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Racial discrimination in the civil rights movement
Racial discrimination in the civil rights movement
Racial discrimination in the civil rights movement
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The civil rights movement may have technically ended in the nineteen sixties, but America is still feeling the adverse effects of this dark time in history today. African Americans were the group of people most affected by the Civil Rights Act and continue to be today. Great pain and suffering, though, usually amounts to great literature. This period in American history was no exception. Langston Hughes was a prolific writer before, during, and after the Civil Rights Act and produced many classic poems for African American literature. Hughes uses theme, point of view, and historical context in his poems “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” to expand the views on African American culture to his audience members.
Looking at the historical context of each poem shows that the political movements of the time had a large effect on Hughes’s two poems. The timeline between the two poems is an interesting one to analyze. “I, Too” was written in nineteen twenty-six and “Theme for English B” was written in nineteen fifty-one (Rampersad). Many events relating to the civil rights movement happened during the years between the two poems. The nineteen twenties were filled with racism, intolerance, and
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disrespect for colored people. This great oppression led to the powerful poem “I, Too.” Over thirty years, many schools and colleges desegregated, state Supreme Courts started to demand equal treatment of colored people, and the majority of America agreed colored people should have the same civil rights as all others (“Brown”). In other words, major steps toward equality happened between nineteen twenty-six and nineteen fifty-one. This is the year Hughes wrote “Theme for English B.” It was because of these advances Hughes was able to write such a poem. A colored man in an all white classroom was nearly unheard of in the twenties. It was commonplace by the fifties, though. The progress of civil rights can be seen Hughes’s poems: they take place on a different part of a timeline that helps to better understand history as a whole. Langston’s poems have the same basic theme that attempts to advance civil rights and encourage readers to understand the culture of colored people. Both poems have a driving theme of race in order to give meaning. “I, Too” does this by comparing the oppression color people felt in the nineteen twenties to slavery in the eighteen hundreds. Masters send their slaves “in the kitchen/ When company comes” so as to not be in the way and quickly be able to serve the guests if needed (3-4). The poem then takes a turn to reveal the true theme: “Tomorrow (as in a later date) [he’ll] be at the table” instead of having to serve it (8-9). Langston describes the lowest situation his people had ever been, shows how it relates to his culture at the time, and then gives hope for the future. “Theme for English B” also has a theme of race and perseverance, but it is presented in a different way.
The speaker talks about how challenging his assignment to write about the truth when everybody’s truth is different (15). Race was a large factor in how the speaker saw himself. He was born in the South, a place where colored culture and people were widely rejected. The speaker has never felt free in his life: how could he complete this assignment about writing about the truth when it could not set him free? This is where “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” draw similarities. Race is an obstacle both speakers had to face but were able to successfully overcome it. In fact, the speakers embraced their race and made it their life’s determination surpass all
adversities. Along with the same theme, both poems are in first person. That is where the similarities end, though: the point of view affects the meaning of the poem in separate ways. “Theme for English B” is a personal, informal poem that has a light tone. This is seen most clearly in line nineteen, which goes, “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.” This line captures the light spirit of a college aged student. This shows that the poem is an individual story to express the feelings of a twenty-two-year-old black man trying to survive in a white world. While the speaker of “Theme for English B” is not weak or timid, mostly because he deals with being completely outnumbered in race in a sophisticated manner, he is not as strong as the speaker in “I, Too.” When reading this poem one cannot help but picture a strong warrior because of the short, choppy, and too the point wording. It creates a feeling that there is more than one person composing this warrior. Hughes’s goal was to represent every colored person who felt oppressed in “I, Too.” He wanted to give hope that their day would come eventually. While the point of views in the poems may not bring about the same meaning, it does give each poem its own character. Hughes’s was in a perfect position to use poetic and historical aspects as a platform for African American rights. He was a product of black suppression in the early nineteen hundreds and also saw civil rights be lawfully guaranteed. His poems were an anchor to the African Americans who needed a ray of hope, as in the powerful declaration in “I, Too.” He gave hope to those who never thought they could attend school in “Theme for English B.” Though the poems may be different on subject matter and point of view, the underlying theme of African American rights is too prominent to ignore. It is possible that with more writers and leaders such as Hughes, today’s poetry can be the “before” and the future’s can be the “after” of completely equal rights.
