America is known for its diverse cultures. Many see America as a place of freedom and safety, while others claim that it is unfulfilling of the diversity it claims to have. The phrase “Americans” is consisted of a mix of both diverse culture and people. The difference between these Americans is their view of the nation. For instance, the poem, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes and “God Bless the U.S.A” by Lee Greenwood, both portray a hope for a better America. Hughes’s poem is seen through a civilian’s eyes, while Greenwood’s song is from a soldiers point of view. Although both poems have similarities, they portray the expectations of America differently such as the ideals and values through the use of tone and diction. …show more content…
You can see the song displays the pride of being a citizen along with being a soldier. For instance, Greenwood sings, “And I’m proud to be an American/ Where at least I know I’m free” (9-10). Within these lines, the reader is able to perceive the pride he withholds in country which the author uses positive diction to express a prideful tone. Throughout these lyrics he repeats the phrase: “I’m proud to be an American” (9), as if the author was determined to prove his loyalty to his country. This song was created in 1992, where it was a time period many choose to see as a year of progress. George W. Bush was president at the time, new advancements were taking place in the world of science, and 28,000 troops were being sent Somalia. America in this period, was full of determination and possibilities that were worth defending. Greenwood makes this clear, when he sings, “And I gladly stand up/ Next to you and defend her still today/ Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land” (13-15) along with the next
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.
From the very beginning America has had many views in its life. By some it’s great while for others it needs to be changed. But despite all of this America still holds ownership for what it will always be known as … a ray of hope. America has been (if not by some then by many) viewed as a sanctuary for those who needed an escape from the dark side of the world. America is the only nation that will boost it’s a true meaning; a melting pot of many cultures.
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.
This darkly satiric poem is about cultural imperialism. Dawe uses an extended metaphor: the mother is America and the child represents a younger, developing nation, which is slowly being imbued with American value systems. The figure of a mother becomes synonymous with the United States. Even this most basic of human relationships has been perverted by the consumer culture. The poem begins with the seemingly positive statement of fact 'She loves him ...’. The punctuation however creates a feeling of unease, that all is not as it seems, that there is a subtext that qualifies this apparently natural emotional attachment. From the outset it is established that the child has no real choice, that he must accept the 'beneficence of that motherhood', that the nature of relationships will always be one where the more powerful figure exerts control over the less developed, weaker being. The verb 'beamed' suggests powerful sunlight, the emotional power of the dominant person: the mother. The stanza concludes with a rhetorical question, as if undeniably the child must accept the mother's gift of love. Dawe then moves on to examine the nature of that form of maternal love. The second stanza deals with the way that the mother comforts the child, 'Shoosh ... shoosh ... whenever a vague passing spasm of loss troubles him'. The alliterative description of her 'fat friendly features' suggests comfort and warmth. In this world pain is repressed, real emotion pacified, in order to maintain the illusion that the world is perfect. One must not question the wisdom of the omnipotent mother figure. The phrase 'She loves him...' is repeated. This action of loving is seen as protecting, insulating the child. In much the same way our consumer cultur...
Let America Be America Again, written by Langston Hughes, was written to make a satirical statement about the American Dream. He uses personification, alliteration, and imagery to bring home his point that the “dream the dreamers dreamed” (Hughes ???) not only has never existed but will never truly exist for the common man. According to the speaker, assumed to be Hughes but in reality could be anyone who is hopeless and unhappy in this land where “equality is in the air we breathe” (???), that as long as there are “kings” and “tyrants” (???), the American Dream is only an unobtainable goal but is something that must be kept alive.
The poem “next to of course god america i” written by E.E. Cummings is a poem based on nationalism of America by its patriotic people and what they are capable of sacrificing for it. This interpretation is drawn from the fact that the narrator of the poem seems to be a cheerful patriot who praises America several times throughout the poem and seems to be trying to motivate the reader to agree with what he says. Although the poem is mostly about nationalism and serving your country by blindly obeying you patriotic and nationalistic feelings for the United States there is a sense of proudness to it all. Therefore, it makes the poem appear to be a patriotic piece of literature. However, a deeper analysis of this poem demonstrates that perhaps the real reason E. E. Cummings wrote this poem was to express his negative opinions of patriotism and of the United States involvement in war.
