I Too Sing America Again Analysis

Langston Hughes is an African-American poet whose poems and short stories are based off of his own experiences as a slave during the early to mid-20th century. Langston Hughes’ most notable poems, “Let America Be America Again”, “I, Too, Sing America”, and “A Dream Deferred”, represent not only Langston Hughes’ viewpoint on segregation and discrimination, but also show how his perspective of Civil Rights changed somewhat throughout the years. As Langston Hughes grew older, his poems became more symbolic, less blunt, and shorter to better represent African Americans’ struggle and strength. The first poem, “Let America Be America Again”, was written in 1935 and is the longest and most direct about its delivery. Hughes’ audience is supposed to be other minorities, and the topic is, obviously, about racism and equality in the US. The main idea of the poem is how America is supposed to be the land of the free, yet African Americans are not treated equally by whites. Hughes mentions several times

“I, Too, Sing America” is sort of in-between “Let America Be America Again” and “A Dream Deferred” when it comes to the symbolism and length. The poem is quite short and easier to absorb than the previous one, although it has a greater symbolic meaning behind it. The poem describes how blacks are forced to eat in the kitchen at a restaurant, but the narrator notes how he is just a beautiful and loving as any white person on earth, as well as taking pride in his hope for equality one day. Langston Hughes’ symbolism in “I, Too, Sing America” is about not only equality, but taking pride in being above hatred and having hope for a better future where racism does not exist. Unfortunately, Langston Hughes’ final poem is nowhere near as up-front as either of the first