Langston Hughes I Too Essay

How the Theme is Developed with Literary Techniques in “I, Too”
Literary techniques highly affect the way a poem flows and the message it delivers. The use of a technique is to create a deeper meaning to something or to convey an important theme. The poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes utilizes metaphors and symbolism to develop the idea that people are equal and deserve to be treated with justice and respect no matter what skin color they have. First and Foremost, Hughes uses metaphors such as the “kitchen” and “table” to develop the idea that people are segregated. The “kitchen” part of the metaphor builds on the idea that the speaker is being segregated and not taken into account because he is being “[sent] to eat in the kitchen” (3). The “kitchen” is often an informal place to eat, while the dining room, or “table” is a place where people gather to eat and make decisions. The fact that he is being “[sent] to eat in the kitchen” could symbolize how he is looked down upon and people already have a formed opinion of him. The “kitchen” could also be used as a symbolic way of representing status, meaning that a kitchen is a place of less value that people who are looked at

With the use of the words “They’ll see how beautiful I am”(16), we can see what he was hinting at with the outcome of him being “at the table”(9). The words prove the idea that he knows that he deserves to be at the “table”. This line helps to build the theme because it emphasizes the idea that people are equal and deserve to be treated with justice and respect. These words help to prove that even though most people do not look at him as an equal, once they see who he truly is they will treat him differently. Although these words might not be seen as a literary technique, they are important to provide evidence for ideas in metaphors and noting specific points that develop the