad groans. This is especially true when he emphasizes the word “moan” in line 10. He draws the word out in his low voice so that it sounds as if he is actually moaning in pain. Throughout the poem he seems to emphasize the “oh” vowel sounds. This action is seen again when he says the line “that old piano moan”. This kind of “oh” sound is typically associated with pain, sadness, and unrest. Hughes continues to express how miserable the singer in the poem is, as the singer shares his tune about being alone and wishing he were dead. Then with the last line of the poem, Hughes seems to end somewhat abruptly. The last words felt startling, when he says “He slept like a rock or a man that’s dead”. This delivery emphasizes the startling sadness of the fact that the man does not wish to be alive anymore.