Prejudice Exposed In I, Too, By Langston Hughes

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Prejudice has been impacting people's behavior since the beginning of time, however certain characters refuse to fall victim to these injustices, and take matters into their own hands. They know that the true value of a person is not determined by the color of their skin, but their contributions to the world around them. The narrator in “I, Too” by Langston Hughes exhibits pride in his racial background, negating the idea of inferiority delegated by ethnicity. He uses intelligence to counter the segregationists methods of undermining him, and explains that he has the same rights as any other citizen with the phrase “I, Too am America” Introducing himself as a “darker brother” sets a tone of a sarcastic, non formal attitude possessed by the narrator, along with adding imagery to the racial dilemma being encountered by the nation. Seemingly counter productive, the narrator chooses words which will catch the attention of readers, and the term brother implies a close relationship. Because he begins with such a distinct explanation of himself, the reader can deduce that he has a certain level of pride about his African decent. This description used by the narrator mirrors the description used by white citizens, and it is put in place to show the derogatory nature of using skin color as a defining characteristic. …show more content…

Normally, this would anger an American, but the narrator only laughs and gets his fill of food while growing strong and healthy. This docile reaction is a result of his intelligence, because he foresees a opportunity to discredit the segregation ideas with pure intimidation, and strength. The narrator is resourceful and can adapt to a situation in order to make it benefit himself, even turning a regularly negative situation in to one in which he comes out the

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