America is a place where people share a sense of unity and pride for their country. In Whitman’s “Song of Myself” he shows that he feels “ Comrade of Californians, comrade of free North-Westerners... Comrade of raftsmen and coalman, comrade to all who shake hands and welcome to drink and meat” (35). This shows how americans no matter how far apart they may be feel a sense of friendship just because they are Americans. People in America are willing to come together as one due to their shared trait of all being Americans. Mark Twain shows in “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” that people have a sense of pride in the country 's history when he talks about the dog being named Andrew Jackson (103). People in America respect their country’s
Some may say, I'm proud to be an american, but what does "being american" really mean? One might judge that by the color of your skin or by where your parents may be from. However, both Okita's poem,"In Response to Executive Order 9066", and Cisnero's short story, "Mericans", show how cultural heritage and physical appearance do not determine what it means to "be an american".
The comparisons between “I hear American singing,” by Walt Whitman and “I, too, sing American,” by Langston Hughes, this both poets have different ideas, opinion about an American, and this both poets wrote poems at different time periods. In a poem of “I hear American singing,” is about a group of people who have different types of work that they do happily and enjoys. “The boatman singing what belong to him in his boat” (Whitman) it explains, a boatman who enjoying his work and he is doing very nicely and positively. On the other hand, in a poem of “I, too, sing American” is about how black people get treat differently by white people during the slavery. “I am the darker brother, They send me to eat in the kitchen” (Hughes) this quote explain
In Walt Whitman’s poem “I hear America singing” and “let America be America again were both about America and dreams, they both discussing a list of individuals and they both poems were there about mostly dream and America.
Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captivate the attention of Americans through their poems “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too”. I chose these two pieces of literature because of their similar meanings in which everyone is American no matter what and even if there are hard times one can persevere through anything. These pieces are still relevant and important in our times due to conflicts among races, who fits where? And who would be included in the colorful term “American”. Through the use of a synecdoche both Walt Whitman in “I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes in “I, Too” answer the diverse question of what and who are Americans.
Often depicted as a melting pot, America is always being put on a pedestal by the rest of the world due to the large amounts of successful immigrants in the United States. Millions of people have packed their bags and moved to America in hopes of achieving their dreams. While some succeed, others fail and are let down by the dim reality that not everyone can achieve their goals. This essay will compare the poems, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes and “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus to exhibit my perspective on both works. Both poems portray people’s hopes that America will be great, however, due to the different eras and the authors’ backgrounds, the poems have different meanings. Lazarus’ poem was written in the early stages of America, as it describes her cheerful
A display of proud patriotism in the variety of the American people is seen in Walt Whitman’s poem I Hear America Singing. Whitman “hears America singing” which is the sound of American people joyfully singing as they work in unity. Each worker is transforming America to be the best it can be with an upbeat attitude as they try to make the best of their work efforts. Their lively songs are filled with pride as they “each sing what belongs to him or her” (Whitman) which describes each of their unique traits that makes them special and valued citizens of America. Of the various images depicted the ending even includes the workers united as a whole singing up till the very end of their day. Upon further analyzation of the poem, the method of writing
If I were to create something inspired by this collection or this specific topic, I would choose to write a collection of poems. I was born an American citizen and my family has lived in the US for generations. It would be hard for me to relate since I haven’t experienced immigration and I’m not that informed on the topic.
George Bush once said, “America is the land of the second chance - and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.” In “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus and “America” by Claude McKay, America is presented as a place of hope for the future. Through the use of personification, irony, imagery, similes, and other rhetorical devices, McKay and Lazarus describes America as a welcoming place made for everybody. Both poems were unique and attractive because their authors appealed to the audience through pathos; however, they differ on how they view America. McKay uses a tiger, water, and other forces of nature to symbolize America’s power, while Lazarus uses the Statue of Liberty to symbolize America and its generosity.