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I Hear America Again Poetry Analysis

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A stimulating and rousing ideal, the American Dream is a symbol of America’s promise and the possibilities within her borders. Compelling far-off foreigners to cross the dark and blue oceans decades ago, the American Dream has become an enthralling controversy for films, plays and books to exhibit and question. A famous example of the exploration of the American Dream lies in two beautifully written poems by two critically acclaimed poets, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman. Hughes’ “Let America be America Again” and Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” are fascinating poems by legendary poets. However, the main points behind the pieces could not be more contrasting towards one another, viewing the American Dream from vastly different roles in society. In “ Let America be America Again”, …show more content…

Langston Hughes also places in historical examples of this structure in society, by adding in characters such as the Negro (slaves) which bear the scars of slavery (L20), and “the red man” (Native Americans) chased off the land by the the “promise” America holds (L21). Also seen, especially in Lines 27 to 30, Hughes tells of the corruption and the fraud that the American Dream inspires and how it drives people to take and steal for one’s own thirsty greed. “America never was America to me” Hughes quotes (L5 & 10), symbolizing that he was never on the beneficial side of the American Dream and never got the chance to taste the lavish and fair lifestyle that was promised and that very few have ever actually known or ever will

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In the essay “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?” Brandon king argues whether or not the American Dream is still alive and well in the USA. The author makes a strong case that the American Dream is, in fact, still held to a high degree of belief in America. Not only does he successfully argue that it is still alive, he presents information that shows how the Dream itself has shifted from a rags-to-riches story to one of a stable, happy life. Overall, King’s use of strong emotional appeals, coupled with his employment of sound reasoning and statistics make his argument that the American Dream has evolved over time very effective.

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The concept of the American Dream has borne change since its conception in 1776, with the Declaration of Independence referencing men’s unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Its definition to the American people and its attainability is conditional upon the period it is prevalent in. In general, the American Dream refers to the idea that every American has the equality, freedom, and opportunity to strive. Many classic pieces of American Literature highlight this concept in a way that is most pertinent to the period they were written in. Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich, specifically highlights a more modern time period, from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.

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Advertised as the land of the free and a beacon of hope and opportunity, America is a nation where a single ideal has drawn masses of immigrants who conquer difficulties. When one ideal has shaped the history of an entire nation, one must ponder the meaning of the American Dream. The American Dream manifests itself in Christopher McCandless’s journey to the West as chronicled by Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild. It weaves itself into the fabric of every American story, such as that of Maya Angelou’s memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Moreover, it finds itself voiced by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”.

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The “American Dream” is usually thought of as aspiring to change one's life for the better and materially better their situation. We think of it today as going to college and getting a cushy job, but for many in our American history it was much more simple. Many asserted their American dream by declaring their independence. The main similarity was that each had an audacious goal to improve their own life and the lives of some of those around them. Their pursuits of liberty were intimately entwined within the dramatic upheavals taking place in the land recently named America.

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America has often been referred to as the land of dreams by many different cultures. The early nineteen hundreds gave the margins of society a different perspective on what the American dream consisted of. The idea of the American dream is central to Zitkala-Sa’s Impressions of an Indian Childhood and Mary Antin’s The Promised Land. America is seen as a land that offers opportunity, equality, liberty and happiness. America is essentially the symbol of a better life.

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In “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes is a very vivid interpretation of what America was like for those who did not get the opportunity to live the “American Dream”. But really, what was the American Dream? How can the dream of the common slave be any similar to that of a common slave owner? Langston addresses this is many forms in many instances.

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Langston Hughes conveys a similar message throughout most of his poems. “Let America Be America Again”, “I Too Sing America” and “Down Where I am” are all very similar in that they convey the same message. Blacks and whites will be equal someday. In “Let America Be America Again” Hughes says, “Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme.” This could be paraphrased or interpreted as “The U.S. should return to the old way of no one having all the power” because if blacks would have had more power back then instead of whites having most of the power, whites and blacks would have been more equal.

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Langston Hughes wrote Let America be America Again explaining that he was never an equal or free in America. He also didn’t just focus on blacks, he also wrote “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek.” (Hughes 8). Hughes explained that nobody in America is treated right unless a wealthy white man.

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How has the American Dream changed from the 1920’s to now and how has the theme of the American Dream been supported by works of American Literature. We will see how the American Dream though time did not follow what the founding fathers set out for us in the declaration of independence and when they said, “The authors of the United States’ Declaration of Independence held certain truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness". We will see how the American Dream suffers, what an American Dream is centered on, and how, for some, the American Dream is unattainable. In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and in "Harlem" by Langston Hughes we see the American dream depicted, as the loss and utter death of a distracted corrupt American Dream, as the love of the American dream, and as the American Dream for Blacks in a time of segregation and discrimination.

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The story begins by Barbara Nevling Porter mentioning how powerful the tool of public rituals can be. Public rituals were used to shape political attitudes and promotes political change. The authors purpose was to discover the pitfalls of public speaking rituals. Barbara wanted to examine the potential of public speaking rituals, if used unwisely, to undermine very position they were meant to strengthen (Porter 273). Her two main focuses were about both a successful and unsuccessful use of a public ritual.

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American Dreams The American Dream is a well-known topic, but the understandings of the concept are many. America has always been the land of opportunity, the country some people could only dream of. In his poem ‘Let America be America again’ Langston Hughes deals with the topic. In his poem he does not talk about what the American Dream is, more so what the American dream is not.

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America has aged and changed, and so has it’s “dream”. Society has a hold on America’s dream and as it changes, and moves from one trend to a next, so does the American Dream. The Dream as a whole no longer represents hope for America, but the hope for societal riches. Arthur Miller, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Cormac McCarthy all exploit the downfalls of society’s standards and representations of the American Dream.

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In these two readings writers, Cullen and Kamp explore the meaning and existence of the American Dream. The American Dream is always changing and can be interpreted differently by every person. This is certainly apparent is Cullen and Kamp’s writing. Both take different approaches in addressing their personal feelings.

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Djemila Compaore Le American Lit. Jan-24-17 The idea of the American Dream has inspired many Americans and immigrants for generation, but the lack of success has made what the American Dream stands for questionable. The American Dream relates to the idea of reaching wealth and prosperity through hard work despite whatever background one comes from. The American Dream is a strong belief for Americans considering it is the basis for the preamble of the Constitution; but as time pass, it seems as if the true definition of the American Dream is fading away and it is becoming just another paradox.

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Impossible Dreams The meaning of the American Dream can be seen as ”A uniquely American vision of the country consisting of three central ideas. The American dream consists of a belief in America as the new Eden- a land of beauty, bounty, and unlimited promise; a feeling of optimism, created by ever expanding opportunity; and a confidence in the triumph of the individual.” Using this definition of the so called “American dream”, it seems to be a great representation of it at first, until you realize it includes everyone as the individual. From the beginning of the Civil war to the end of the War to End All Wars, the American Dream wasn’t possible due to the treatment of the Native Americans, the inequality between women and men, and the false promises given to the immigrants coming to our country in their time of need.

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