I, Too, Sing America, By Langston Hughes

In the poem, “I, Too, Sing America,” by Langston Hughes, the speaker creates a theme of resilience in the face of diversity by establishing an upbeat tone and a persistent attitude.

Hughes ensures throughout this entire poem that the reader is never unsure how the speaker feels about his situation of being kept in the shadows. In every instance, the speaker always appears to be sure that change will come. At the beginning of the poem, it is noted that the speaker is always told to “eat in the kitchen,” (Hughes 3), away from the rest of the group. Though this is a hard pill to swallow for anyone, the speaker takes it as a grain of salt. He says, “But I laugh, / And eat well, / And grow strong,” (Hughes 4-6). It’s like this diversity does not even phase him because he knows and believes he is as equal to them,

The speaker constantly talks in the future tense. He will say things like, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table,” (Hughes 7-8), which communicates that he understands that one day he will be able to sit and enjoy a meal amongst others without being looked down upon as a lower figure of society. Despite being sent away so many times in his life, the speaker never staggers on believing he belongs with the others. Given the time period, this is a high achievement. For many centuries, it was believed African Americans were a lower part of society, and even those individuals believed it, but Hughes ensured his speaker was more strong-willed than that. Going back to a previous example where he says, “They’ll See how beautiful I am,” (Hughes 15), readers can clearly see how persistent this speaker is to believe he is equal. It is obvious that on multiple occasions, this speaker has been in the direct light of diversity, but his spirit never falters. He constantly keeps a positive and persistent attitude on the grounds that he knows, one day, everything will