1. The syntax of “I, Too” consists mainly of short, declarative sentences that the speaker uses to both introduce his situation as well as declare what he believes the future will hold. From a first-person perspective, the speaker identifies himself as an African American, “the darker brother,” of America. With the knowledge of the speaker’s race, his following statements become clearer, such as when the speaker writes, “they send me to eat in the kitchen,” he is likely referring to “they” as his white, racist boss or supervisor, sending the speaker to eat separately in the kitchen because he is black. On another level, the ambiguity of the word “they” may also be interpreted to refer to white supremacist society as a whole. In effect, the …show more content…
speaker becomes all of African Americas, collectively, and being sent to “eat in the kitchen,” is an example of the discrimination (segregation in particular) that black Americans were exposed to during their fight for civil liberty. Furthermore, eating in the kitchen, likely still messy from cooking, instead of at a nicely set dinner table has a negative connotation, and continuing with the aforementioned analysis, this juxtaposition can also represent the inferior, diminutive conditions African Americans as a whole had to live in before the Civil Rights Movement. 2.
On the surface, the message of the poem is one of contempt and wishful thinking; the speaker claims that “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table” and that no one will “dare say to me, ‘eat in the kitchen,’” however these declarations can be interpreted as just irate, spiteful reactions to discrimination that the speaker has experienced, and are unlikely to become true. On the other hand, the first and final lines of the poem create a deeper, more profound statement of racial discrimination in the United States. When the speaker states “I, too, sing America,” he is trying to make the rest of America, particularly the white supremacists, realize that African Americans are part of the United Sates as well, that. The word choice of “sing” has a patriotic connotation, which is supported by the image of black Americans singing in praise of America. In addition, in the final line, the speaker states that “I, too, am America,” directly stating that African Americans are a part of America as much as any other race, further emphasizing that the black and white races, despite their differences, are aggregate within the United States of …show more content…
America. 3. Hughes creates racial tension primarily through the syntax and diction of “I, Too,” 4.
a. Reading through “I, Too” for the first time, the poem appears to be a call out against racial discrimination, and a call for equality.
b. “I, Too” is written in free verse. As a result, the meter, stanzas, and line breaks, are all varied throughout the poem with no clear pattern. However, where the poem lacks uniformity in external structure, the imagery consists mainly of
c. The theme of “I, Too” can best be described as the unjustified discrimination that Africans Americans experienced during the 20th century.
d. The speaker of the poem can be interpreted as either an Individual African American or African Americans as an entire race. The occasion is likely a response to discrimination that the speaker has faced throughout his life. Though no clear audience is states in the poem, it can be inferred that “I, Too” is directed at white racists and segregationists. This poem’s purpose is to both convey the strength of the African American race despite the hardships it has faced, as well as to chastise white supremacists
e. Overall, the tone of “I, Too” is hopeful and determined. The speaker, although oppressed by racism and discrimination, is not deterred, and sees a future in which African Americans will eat “at the table when company comes,” and where the white supremacists will be “ashamed” of themselves. The tone remains consistent throughout the poem, with no noticeable or drastic
shifts. f. Interestingly, “I, Too” seems to be almost devoid of dichotomies, at least dichotomies that are explicitly stated. The binary of the speaker first eating “in the kitchen” and then “at the table” is the only dichotomy directly stated within the poem.
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...
This poem is often compared to Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing because of the similarities of the two poems. In this poem, Hughes argues that the African American race is equal to whites. Hughes even declares that one day the African American race will be equal to whites. Hughes proclaims, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America.” Hughes was very bold and daring when he wrote these lines in this poem. He is implying that the white people will regret what they have done to blacks. That they will be ashamed of how they treated them. Undoubtedly, this poem expresses Hughes cultural identity.
As of late, racism has been a topic on everyone’s lips. Whether it’s because of police brutality in certain regions of the USA, or due to the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump. “I, Too” by Langston Hughes and “Dear White America” by Danez Smith both talk about this very serious topic. Although these two poems are from completely different time periods, both discuss the same matter, which is racism towards African Americans.
