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I Too Sing America, By Langston Hughes

1666 Words7 Pages

In “I too sing America”, Langston Hughes explores the idea of “the others” and their desire to be part of a society that seeks to destroy them. It is a poem written in response to “I Hear America Singing” By Walt Whitman, which categorizes African Americans as the outcast, by obliterating any mention of their role in American society. “I Hear America Singing” mentions all who struggle and uplifts them by glorifying their role in society, but African Americans seem to not exist in Walt Whitman’s America. Langston Hughes wrote his poem as a reminder that African Americans also sing America while being part of an American society that constantly tries to keep them hidden by being “the other”. The concept of “the other” is often used to refer …show more content…

The monster has often been suspected to represent African Americans by experiencing the same seclusion from society for his appearance. The monster is immediately defined as the outcast by his appearance, “His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black … his watery eyes,... his shrivelled complexion, and straight black lips”. (Shelley, 35) The monster experiences his first rejection from human society when his creator, Frankenstein, runs away from him. He proceeds to go to a village, where all villagers also flee immediately from him. The monster then decides to hide in a hovel next to a cottage, away from human company. The monster discovers there is occupants residing in the cottage next to the hovel, he then spends his time observing this family. Safie, a Turkish woman, who like Frankenstein is unable to speak the De Lacey’s language nevertheless ends up being accepted and brought in by the family. The monster, like Safie, tries his best to adapt to the family, the human society. He notices they are able to communicate with each other, he decides to learn their languagr. While still living in the hovel, the monster sees his reflection in a pool,” At first I started back, unable to believe that it was indeed I who was reflected in the mirror, and when I became fully convinced that I was in reality the monster that I am, I was filled with the bitterest sensations of despondence and mortification.” (Shelley, 112) The sentiment of shame in “I Too Sing America”, is seen once more by the monster himself. He understands the rejection from the human society, and becomes ashamed of his own being, However, he still doesn’t understand the effects of his appearance on being “the other”. He still believes that he will receive the same treatment as Safie. He, therefore, continues

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The terrible race God cursed,” (51). His visage widens the gap between humanity and civilization, thus resulting in his animosity and feral behavior towards those who shunned him. Comparably, Dr. Frankenstein’s monster expresses his contempt for isolation, “ . . . I longed to join them, but dared not. I remembered too well the treatment I had suffered . . .”

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In his attempt to assimilate, the Creature begins to learn language and admire the concept of a family and forms the same human desires that people possess: a family, a companion, a home, and an identity. However, as he tries to interact with people, he learns that his ugly appearance prevents him from integrating into society. The elements of the Gothic are present here, as the Creature's isolation is a principal trope of Gothic fiction. According to Ashley Craig Lancaster’s text, “From Frankenstein's Monster to Lester Ballard: The Evolving Gothic Monster,” “…the Monster drifts away from society as a creature driven first by kindness, then by hatred, and finally by desperation, only to continue to live alone” (Lancaster 139).

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In Frankenstein the monster is a complex character that I can sympathize with because he does not know how to act in society. This is relatable because when you move to a new area there are different social statuses and different things that are acceptable. This monster has never had any standards of how to act in society and what is socially acceptable. These can be very hard to learn along with a language and looking different then every other person. These people also don't accept him because he looks different.

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The novel says, “I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were not of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants, and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery”(Shelley 97). The cottage that the Monster was near had a family living in it that were kind and polite. The Daemon is telling Frankenstein that after all that he’s been through, he could have killed them all out of anger; instead he didn’t want revenge, he just wanted to be loved. Later, when the daemon met the blind man and began speaking with him, Felix came into the room and pulled De Lacey away from the Monster.

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Langston Hughes is unique because he steadily asks rhetorical questions like “The free?” and “Who said the free? Not Me?”(Hughes). With this Langston shows us that from his personal experience, he jokes about the United States of America as a land of freedom and then questions the people who said the United States of America is the land of the free. Because Langston Hughes has experienced the life of African Americans, Indians, and other immigrants have felt in the United States of America.

