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Alike Frederick Douglass Let America Be America Again

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The personal and social politics of racial identity in America are extremely complex as there are many intersections to the African American experience through history. I will be exploring these nuances through poems from the Harlem Renaissance including, ‘Heritage’ by Gwendolyn Bennett, ‘Bottled’ by Helen Johnson and ‘Let America be America Again’ by Langston Hughes. Exploring these poems will allow me to contextualise them with the wider Harlem Renaissance and with the position of Black people in America at the time, I will also explore this using Frederick Douglass’ ‘Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass’ giving a breadth of time to explore the African American experience with its similarities and differences in how white America perceives …show more content…

In ‘Let America be America Again’ published in 1936, he calls for America to be known for the people that helped to create what it is today, rather than to be known for those that benefit from the people that made America what it is. The first three stanzas, read as though it is a speech that the speaker is reading aloud. This is shown through the minimal use of enjambment in the first stanza and the repetition of the verb ‘let’ at the beginning of most lines in the first stanza, for example, ‘Let it be the dream it used to be| Let it be the pioneer on the plain.’ However, between these first three stanza’s, Hughes writes the speakers inner thoughts in parentheses saying, ‘America never was America to me’ and ‘It never was America to me’, splitting the poem into two sections of the speaker’s mind. He speaks of America as ideals in his speech, to mirror the intrigue of the American Dream that was sold to many, saying ‘opportunity is real and life is free, ‘Equality is in the air we breathe.’ These optimistic nouns of ‘opportunity’ and ‘equality’ matched with the atmosphere and imagery of freedom in the nouns ‘air’ and ‘life’ and verb ‘breathe’ simulate a limitless and liberty that modern America presents itself as, made to persuade people of a better life. Yet the speaker extinguishes these thoughts and makes the audience realise that this image of America is, in fact, just an ideal for

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In the poem, “ Let America be America again”, Langston Hughes asserts that America does not live up to what it actually should be. Hughes’ tone seems to be angry and [exasperated]. He implicates the perspective of one particular group, but many people. The poem represents that many people come here with high hopes and big dreams but they are let down. He states that [prosperity] is one of the reasons that there is an economic inconsistency where the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer.

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In this essay I looked over and analyzed several texts such as speeches, articles, stories, and poems which represents the American vision and what it really means to be an American. To me the American voice signifies the people who have at one point had ability to become something and actually be successful dispute their race, gender and poverty; In other words their background. To Me being an American is a privilege and a blessing, I live in country where I actually have the opportunity to shape my future the way I want it despite of my background unlike many 3rd world countries in this world. To me the best representations for the American voice signifies is a speech written by the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama which is from the 2004 Democratic National Convention and a poem written entitled "I, Too Sing America" by Langston Hughes Patrick Henry in his speech to the Virginia convention entitled "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," the speaker describes how they (the people of the colonies) shall no longer tolerate the British and how they are in need of liberty or if not given, they shall take death as a substitute; thus "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death". Henry's purpose is to propose a change ; to be given liberty through the use of explanations and past remarks.

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The Expectations Of A Free America America has always been perceived as a land of opportunity and freedom for the many immigrants who traveled to this wide unknown land. America seemed to be consistent in becoming a country where everyone was accepted however, this was contrary for African Americans. After America gained independence and slavery was abolished, the divide between Whites and African Americans still stood. Many African Americans were not given favor for jobs, schooling, and many other opportunities. This journey of pain and perseverance is portrayed through the Langston Hughes poem, “ Let America Be America.”

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Langston Hughes’ poem Let America be America Again is a profound article of work from mid-1930’s America. Hughes begins by declaring a wish for America to go back and become what it once was, a land where people from across the world would migrate to, searching for a home that they could be free in. Hughes longs for the return of a country where dreams could flourish, instead of remaining unfulfilled. Yet, he states throughout the poem that America was never America to him. This showcases how dreams never stood a chance for African-Americans like Hughes, where, in this time, there was still segregation and little hope for citizens like him.

