Progression or Regression? Have you ever known of a region that every citizen would have equal opportunity to achieve and prosper? The goal of the American Dream was for every citizen of America to have an equal opportunity to achieve success. In Langston Hughes poem “ Let America Be America Again” he focuses on the concept of the American dream and how attaining freedom, equality, and happiness is so powerful in changing America back to its roots. He also goes into detail about the flaws of America and how they could improve as a country. In the poem, Hughes wrote in the perspective of one who feels America is not reaching its full potential. Hughes is very discrete with how he feels but at certain points in the poem you can imply that he is angry and resentful. He also goes into detail saying that there is a difference upon citizens. …show more content…
He implies throughout the passage that wherever you are in life you will not improve or grow, you will either stay the same or decrease.
For instance, the rich can only get richer but the poor can only get poor because there is not equal opportunity. Hughes also compares and contrasts his hopes for America with the reality of America. Langston Hughes was a huge social activist in the mid 1930’s; therefore, he stood for equality and equal rights. The poem begins with Hughes pleading for America to be the America it once was. In my opinion, I think Hughes was stating that the image America portrays is false. In the poem, Hughes states “America was never America to me." He is basically implying that America should go back to being the dream that the dreamers partook in, and be a "great strong land of love." “There should not be kings or tyrants or people being crushed by someone above them.” Hughes then
repeats, "It never was America to me." Throughout the poem, Hughes states quotes about the harsh lifestyles in America like “American has only ever been a "dog eat dog world” where the weak are crushed.” The statement or phrase “dog eat dog world” can be defined in many different ways but in a harsh environment the statement is whoever “grinds” or works the hardest will be rewarded. Hughes demandingly states, "We must take back our land again.” Hughes believes that if negros, immigrants, and poor people put in a certain amount of effort they can take back the land and live the American Dream and America could be the place that it portrays itself to be. Hughes implies that he does not mind being called names, especially as he fights for his freedom and the freedom of others. Even though America has never been the "America" of his dreams, Hughes is determined to make it so. He states that "we the people" must progress America out of the lies in order to get back the country's natural beauty. “Let America Be America Again” was composed in 1935 and was published in the July 1936. The poem was composed during Hughes peak, while being a social activist. In 2004, Democratic Senator John Kerry used the poem's title as his slogan for his Presidential Campaign while running against George W. Bush.
The American Dream is what everybody dreams when they come to the United States. The dream of working hard and their determination help them to become successful. In the poems "America" by Claude McKay, " Let America be America Again" by Langston Hughes, "A Message to America" by Alan Seeger, " I Hear America Singing" and "Long, Too Long America" by Walt Whitman can relate to the American Dream. In these poems, the speaker can show a connect to the American Dream by showing how they felt either being proud or upset with what is happening during that time.
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.
Whitman’s poem was written in the mid-1800s during the industrial revolution, but Hughes’ poem was written in the 1900s during the Civil Rights Movement. This is important because the Civil Rights Movement established the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Industrial Revolution moved at a slow place but there were still issues with slavery. Whitman’s poem was free verse while Hughes’ poem was traditional rhyme/rhythm. The tone of Whitman’s poem was patriotic and celebratory (I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear); because he was paying tribute to the success of the individuals; however, the tone of Hughes’ poem was sarcastic and frustrated (to build a “homeland of the free,’’ because he didn’t feel like some individuals were allowed to experience the American Dream. Whitman’s theme of his poem was that individuals and liberties make America great. On the other hand, Hughes’ theme of his poem expressed that individuals felt excluded from the “homeland of the free.” The purpose of Whitman’s poem is praise for universal brotherhood. However, Hughes’ poem’s purpose was to inform individuals about inequality, meaning that not everyone has the same liberties in America. Whitman’s poem focused on the jobs of the workers, while Hughes’ poem focused on race, social status, and a list to represent the “I am’’ phrase; (I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars). He also
This week reading were really interesting, all of them had a strong message behind their words. However, the one that really caught my attention was “Open Letter to the South” by Langston Hughes. In this poem, the author emphasizes in the idea of unity between all races, He also suggests that working in unity will lead to achieving great things, as he said, “We did not know that we were strong. Now we see in union lies our strength.” (Hughes 663)
Although he believes it was better in the past, he sees America as some sort of fraud because it was never a bastion of freedom. This quote, “O, let my land be a land where Liberty / Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, / But opportunity is real, and life is free, / Equality is in the air we breathe. / (There’s never been equality for me, / Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”) (Hughes, 11-16) captures the fabrication that America was never the home of the free. There is this concept that America is a place of freedom and equality but Hughes understandably does not see it this way. He utilizes examples of many groups of people that have been persecuted either racially or economically such as poor white people, black slaves, Native Americans, and immigrants (Hughes, 19-22). These persecuted groups are overlooked and not given the basic freedoms promised in
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. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
The effects of childhood sexual abuse carry on with the children forever. To what extent and to what effect does abuse have on children during adulthood? What are the main issues that adults have been abused suffer from in adulthood? Do they have more of a physical issue with preforming with their partner in the bedroom or do they have more of a mental block due to their trauma? The world had been asking these questions for far too long and we need answers on how helping the children of our world. The questions that have been stated have been answered through the two articles that will be summarized below.