It is true that old days were really hard to live in, especially if the person was dark skin. This poet’s main idea of this poem “ I, too” was that, he wanted to let people know what he, and most of the African American people were going through. He wanted to let people know that color should not define your personality, and people should accept the fact that people with dark skin were humans just like others. People should have accept them and treat them equally and respectfully. Also one of the things I liked in the poem was that, he was using word sing as a expression of a word of talk, he was not really singing but he was saying it
In “I,Too” by Langston Hughes, he writes about how blacks survived segregation during the Harlem Renaissance by using perspective. This poem talks about a black man who is not allowed to eat at the table and only allowed to eat in the kitchen away from others. These others were considered the white people and it represented how blacks were segregated and not allowed to eat, drink, and go places where whites were, but in future days they would be allowed to eat at the table. Hughes writes, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to
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.
This poem tells how America was founded for the free. People could go there to live free lives and not be under a ruling. Even though this is true for some, the poor men and Indians were not treated equally and the black people were enslaved. Even after they were freed, they were not treated equally.
The writing of Langston Hughes in “I too” is significantly dependant on his point of view. The actions that occur in the poem are as realistic as they can get because Langston Hughes is speaking from the heart. He passed through the Harlem Renaissance and faced constant struggles with racism. 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.
I used “How it Feels to be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston as my mentor text for this essay.
In the line “I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen” (Hughes 2-3) is denial of a particular person due to the pigmentation of their skin. The African American race had to suffer and be treated differently because of one small detail that was out of their control. Many individuals struggled with how they were treated during this time and others let such treatment make them stronger. As seen in the following lines “Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the kitchen, then.” Hughes illustrates that the narrator is in touch with being the same as everyone else. These lines show that he knows what he deserves and he will stand up for himself. Guilt of being a certain race is not hanging over the narrator’s head unlike many others who feel defeated. This poem stands for those who see themselves equally with the ones that look down upon them. “I, too, am America” is a testament of faith in his countrymen and women to recognize and appreciate the contribution of African-American citizens.” (Lewis) shows that America should be proud of the strong ethnic mix. Hughes possessed optimism for all human beings and took a lot of pride in showing that through his
This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality, only to find out that at this time equality for blacks does not exist. It is written for fellow black men, in an effort to make them understand that the American dream is not something to abandon hope in, but something to fight for. The struggle of putting up with the racist mistreatment is evident even in the first four lines:
The poem opens a thought of the American Dream, about what he wants America to be, and his hope for the country. The beginning line of the poem entails that America has to be the same America it once was, to me it’s a lie. America back then practiced slavery and oppression, it destroyed the lands of people to build their own homes. The ideal of an “America” was all a dream. It’s what they wanted for their America to be. We as people should be able to rise up and redefine the American equality and take back our land. The poem serves a powerful message of equality. The theme of this poem is against injustice and inequalities that exist in America and that can corrupt the American dream. All characters in the novels we read for the semester i.e. The African, Quick skills, and Tucker, have a lot of similarities with the poem, “Let America Be America Again”. They led their people to freedom by fighting against slavery and restrictions. The African escaped from his master. The African vowed to be free and never be enslaved again. Quickskill came to liberate the fellow slaves, who were enslaved in his master 's plantation. Tucker realized that he had some worth, and wanted freedom for his family. All three of these characters laid their lives on the line for their fellow men. They would rather prefer to die with dignity rather than become a white man’s property. They wanted
The poem begins "I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother." From those two lines alone, one can see that he is proud of who he is and introducing himself to the reader. In the line "I, too, sing America" he is explaining that he is an American like everyone else in the country, but he is only of a darker skin color as he follows up in line two with "I am the darker brother." He says that even though he is of another color he is still an American and he should not be treated any differently from any other American.
So, the poor, colored and those of different nationalities are denied chances to succeed in keeping the traditional values. Both poems address the widespread societal issue of racism that is so prevalent in America. Hughes and Alexie seem to agree that judgment of others is the disgrace of our nation. If the color of a man's skin did not have such a great value in our society, maybe then America could be everyone's. Not just the rich white men but the immigrants, the Africans, the Indians and the poor.
Too, Sing America In 1920, Langston Hughes became the voice of black America. He was the inspirational voice of the African-Americans, the hope and motivation of many. Langston wrote about freedom of creative expression, about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, politics, America, dreams, equality and inequality. No surprise was created when his poem: “I, Too, Sing America” was about a black man who wishes and hopes to live a life with equality. This poem conveys the fact that despite the differences of color, all people living in America are Americans and have the right to be treated equally.