In his poems, Langston Hughes treats racism not just a historical fact but a “fact” that is both personal and real. Hughes often wrote poems that reflect the aspirations of black poets, their desire to free themselves from the shackles of street life, poverty, and hopelessness. He also deliberately pushes for artistic independence and race pride that embody the values and aspirations of the common man. Racism is real, and the fact that many African-Americans are suffering from a feeling of extreme rejection and loneliness demonstrate this claim. The tone is optimistic but irritated. The same case can be said about Wright’s short stories. Wright’s tone is overtly irritated and miserable. But this is on the literary level. In his short stories, he portrays the African-American as a suffering individual, devoid of hope and optimism. He equates racism to oppression, arguing that the African-American experience was and is characterized by oppression, prejudice, and injustice. To a certain degree, both authors are keen to presenting the African-American experience as a painful and excruciating experience – an experience that is historically, culturally, and politically rooted. The desire to be free again, the call for redemption, and the path toward true racial justice are some of the themes in their
During the 1900s, many African Americans experienced the effects of racial segregation but they still had hope, their oppression did not stop their belief for future change. In “I, Too, Sing, America”, Langston Hughes has makes it clear that he envisions change. In the beginning of the poem, he speaks of being treated differently than others in his home, making it hard to live equally. Hughes writes, “I am the darker brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Line). He chooses to discuss this issue because his darker shade of skin in comparison to the other residents in his home, makes it possible for him to eat separately so that he will not be seen by the guests; this depicts segregation in his home due to race. Because of the racial conflicts that Hughes experiences, he hopes that there is some form of change in the future, where he can sit equally with others. He goes on to write, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes, nobody’ll dare say to me, eat in the kitchen “(Line). Hughes...
To begin, these two poems discuss racism in the United States of America towards African Americans. Both poems were written during two completely different eras. One being from 1926 while the other dates from 2014. These two poems have been written almost 100 years apart, yet this subject is still as relevant today as it was in 1926. When Langston Hughes wrote “I, Too,” in 1926, I don’t think that he would’ve ever expected that a century
In "I, Too," Langston Hughes is obviously in conversation with the earlier poem, Walt Whitman 's "I Hear America Singing." Both poems explore the idea of American identity -- who and what is an American? What characterizes the people of this nation? The two poets, however, reach somewhat different conclusions in response to these questions.
...tatement the speaker explains to the instructor “you are white, yet a part of me as I am a part of you, that’s American’’ (30-33). Both Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen deliver a clear message that no matter what age or race you are, we are all equal, and although these were two different experiences the core to both was racism. These themes show that they have a common topic. Cullens poem contains a rhyme scheme of a,b,c,b; while Hughes has chosen to write in free verse. ‘’Incident’’ and ‘’Theme for English B’’ are both written in first person, using pronouns such as “I.” These poems have similar characteristic within their themes, and structures but they still carry their own unique details. Whether it’s more than a difference in a topic, or even just changing the way that the poem is set up; you can find differences in poems no matter how similar they may seem.
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
“Theme for English B” and “Let American be American again” share some similar elements. These poems both written by Langston Hughes both explain about inequality. Theme for English B revolves around the separation of the black and white man; the differences within each race were segregation was at a high point. Let America be America again revolves around the concept that America is supposed to be the land of the free, but to another race or background; it’s a total opposite. (I guess that being colored doesn’t make me not like the other folks who are other races. - Theme for English B). ...
...nly country to force the race into slavery, they were just the last to free the slaves, and also had the worst treatment for the blacks. For years races were discriminated in the country of America, and it still this way today. Poets such as Langston Hughes, Lucille Clifton, and Colleen McElroy were evolutionary poets who wrote about their desire for freedom and equal treatment. Langston Hughes poems were more about the building up of the tension that existed in all of his people who were ready to start fighting for their freedom. Colleen McElroy wrote about how the blacks in America still were apart of there past because of the color of their skin and simply just because of where they were from. Lucille Clifton wrote about the desire for the recognition her race and all of the other races of America, besides the Whites, would finally be appreciated for their work.