One can instantly feel the emotion coming out in the first sentence; “Let America be America again.”(MLM) This clearly show that Hughes was very passionate about his country and wanted the reader to be just as well. He quickly lets the reader now that he is not talking about going back to the old traditions, but to the old ideology. Hughes explain it this way, “Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed” and “…where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme that any man be crushed by on above.” (MLM) This shows his true heart because he wanted America to go back to dreaming big for a better tomorrow, but what he doesn’t want is the injustice that was so prevalent in the past. He wanted the nation to go back to that old ideology “that we are all created equal”() and should be treated as such.
Here Hughes is stating very generally and unspecific how he wishes for peace and love. Something that everyone would like but will probably never come true. This statement is an excellent attention getter. It tells about a dream that everyone would like without singling out any group of people to blame for the dream not coming true. Then as the poem goes on he gets more and more specific. Hughes then goes on to dream that everyone “Will know sweet freedoms way,/Where greed no longer sa...
Things will get hard and you just gotta hope and pray for the better as you live you life daily. In “I Too Sing America” by Langston Hughes, He says, “I’ll be at the table , when company comes,” He is very hopeful and is determined that he will be at the table when company comes. Hughes has a strong and determined mind that he is going to be at that table no matter what. With him having hope that he will be at that table shows how strong Americans are. Most Americans will do whatever it takes to make sure they get what they need; want. I say at least eighty five percent of people in America would see you struggling with your hope and they will do whatever they can to help a fellow citizen. In the poem “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, he says “I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—” Hughes is saying that he is an immigrant that is coming to America that has hope at the tip of his fingers. Hoping that the “land of opportunity” lives up to the expectations. Does the “land of opportunity” really live up to the expectations? In addition to the statement stated before, in the poems it says, “Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe” Hughes is saying that the hope he had about the United States of America being the “land of opportunity” was everything that he was hoping
He wants the government and the society to change now. Langston Hughes uses an idiom in the quote,” I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my own two feet And own the land,”(111) to help make the readers understand that he strongly believes that he should have the same rights as everyone else. “I do not need my freedom when I’m dead. I cannot live on tomorrow’s bread,”(112). This quote is another idiom that Hughes uses to help emphasize his point that he wants the democracy to change immediately because he doesn’t need freedom when he is dead since he can’t enjoy it. He’s tired of living on whatever scraps or supplies he has while other people don’t run out of supplies for a while. It isn’t fair that people who don’t run out of money don’t have to pay taxes while poor people do. The final quote in the poem is,”I live here too. I want freedom Just as you,”(112). Hughes used mood in this quote because you can infer that Hughes is desperate for freedom and equal rights. Langston Hughes and everyone other person in that society should have the same amount of rights and freedom. The people in his society think that there is a democracy, but there isn’t. There won’t be one until everybody gets to have a say in it and aren’t discriminated because of their skin tone, religion, height, or
“We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal,”(Source B). Martin Luther King Jr. wanted everyone to be equal no matter the appearance and no one oppresses over another. This supports the theme of inequality because if humans are not treated equal from their appearances this concludes they are placed lower in society causing inequality. Hughes wants a world where everyone is equal and everyone is free. Since during the time Hughes wrote this poem, he was a black male that wanted freedom while whites already had freedom. Blacks were not equal to whites and it clearly states that everyone should be equal and sharing the same rights. Hughes makes it clear the he did not want appearances or skin color to affect the amount of rights one person had. ‘‘A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth, And every man is free,’’(Source C). This is related to the theme of social inequality, Hughes is dreaming of a world where people are equal, therefore meaning there is inequality. Since part of the American dream is to be equal this makes it impossible to achieve the American dream without freedom and
In this poem, Hughes shows how black people went through racism and struggles being considered the lower class in America. Yet, unlike most poets who write about racism, Hughes shows readers that African-Americans were
However Langston Hughes wrote about people not getting what they were promised, not getting the “American dream”, because they are a different color or a person who traveled to america for a better new and a place to be free and happy. The all American dream was something for people who had nothing something to look forward to and have hope so they could see a better day and make their lives and their children's lives nothing but great. Walt Whitman pointed out the people who did little everyday day things like the mechanics, mason, boatman, shoe maker, and the basic mother that stays home, cleans the house, and takes care of the children. Walt Whitman has a more positive outlook and Langston Hughes has a move negative straightforward attitude. He was more disappointed than anything. He says “Let it be the dream it used to be.” In this particular line one can tell he does have hop, but very little. He's saying it needs to go back to the way it was when everyone had a purpose in life and people didn't feel the need to look at themselves as lower class people, but was there ever a time where all people felt equal? “Let America be the dream dreamers dreamed”, he stated. He's saying it's not at all what people thought it would be. In other words they were given false promises. One very importances about this poem is that he is not just speaking for himself, he is speaking
Hughes written the poem in a first person point if view to display his emotions towards the whole issue. He discusses his perception of America not being what it suppose to be. Langston Hughes writes:“Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain seeking a home where he himself is free”, which displays the potential hope he has for America. When he uses the word “ again” , “It speaks of the freedom and equality which America boasts, but never had” (Presley p.384). This explains why Hughes repeatedly said “America never was America to me”. The repetition puts emphasis on the message and it shows that Langston Hughes never felt the connection he should have with the American Dream. He also states, “There’s never been equality for me,Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.” The quotation around “homeland of the free” helps the reader to understand his frustrating tone. In order to fully grab the reader’s attention Hughes used imagery, “I am the Negro bearing slavery 's scars,” in order to visualize and understand the pain that he felt during this time by not being able to be apart of the American Dream. Towards the end, Langston Hughes pleads with bringing back their “mighty dreams”, and returning to a sense of hope, “And yet I wear this oath-America will be”, ensuring that everyone’s dreams