I Too Sing America

814 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Life and work of langston Hughes

“I, Too Sing America” I, Too Sing America was written by Langston Hughes around the time of the Harlem Renaissance. One could only imagine the struggle it was to be an African American in those times, let alone be an African American poet at the the time as well. I found it very interesting while reading this poem the fact that it’s so short one could interpret many things. Some of the main themes spoken in the poem were obviously Racial, Ambition, and Freedom. I believe all the topics were not only described very well in this poem, but reading this poem right now in this day and age is very interesting considering all the multiple things that are still happening in America today. The first two lines to Hughes Poem read, “I, too sing America” “I am the darker brother”, Which in my interpretation I definitely related this line to two things. The poem starts off letting the reader know about America’s history and …show more content…

Hughes says, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table” (lines 8-9). I think this part is very remarkable because even though they made him leave the table due to the fact that company was coming over and he kept his head up and said I’ll be at the table tomorrow. His ambition towards the future was positive in the sense that yeah he may not be at the table exactly tomorrow, but in the future he will be treated equal to the next Caucasian aside from him and the next time he will not have to get up. His ambition towards the future is amazing because after so much oppression over something that him as an individual has literally no control over is amazing. But, if you were to read this poem during that time and read those lines, it would’ve have given the reader hope for something much better to come. I believe that was it must have been hard to keep hope for something that has gone on for so long and being constantly oppressed is something that eventually takes a toll on a

Show More
Related

  • An Understanding of The White House and I, Too, Sing, America

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Hughes, Lucille Clifton, And I, Too, By Langston Hughes

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Whitman And I Hear America Singing

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes was dedicated to writing about the hardships and problems of African Americans. He wrote for and connected with the average, everyday African American. While he connected majorly with the African Americans, Langston also managed to attract attention from many white people, too. In one of Langston’s poems titled, “Let America Be America Again”, he writes “And yet must be- the land where every man is free / The land that is mine- the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, Me.” (Lines 63-64).

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes Thesis

    790 Words  | 2 Pages

    It can cause one to become hopeless and think that it might not ever happen. One can be lead to thought that since Hughes is an African American he can not achieve his dreams due to the society that holds him back. One can see all throughout the poem Hughes uses words that perfectly describe a deferred or delayed dream. Hughes uses words like “fester”, “explode”, “sugar over”, “dry up” and “stink”. One can see that all the words describe a dream deferred in a negative and violent manner.

    Read More

  • Messages from Point of View in Langston Hughes’ I too

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    This leads the reader to put the point of view of the poem into play. Because it talks of such a brother, and because Hughes’s was a revolutionary poet who constantly wrote on the struggles of the black man, then the reader is able to easily interpret the poem as a cry for the African-American man. Langston Hughes’s writing as an African American then makes the narration very probable and realistic. Another example of Hughes’s constant struggles with racism and his inner and thoughtful response to that is clearly seen when he recalls being denied the right to sit at the same table. His point of view is that he was not able to sit at the table because he was an African-American.

    Read More

  • Compare Harlem And I Too

    1772 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Langston Hughes

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the poem Langston Hughes points out, for example “Tomorrow, /I’ll be on the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare Say to me, / Eat in the Kitchen”. This allows the reader to understand how the author will not let racism play a role in his life. In its place, he becomes as equal with the white man and kills the evil. 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 against his constant struggles with

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance: Reflections on African American Life

    1486 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem tells of a young black with a writing assignment in which he must simple write a page on whatever he wants. Hughes uses the narrator in this poem to give some insight on the obstacles that he believed stood in his path while he was trying to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. The speaker tells the audience that he is in college and that “I am the only colored student in my class” (Hughes line 10). During that time period, it was very rare for anyone of color to participate in higher education. The speaker tells us he is from the Harlem area, and he identifies with the people of Harlem just as Harlem identifies with him. Hughes understood the feelings and everyday lives of the people of Harlem, New York, and gave his fictional speaker those same understandings. The writer tells his audience of his feelings towards the white American population when he says, “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who are other races” (lines 25-26). Hughes’s used his speaker to explain how black and whites both want to be writers, but blacks are put at a disadvantage due to the social differences of the two. Langston Hughes wanted his readers to understand the cultural differences of people of color and people on non-color. Jeannine Johnson asserts that “for Hughes, poetry is to some degree about self-expression and self-exploration, especially when the "self" is understood to mark the identity of an individual who is always affected by and affecting a larger culture.” One of the most noted portions of this poem is when the speaker tells his instructor, “You are white / yet a part of me, as I am a part of you / That’s American” (lines 31-33). These lines tell the reader that although whites and blacks have their differences, that regardless of race they are both American. Hughes uses

    Read More

  • Let America Be America Again

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poems are expression of the human soul, and even though, is not everyone’s cup of tea when the individual finds that special poem it moves their soul one with the poet. There are many poets in the world, but the one that grab my attention the most was no other than Langston Hughes. It would be impossible for me to cover all the poems he wrote, but the one that grab my attention the most is called “Let America Be America Again.” It first appeared in “1938 pamphlet by Hughes entitled A New Song. Which was published by a socialist organization named the International Worker Order” (MLM) and later change back to its original name. I have never felt such an energy coming out of a poem like this one which is the reason that I instantly felt in love with it.

    Read More

  • A Slaves Soul Runs Deep

    1069 Words  | 3 Pages

    This poem at first seemed straightforward to me. As I read it more closely and thought about it more I began to put bits and pieces together. I think Hughes has done a wonderful job of describing the slave experience, from the beginning of his narrative to the end, which is when he starts to realize that a brighter future might exist. The way it was written made me really think about what it was Hughes was trying to say. This poem made me realize that a great many people suffered as slaves. These people lived their whole lives in this capacity, most without hope of any change of status. I felt like I was putting together a jigsaw puzzle and it was a good feeling when I finally saw what I believe Hughes wanted me to see.

    Read More

  • I, Too by Langston Hughes

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • American Racism Exposed in Poems by Langston Hughes and Sherman Alexie

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    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 has been 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 man's but the immigrants, the Africans, the Indians and the poor.

    Read More

  • I Too Sing America Literary Devices

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hughes ends the poem by again stating, "I, too, am America" (line 18) showing his true pride and ownership of a country that was never very hospitable to him. Hughes is a talented poet who uses metaphors and his own style of writing to create the effectiveness of his overall message. He uses metaphor throughout the poem for the readers to dig deeper and see underneath the surface. He starts out by stating that he, too, was an American, but that he is treated like someone the “family” would be ashamed of. Separated from the rest of the society, eating in another room, being given a different treatment than the others.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes Tone

    1504 Words  | 4 Pages

    The second line, “I am the darker brother,” (872), is essential to this poem because it explains that Hughes is a black man, who is associating himself in a

    Read More

More about I Too Sing America

Open Document