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Langston Hughes Let Usa Be America Again Literary Devices

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Langston Hughes lived during a time of social inequality, prejudice, racism, and discrimination. As an African-American, he faced these unjust acts. Unlike today where those things are condemned, those things were condoned during Hughes' lifetime. Hughes' career spanned the Harlem Renaissance, when many African-Americans greatly contributed to literature, music, and art. Hughes wrote many poems about American society during his career. In 1936, he wrote the poem "Let America Be America Again" to "express his concerns over racism and inequality for all people" (Hendricks). Hughes exposes America for its hypocrisy and social injustice. Throughout "Let America Be America Again", there is an ironic and sarcastic tone that Hughes employs to accuse …show more content…

Parallel structure and anaphora are found in the poem. In the first two stanzas, the phrase "let it be" is repeated at the beginning of lines. Hughes repeats this phrase to let America know what he is fighting for and that he will not stop fighting until his mission is accomplished. