ipl-logo

I, Too By Langston Hughes

480 Words2 Pages

The poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes is a poem that explores the topics of racial discrimination, bravery, and overcoming obstacles. Throughout the poem, the speaker is met with certain circumstances he wants to alter. This poem demonstrates that the character of the speaker is determined when he wants something, and he is more of an optimist when in negative situations. Primarily, the speaker has established his decision to make a change and when faced with hardship he doesn’t back down. For instance, “tomorrow I'll be at the table when company comes” were lines the speaker stated. These lines show the depth of his determination and bravery because he was aware that black people weren’t allowed to eat at the table like everyone else when the company came. However, he still made the active choice to sit at the table regardless of being told: “eat in the kitchen” since he no longer wanted to eat there, Instead, he wanted to eat where everyone else ate. Additionally, the poem was written in 1925 and during …show more content…

To give you an idea, when the speaker is sent to the kitchen because he isn’t granted the option to eat with everyone else he says “I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong”. This quote exemplifies that even when the speaker is being racially discriminated against it won’t hinder him from moving forward, and he won’t let the negativity prevent him from seeing the positive sides of the situation. In addition to this, the speaker voiced “ Besides they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed”. These lines illustrate that the speaker is looking at a more encouraging side of the discrimination he’s facing by expressing that they get to see his beauty when he decides to sit at the table, and those people will be ashamed of how they acted towards him. Instead of letting the negativity get to him and mentioning the possible consequences of his actions, he talks about the benefits of

Show More
Related

  • Easter Wings, By Langston Hughes

    315 Words  | 2 Pages

    When I first opened my book to start reading Easter Wings, I was taken of guard by its shape as well as the fact that it was side ways. I did not understand why this poem, reading, was different form all the other ones we had read in the past. However, once I finished reading it became a bit clearer as to why this one was different from all the rest. Easter Wings is a two-stanza poem's built on a back-and-forth between hopelessness and optimism. First comes the disappointment; in the first half of each stanza, Herbert describes the downward spiral of human life.

    Read More

  • Comparing 'Quincea単era And The Theme For English B'

    928 Words  | 4 Pages

    The guidelines state “Go home and write/ a page tonight. / And let that page come out of you-/ Then, it will be true” (l 2-5). The speaker of the poem is a twenty-two year old, African American who was born in Harlem-Salem (l 7). Further-more, he is the only colored person in his class (l 10). He expresses himself just as the instructor tells him to do so for the assignment but is afraid of how the instructor and others will judge him.

    Read More

  • Let America Be America Again, By Langston Hughes

    1683 Words  | 7 Pages

    The poem Langston Hughes wrote in 1936 called “Let America be America again”. Langston Hughes an afro American in the United States of America. Langston Hughes' philosophical idea was equality in the United States of America. The first way Langston Hughes shows his philosophical idea of equality is by showing he wants everyone to be treated fairly and have the government not allow people to be racist to the Afro-Americans, Indians, and other immigrants located in the United States of America. The second way Langston Hughes shows his philosophical idea of equality is by showing his desire and dedication towards of achieving equality and shows off his dedication of hard work to achieve his dream but can’t due to of the barriers he has to overcome

    Read More

  • Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

    1641 Words  | 7 Pages

    He repeatedly mentions different groups that struggle with this while in America, such as Native Americans and immigrants who constantly face discrimination. Reading literature of this sentiment will allow people to understand the different perspectives of various groups living in America. Understanding the struggle others endure is a small step in healing

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes Let America Be America Again: Poetry Analysis

    476 Words  | 2 Pages

    This structure supports Hughes' purpose to show that though the man was facing unfairness he decided to not accept it and push back. The poem is an example of social injustice during the Harlem renaissance. The man in the poem is referenced as a “darker brother” but the white Americans aren’t referenced as lighter brothers they are referenced as normal civilians (i too line 2). “I Too” exemplifies the way society views African Americans, the way they are sent away because their skin is not the same pigmentation as their employers make African Americans perceived as not worthy to be in the presence of other white men. Though “I Too” exemplifies how African American men received social justice it also exemplifies having resilience and not letting their skin dictate how they are treated.

    Read More

  • Why, You Reckon By Langston Hughes

    409 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of “Why, You Reckon?” by Langston Hughes is to accurately display, through the times of that century and human emotion, that despite money, power, and the color of your skin there can still be an unhappiness of the soul. There is evidence in the beginning of the short story of two men’s unhappiness in life the symbol of them being uncontent was their hunger. “Man, ain’t you hongry.... Well, sir, I’m tellin’ you, I was so tired and hongry and cold that night.” (253- 254).

