# Sun explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

The poem reflects on a barren garden in Taos, questioning why three hearts in the same house are also barren, and who would dare to show ugly things to the sun.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and the Elements

The sun and barren garden symbolize natural and emotional desolation.

### Love and Loss

The barren hearts suggest emotional emptiness or loss.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker observes the barren garden and hearts in Taos.

## Key lines

> That there should be a barren garden About this house in Taos Is not so strange, But that there should be three barren hearts In this one house in Taos⁠— Who carries ugly things to show the sun?

It's not surprising that the garden around this Taos house is barren, but it is strange that three hearts in the same house are also barren—who would dare to expose their ugliness to the sun?

_The speaker contrasts physical barrenness with emotional barrenness, questioning the audacity of revealing inner darkness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/sun
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters