Langston Hughes I, Too, Sing America

634 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the poem by langston hughes

I, Too.
Written By Langton Hughes.
Langston Hughes was an American poet, novelist. He also made playwright with African-American themes which made him a primary contributor to the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s.
The Harlem Renaissance, an African American art, literature, and music’s boomed time. The Harlem Renaissance was all about the cultural of African-Americans, where racial solidarity was equated with social progress, and where the idea of blackness became a commodity in its own right. Hughes become one of the major figures in the New Negro Renaissance.
Introduction:
Langston Hughes in the poem “I, Too,” forty-five years before Dr. Martin Luther King spoke the words: “I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation …show more content…

It described the life of African American in the early 20th century when Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation; and argues against who refuse that importance.
Hughes caught a wave of support and interest during that era. In “I, Too, Sing America”, Speaker emphasizes on a black person experiencing racism “I am the darker brother ", the poem is explaining how African Americans get treated different and giving his experience. Furthermore speaker points to the fact that he is sent "to eat in the kitchen / when company comes" (3-4), like as he is a slave after which the speaker envisions a future in which he is no longer
The speaker in the poem says that he too can “sing America,” too, meaning that he can be looked as the same way as other Americans. He is claiming his right to feel patriotic towards America, even though he cannot sit on the same table ad have to eat in the kitchen just because he is the “darker” brother. The speaker described the racial segregation during the early 20th century and showed almost every aspect of black Americans life, they were forced to work, travel and eat separately from their white counterparts, had little to no civil or legal rights, they faced economic marginalization in South and the North and were also victimized of racial

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

  • Comparison Of Racism In America By Langston Hughes And Dear White America

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    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

  • Langston Hughes

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Langston Hughes was one of the first black men to express the spirit of blues and jazz

    Read More

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

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    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

  • Response to Langston Hughes' Poem I, too, sing America

    745 Words  | 2 Pages

    believes that slavery will be stopped, and white people will see how beautiful his people

    Read More

  • The Harlem Renaissance Essay

    1255 Words  | 3 Pages

    The months and even the years prior to the Harlem Renaissance was very bleak and the futures of life in America for African-Americans didn’t bode seem to bode very. Well progression towards and reaching the era known as the Harlem Renaissance changed the whole perception of the future of the African-American people as well as life for the group as we know it today. It can be best described by George Hutchinson as ”a blossoming (c. 1918–37) of African American culture, particularly in the creative arts, and the most influential movement in African American literary history [that took place specifically in Harlem]. Embracing literary, musical, theatrical, and visual arts...”. With an increase on the focus of “Black culture”, America seemed

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes

    2529 Words  | 6 Pages

    An artist in the truest sense of the word, Langston Hughes was quite simply a literary genius. Born on February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri, James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was a speaker for the simple man, a man who had no wealth or power but still had soundness of heart and virtues abundant. He was the one of the earliest innovators of the then new art form known as Jazz Poetry alongside with e.e. cummings, T.S. Eliot, and Ezra Pound. Hughes is also known as a leader of the Harlem Renaissance (Francis).

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes is a key figure in the vision of the American dream. In his writings, his African-American perspective gives an accurate vision of what the American dream means to a less fortunate minority. His poetry is very loud and emotional in conveying his idea of the African-American dream. Most of his poetry either states how the black man is being suppressed or is a wish, a plea for equality. He does not want the black man to be better than everyone else, but just to be treated equally.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of I Too Sing America By Langston Hughes

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    In one of his poems “I, Too, Sing America,” he talks about this boy who comes off to be a slave. Using first person perspective the boy says, “they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes.” In this poem the boy has to eat in the kitchen but he doesn’t let it get to him that much because he strives to believe that one day he will be able to sit at the table when company comes. He says, “I’ll be at the table when company comes.” A couple lines later he states that nobody will dare send him to eat in the kitchen, and that they’ll be ashamed once they see how beautiful he really is. At the beginning of the poem he starts off with, “I, too, sing America,” but then at the end he states, “I, too, am America.”

    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

  • Langston Hughes's Symbolism In I Too, Sing America?

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    This poem displayed the Harlem Renaissance, while also explaining how the narrator was treated because of his race. Symbolism is shown starting with the second line, “I am the darker brother” (2). Hughes uses the word “brother” to symbolize his race, which is African American. From the perspective, “They send me to eat in the kitchen,” (3) “When company comes,” (4) one could assume that the character in the poem was a slave. This is theory because if the character was not a slave, and they thought he was their equal, why would the slave owner send him to eat in the kitchen when company comes? In the time of Langston Hughes, when slaves were around, you were not equal to your owners. Therefore the slave would be sent out of the room wherever everyone is gathering. From my own interpretation, “Tomorrow,” (8) “I’ll be at the table,” (9) “When company comes,” (10) “Nobody’ll dare,” (11) “Say to me,” (12) “Eat in the kitchen,” (13) he is saying that he will eat at the table with everyone else and they will accept him for who he is, and for his race. There is an example of repetition in the first and last line of this poem. “I, Too, sing America” is probably repeated to emphasize that the narrator too, should be noticed as a

    Read More

  • Head Held High

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes poems “Mother to Son” and “I, too, Sing America” both document the life trials that African Americans faced due to bigotry in the early 1900’s. The uses of an metaphor and dialogue key into the overall aspect of Hughes poems a head held high and perseverance can help one through the hardest times. The reader can infer that the Hughes is expressing the true value of African Americans in the society and he sees a brighter future for for all if they keep fighting for their rights.The poetic devices work to emphasis the real message of Hughes poem’s.

    Read More

More about Langston Hughes I, Too, Sing America

Open Document