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834 Words | 4 Pages

In the realm of American literature, Lorraine Hansberry’s "A Raisin in the Sun" and Langston Hughes’ "I, Too, Sing America" stand as iconic representations of African American experiences, portraying struggles, aspirations, and resilience. " A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry portrays the aspirations and challenges of a black family in 1950s Chicago, while Langston Hughes’ poem "I, Too, Sing America" reflects on African Americans’s identity and their fight for equality. Through an examination of the themes of value, desire, and struggle, this paper will explore the similarities and differences between "A Raisin in the Sun" and "I, Too, Sing America," delving into how both texts illuminate the experiences of African Americans in different

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The tone of Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too, Sing America” is determined and talks about how “tomorrow” he will do what he pleases instead of doing what his master

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“They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed- I, too, am America (Hughes 1040),” neatly sums up the idea that change will come and when it does, all of America’s inhabitants will become seen as people and not as “the darker brother, They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes (Hughes 1039),” as to say a few lines

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The first stanza starts the poem off with a proclamation, one that invokes a sense of nostalgia for a better version of America that never truly came to be. The reader is immediately introduced to the fact that the author fails to believe that America has lived up to its full potential as he utilizes the word “again.” Hughes appears to want for America to once again be the kind of nation which is defined by a sense of opportunity and freedom for all peoples and for the country to once again embody the ideal of the American dream itself. Furthermore, line 5 of the poem reads “America was never America,” this voices what many people may feel, that America's ideals of equality, liberty, and freedom don’t seem to hold true. In lines 11-12 the Hughes references the Statue of Liberty, asking for it to be crowned “with no false patriotic wealth” (Hughes 12).

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“Let it be the dream it used to be,” the author says with little hope , yet it once had been an America he could believe in. The theme of this poem is individuals who feel excluded because America has failed to deliver on its promises of liberty for all. The poem’s tone is frustrated because Hughes wants everyone to be

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In the 1920’s, the Harlem Renaissance explored new, bold ideas by celebrating African American life and culture; in response, this event marked the first time that African Americans, as a whole, were taken seriously. Langston Hughes, a prominent poet and leader of the Harlem Renaissance, wrote numerous poems that questioned the American way of life in the 1920’s and celebrated being an African American. Two of Hughes’ poems, “I, Too” and “Dream Variations,” present a central theme of a longing to be equal. In the poem, “I, Too,” Hughes presents the need for equality in a bold, action-taking approach.

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781 Words | 4 Pages

Langston Hughes is known as one of the most influential African American poets, and he has a large collection of works that still influence African American society today. One of his most famous works is “Negro,” which is a poem that highlights African American identity through the personification of African American heritage. The narrator is the personified figure that connects African Americans by explaining historical allusions that contributed to African American heritage and culture. This personified narrator serves to enhance and clarify the theme of unified heritage among African Americans text as a whole by connecting recorded experiences by Africans and African Americans of the past and present, highlighting the history of African

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656 Words | 3 Pages

Robert Hayden intends to us a figure such as Frederick Douglass to reflect the struggles of African American and reach readers of all demographics. Poetry has the ability to be both political and to transcend into spirituality. This makes poetry a medium that is versatile in its ability to discuss different topics. While a reader may see a beautiful rose sprouting from the ground, another may see the thorns ready to puncture the outstretched hand. African American culture has found freedom in poetry.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

One of the main statement of Langston Hughes “Let America be America Again” is the inequality between majorities and minorities. The theoretical concept of this term paper looks into Postcolonial-Criticism, especially cultural differences and the American Civil Rights Movement as well as African-American studies. If you read a poem like “Let America Be America Again” the first question which will come to your mind will probably be the question of whether there was segregation, inequality and discrimination of minorities at this specific time. In the fifth stanza of the poem Hughes names groups which were discriminated, namely African-Americans, American-Indians and immigrants in general. To further understand this issue I looked into Marxism and the most important movement at this time, the Harlem Renaissance.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

The nation continues to strive towards the idea of equality for everyone, but for many in history, the idea was never a reality for them. Langston Hughes and Richard Blanco give first-hand experience and thoughts behind the ideas of inequality in their persona poems. Langston Hughes’ persona poem “Theme for English B” relays the story of a man of color attending college above Harlem where he is the only colored student in his class. He is assigned by his professor to write a paper about who he is but, throughout the poem, he questions his identity and his place in a segregated world. He ends the poem with the conclusion of his assignment and his final thoughts on finding who he is as an American in society.

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911 Words | 4 Pages

Although America as a whole is recovering from the difficulties it had been facing, the Blacks were still fighting a war of their own. The opening line of the poem sets the stage by having the reader trying to depict what happens to a “dream deferred”(Hughes 1) In this poem a “dream” refers to the Black person’s dream for equality and prosperity in America. The Writing is a series of similes accompanied by metaphors and figurative language used to describe what happens when a dream is put on hold, what time can do to it and an underlying reference to the condition that Harlem had been left in. Although the poem begins with a question, Hughes does not give clear and concise answers but instead presents sub-question that allow the reader to extend and find their own understanding.

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