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Mary Shelley’s Frankenstien displays a person isolated by society may find their true meaning, however, they will still desire acceptance from the world and happiness. The monster was repeatedly rejected by society because of his appearance. He was created by Victor as a science experiment because Victor wanted to bring his mother

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From the monster's point of view, isolation is a negative aspect in which he suffers from loneliness as a result of being rejected by society. Moreover, his disfiguring image makes it impossible to have any hope of socializing with a human, thus making him a destructive being. Unlike Victor, nature reveals his grotesque form to him, notably when he sees his reflection in the “transparent pool” and becomes “fully convinced that [he is] in reality the monster that [he] is” (Shelley 80). Unfortunately, the monster has the potential to be a loving human, but his attempts to make himself acknowledged in a society that is "structurally antagonistic to his efforts" have turned him into a hateful individual (Bernatchez). Thus, it is evident that both the monster, “an abandoned child,” and Victor are victims of alienation and isolation, despite the monster being forced into this position and Victor desiring it (Oates).

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The monster depicts his otherness when he wonders: “Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned” (Shelley 85). The monster evidently remains in isolation and is dehumanized. The monster attempts to get integrated into his society but his appearance and lack of social skills hinder his success. The monster strives to be accepted but is incapable of acceptance. The monster reiterates this feeling of isolation as he says: “I felt as if I were placed under a ban- as if I had no right to claim their sympathies – as if never more might I enjoy companionship with them” (Shelley 108).

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Society has a tendency to fear the unknown, and the monster's grotesque appearance and actions only heighten that fear. This fear causes the characters to reject the monster, which ultimately leads to his feelings of isolation and loneliness. When the monster first encounters a family, he conveys, "I longed to join them, but dared not" (Shelley 101). This quote demonstrates the monster's desire for human connection and acceptance. However, the prejudice and fear of society prevent the monster from achieving this

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This experience allows the monster to realize, that despite being perfect beings, even beauty can experience sorrow, just as ugliness can experience serenity. The monster also learns that the family is in similar position as his own, in which they are isolated from their society due to their crimes. From this judgement, the monster is able to approach the father of the household, by disguising himself as a lowly traveller in need of shelter, the

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Although he comes with friendly intentions, the Monster is treated violently and with contempt, essentially being forced into his alienation to survive and becoming the “monster” he is already thought of as a result. The Monster’s actions are a response to the treatment he has received from others, everyday villagers and Victor alike. With little known about his origins and no way to explain himself, there is no hope for the Monster to assimilate himself. This is present in other characters of the novel as well, for example, Richard Walton, who has self-alienated in order to gain distinction and knowledge. The Monsters origins and appearance develop these themes of alienation throughout the novel, themes that are further developed by other characters and play an important role in delivering the message of

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The creature is wretched from the moment he is given life, and is immediately abandoned by his creator (34). He is rejected and hated, for no reason other than the fact that he exists, by no choice of his own, but rather as the result of Frankenstein’s obsession with knowledge. The first time he is even privy to any show of kindness is after he has fled and hidden himself in a cellar. He has no capacity for language and has only known fear and disdain. He receives his education by watching a poor, but gentle family as they interact with one another.

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In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses society’s rejection of the monster, Victor’s neglect of relationships, and the monster’s physical appearance to show that alienation brings out the worst in people. The creature initially is considerate before being humbled in society. He was lonely and did not yet know the bitterness of man. The monster begins with “a kind heart and gentle interest” not knowing the personality of humankind (Knowledge).

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Once the creature begins to go out on his own and learn about life and society, during his first interaction with other people he learns that he will be immediately judged based on how he looks. To start, when Frankenstein first sees the creature, he quickly runs away without any interaction and exclaims “no mortal could support the horror of that countenance” (Shelley 36). This interaction made the monster realize that even his creator could not avoid the habits of the society he lived in, and immediately ran away from him in fear because he didn’t believe he was attractive. Then after that, the creature still has enough hope to go into a village and meet other people, but he is immediately met with children that “shrieked” and one woman who “fainted” just at the sight of him (Shelley 74). In every situation where the creature attempts to interact with others, he is shunned immediately, before even being able to say a word.

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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.

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