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…
In the song “God Bless the U.S.A.,” the American Dream is shown through the imagery of the nation, while also depicting the greatness of American values, such as freedom, hope, and love.
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
lines, I’d thank my luck stars To be living here today Cause the flag still stands for freedom And they can’t take that away (5-8) The reader is able to see his determination to fight for his country, and his appreciation of his freedom and life. The line, “Cause the flag still stands for freedom” (7), suggests that the soldier is content with the freedoms he has defended. Although it may be flawed he sees America as his home; something worthy of being protected. Unlike Langston Hughes poem, which depicts America through a different view. Hughes poem, “Let America Be America Again,” identifies the hidden truths of America, that show that some of the hopes and dreams many claim to have in the country are not necessarily applicable to everyone. Throughout the poem, the narrator is able to display the need for his nation to change, to be able to be the once known America; a place of sanctuary for outcasts coming from different countries. For instance: 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, No freedom in this “homeland of the free”) (11-16) Within the first lines seen above, “O, let my land be a land where liberty/ is crowned with no false patriotic wreath” (11-12), the narrator is obstinate in discussing the idea of false patriotism, the author uses the vocabulary to establish a sense of irony. Seen in the last line “is crowned with no false patriotic wreath” (12), the word crown alludes to the time America was under the rule of monarchy, proving that America is not a place of democracy but it is still stuck in their old habits. Hughes opened the idea suggesting, that Americans were putting a cloth over their eyes regarding equal liberties and freedom. Another example of this is evident in the following lines “Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? / And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?” (17-18), Hughes uses this phrase as a rhetorical question to portray that they are choosing to be blind to inequality. The poem was written in 1936, which puts the time period before the Civil Rights Movement, and at the time where Hitler was promoting an immense amount of Nazi propaganda. The time period allows the readers to constitute the tone of the poem as ironic due to the lack of stability and occurrences that would influence the patriotism. The narrator is bringing to light the inequalities and lack of diversity. For instance, “But opportunity is real, and life is free, / Equality is in the air we breathe.” (13-14) Hughes gives the impression that the America he wants, needs to establish equality before it can fulfill its promises. Although both the poem and the song have plenty of differences, they both have the similar statement of making America a place that is dignified enough to call home. As individual works it is easy to insinuate that both are completely different, but through further analyzation it is clear that both works want the same thing. Furthermore, in Hughes first stanza he claims, 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. (1-4) These lines show the ironic tone as the narrator is looking for a home he can defend while also being proud of it. In the same manner Greenwood imitates this sentiment: And I’m proud to be an American Where at least I know I’m free And I won’t forget the men who died Who gave that right to me (25-28) By examining it closely it became obvious that although they speak about America different ways they both want the same thing. Both poems, were similar even throughout their differences. In accordance, the poems- “Let America Be America Again” and “God Bless the U.S.A”, both reveal a hope for an America worthy of being called home. Just as Hughes poem is seen by a civilian who is residing in America, while Greenwood’s song is from a soldiers point of view. Through the use of tone and diction we, the readers, are able to concur with the differences and similarities.
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.
The song was written to motivate young men to join the army, idealizing soldiers as patriotic “son[s] of liberty” who would make their fathers, girlfriends, and country proud. The US soldiers are shown as the liberators of
A. Philip Randolph was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and once said “Freedom is never given; It is won.” Our American soldiers fight every day so we can stay free and have the privileges we have today. We do not just get to be free. There are people fighting for our freedom. However, the poem and the song both talk about fighting for freedom but they have a separate motive. Both the poem named “Will V-Day Be Me-Day Too?” by Langston Hughes and the song “American Soldier” by Toby Keith both have the same theme by freedom is worth fighting for and everyone wants freedom, but in the poem the soldier is fighting for freedom and in the song the soldier already has freedom.
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.
America is a country rich in history, which can be dated back to 1776 with its independence from the British. With this new-found independence came a great loss of life and new found freedoms. This land did not come without struggles and bloodshed, from people that believed that this land was worth fighting for. It wasn’t necessary the land that was special, it was the belief of what this land represented. With the new-found freedoms, giving to individuals where the freedom to express them self in many formats, many express their patriotism in forms of poetry and in music. There have been several songs written by many different musicians, but the most significant to America’s core values are My country, ‘tis of thee by Samuel F. Smith, God
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.
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
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.
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".
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.
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.
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
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.