    Read More

  • Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

    744 Words  | 3 Pages

    This tracks back to Hughes’ original message that he knows what inequality feels like and tries to spread awareness of the true realities of America. The use of the first-person point of view allows Langston to speak out of experience that it remains no equality throughout all ethnicities. The readers remain touched by Langston Hughes when he wrote this poem. The readers did not know how unfair life can seem and changed their perspective on how cruel America acts. This short phrase connects back to the 21st century.

    Read More

  • A More Perfect Union, And Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

    856 Words  | 4 Pages

    This explains how some people judge others not for who they are but for the color of their skin. It’s not fair to be treated by the color of your skin. It doesn’t mean anything about your character. Prejudice is a mindset, a mindset can be implanted into the youth’s brain for them to believe that something is right when it’s not. Prejudice won’t go away it will be passed on from generation to generation, and always affect minority

    Read More

  • Claude Mckay's Poem In The Harlem Dancer, And I, Too

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some of the significant subjects were music, literature, poem, and art. The poets Langston Hughes and Claude McKay were some of the most influential poets from the renaissance. The poems “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay and “I, Too” by Langston Hughes will be used to compare and show how two poems form the same era could be similar yet different based on their subject, purpose, style, tone, and rhythm. “I, Too” creates the world where people are treated equally. With so much discrimination and segregation occurring in the 20th century, it was a world that people wished for.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes I Too Analysis

    858 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society. Frist, Hughes utilizes the shift of tones to indicate the thrive of African American power. In the first stanza, the speaker shows the sense of nation pride through the use of patriotic tone. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” states the speaker’s state of mind.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Letter To My Nephew By Langston Baldwin

    704 Words  | 3 Pages

    Langston Hughes depicts how discrimination has a direct impact on the speaker to explore how it influences the understanding of the speakers identity. The poem starts with the speaker stating "I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen”(Lines 2-3), describing the discrimination they face, being caste away from the public eyes and forced into the shadows. This message is portraying how societal norms dictate how an individual is seen and treated, leading to a distorted understanding of ones self. The opening line, "I am the darker brother," (Line 2) acknowledges the speaker's marginalized position in society, but despite this the speaker embraces his identity and resists societal norms.

    Read More

  • Thank You M Am By Langston Hughes

    146 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the short story, “Thank You, M’am” by Langston Hughes, Roger was a poor, lonely boy who tried to snatch a woman’s purse, but the woman’s actions cause Roger to become thankful. After Roger tried to take the purse the woman took him home and told him to wash his face “... Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?’ ‘No’m.’ said the boy” (Hughes 110). The woman realizes that Roger must be alone most of the time and needs someone to show him compassion.

    Read More

  • You And Your Whole Race By Langston Hughes

    1812 Words  | 8 Pages

    The Route To Equailty The poem chosen was "You and Your Whole Race," written by the famous poet Langston Hughes. Its core issue is economic status injustice, strongly connected with racial differences and a lack of empathy for the suffering of individuals from varied origins. The poem employs vivid imagery that has been deliberately chosen to depict the obvious differences on the way to equality, with each image bringing to life key lines and overall themes within the poems. It emphasizes the striking contrast and dramatic comparison between oppressed and oppressor, wealthy and underprivileged, creating strong emotions in favor of its primary foundation.

    Read More

  • Still I Rise, By Langston Hughes

    445 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poems “I, Too” by Hughes and “Still I rise” by Maya Angelou are about the ways the African American slaves were treated in white households and in the public when slavery was permitted in America. The way the slaves were treated in the houses and the community was discriminatory. In both poems, the poets explained the situations that the slaves had to go through and how slaves reacted to the maltreatment of whites. In the poem “I.Too” by Hughes referred to each white households and how the owners treated them when guests came.

    Read More

  • Syntax In I Too By Langston Hughes

    248 Words  | 1 Pages

    Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too” was written during the Harlem Renaissance, a time of booming cultural pride from African-Americans despite the suffering they had recently endured from Jim Crow - a set of local and state laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern states of America. Hughes utilizes bold syntax to express that no matter what background people come from, everyone has a place in society. He places emphasis on the fact that African-Americans are proud of their nationality by proclaiming, “I, too, sing America…I, too, am America” (Hughes 1,18). Hughes conveys that regardless of the speaker's racial background, they are still Americans, proving that they are a crucial part of society similar to everyone else. His elaborate

    Read More

More about I, Too By Langston Hughes

Open Document