Langston Hughes illustrates this idea in his poem, “Theme for English B.” The fictional narrator is asked by his instructor to go home and write a page; but it must come from him (the writer) to ensure that it will be sincere. The writer has an internal conflict about him and his counterparts and how similar or different they truly are from him. This conflict is demonstrated in his words, “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who are other races” (Hughes 24-25). Keep in mind, the narrator is an African American student in an all-White class; making him the odd one out.
Although “Theme for English B” was published in 1949, it has many of the characteristics that his earlier works from the Harlem Renaissance possessed. The rhythmic rhyming adds to the musicality of the poem. The language is simple, yet effective in making a very important social statement. An especially intense aura of American separatism is present throughout the poem. A sense of egalitarianism is also present throughout the poem: the instructor is just as much student as the student is professor, young and old each have much to offer the other, and black and white partake of each other.
The focus is centered around cultural and racial problems as opposed to physical problems. In the poem, Theme for English B by Langston Hughes, the story follows a young African American male who has succeeded in his life despite the racial barrier. He describes himself as a person with dreams and ambitious just like everyone else, but he has held back by the color of his skin, and therefor is treated differently than his classmates. This is shown through the poem when the author says “You are white--- / yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.” This quote shows Hughes’ belief that everyone is created equal, regardless of their skin color. The poem challenges that narrow minded view that had been implicated on African Americans. In the poem Indian Boarding School: The Runaways by Louise Erdrich, a racial and cultural struggle is also seen as Native Americans struggle to maintain their grip on the heritage that is being yanked away from them through Americanization. This is shown through the quote: “We watch through cracks in boards as the land starts rolling, rolling till it hurts to be here, cold in regulation clothes.” The person describes the torture they feel to be locked up in a room, dressed in uniforms and forced to conform to rules that they don’t agree with. They watch the world continue and they feel that they have ceased to be a part of it. Overall, both poems challenge society’s
For instance, the poem “I Too, Sing America,’ Hughes talks about the oppression on racial grounds as experienced by the African Americans. In the poem, the protagonist complains about the unequal treatment he receives from the white, and thus an indication that the issue of racism dominates. Unlike Hurston, Hughes’ writings indicate some hope that the situation will eventually change for the better. For instance in the poem ‘I Too, Song America,’ the narrator hopes that the country will realize some transformation, which could restore equality and eliminate racism and other forms of prejudice (Rampersad). Nonetheless, the entire poem seems to depict America as a nation filled with racism and discrimination. Even though the two writers differ, one can note some commonalities, and thus an indication that the writers address the same issues. For instance, Hurston and Hughes affirm that the African Americans face discrimination on racism grounds, and thus making their lives miserable and
Langston Hughes’ poems “50-50” and “I, Too” develops a connection when it comes to the theme of isolation. In Hughes’,“50-50”, the woman describes how she feel that does not have support and is feeling detached from others. The woman explains to herself how she is, “all alone in this world, she said, /Ain’t got nobody to share my bed, /Ain’t got nobody to hold my hand” (1-3).The words “share my bed” (2) and “hold my hand” (3) suggest that the woman lacks fulfillment and moral support. In Hughes’, “I, Too”, the narrator explains how he is segregated from other people. The narrator explains that, “I, too, sing America./I am the darker brother./They send me to eat in the kitchen/When company comes” (1-4). The words “I, too, sing America” describe
Going home and writing an essay is what every teenager looks forward to after the bell. The thrill of the pen on the paper, the excitement of the clicking keys. I bet you are having a flashback to one of your essay memories at this very minute. The poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes is about Hughes getting assigned to write a paper that “comes out of you”. Hughes proceeds to go to his house, write his paper, and portray what he feels on the separation and segregation of different cultures and races. Through his wide arsenal of literary devices, Hughes provides us with a clear theme. There is no valid reason for human beings to be divided, yet society pulls us apart.
In the poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, the first concept that might come to mind when reading the title is an English/ Literature assignment/ lesson or a universal message. “Theme for English B” is about a twenty-two year old, colored, college student in the twentieth century writing a poem for his English assignment. This college student speaks to his/ her instructor and telling him/ her that himself/ herself and a white professor are connected. That they’re associated because they’re both American and that they both don’t want to be associated with each other, but they are. What Hughes is saying is that we are all linked in one way or another, and that we are all equal. We are all human with imperfections and we all make mistakes,