Discrimination in As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes

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Recommended: Literary comparisons of Langston Hughes poems to each other

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal’.”(King) Martin Luther’s word are still remember till this day, almost 50 years later. Years ago, rights between blacks and white where not equal. Black were treated as minorities and were not given the same opportunities the white people had. The poem I choose to analyze, “As I Grew Older”, speaks about the discrimination against blacks at that time. The author uses metaphors and other techniques to share with the reader his feeling about injustice towards the black race.
The writer of the poem is Langston Hughes. Since he was young, the color of his skin is what set him back. “He was black, poor, and full of dreams that were not likely to come true.”(Dyson) This poem relates those situations to the audience throught the use of metaphors. He begins the poem by speaking of a dream he had a long time ago. He compared the dream to the sun by the use of metaphors. The poem states, “But it was there then, In front of me, Bright like a sun— My dream.”(Hughes) The bright sun represents this dream which he had in front of him, clear and vivid. It seems as if the dream is reachable, allowing him to believe he is capable of accomplishing and reaching it. However, soon an obstacle appears which blocks him from being able to reach his goal.
The obstacle which appears is represented by a tall wall which blocks him from the sun. “The dream seemed very possible at first, but then the wall "rose slowly" showing that it seemed less and less likely as he grew up.”(Allen) The wall “Rose until it touched the sky”(Hughes) During the author’s time, it was difficult for his race to...

... middle of paper ...

...nd fight against the big wall until it is torn down. He must fight for the rights of his people until they can see the bright yellow sun again.

Work Cited
Allen. "Harlem Renaissance." : An Analysis of "As I Grew Older" N.p., 17 Mar. 2012. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
Dyson, Cindy. "Hughes, Langston." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 7 Dec. 2013
Hughes, Langston. "Poem Hunters." Poemhunter.com. N.p., 3 Jan. 2003. Web. 13 Dec. 2007.
Jackson, Kyle. "A College Review of Langston Hughes and "As I Grew Older"" Wikinut. N.p., 17 May 2013. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
King Jr., Martin Luther "I Have a Dream."Inside American History.Abingdon/Cambridge: Helicon, 2007. History Study Center. Web. 7 Dec. 2013.
Lawler, Maggie. "Critical Analysis of As I Grew Older." Langstonhughes2012 - Critical Analysis of As I Grew Older. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

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