Langston Hughes I Too Essay

In the Harlem Renaissance poem “I, Too”, Langston Hughes’ use of foregrounding and metaphor conveys the message that everyone in America, regardless of his/her color and ethnicity, must be treated equally. In this poem, the speaker, a black man, is sent to eat in the kitchen when people come. However, in the third stanza, the speaker anticipates a more equal life in the future by saying, “Tomorrow, / I’ll be at the table / When company comes” (l. 8-10). The speaker claims that in the future, he will not be sent to the kitchen when visitors come, and nobody will be ashamed of his presence. The poet catches the reader’s attention through his use of foregrounding in the eighth line. The word “tomorrow” represents a future when the speaker will be treated equally, and when he will not be pushed aside because he is black.

Thus, the poet’s use of foregrounding, as seen in line 8, demonstrates the thematic message of the poem that every ethnicity must be treated equally by stressing on a future when the speaker will not shunned because of his skin color. Later in the poem, the speaker believes that nobody will dare tell him to eat in the kitchen, and people will appreciate him for who he is. In the last stanza, he says, “I, too, am America” (l. 18). The speaker states that he is also a citizen of America, and he is a part of American culture and history. The diction of the word “too” further reinforces the belief that blacks are also citizens of America, just like their white counterparts. Furthermore, in this line, the poet uses a metaphor by comparing the speaker to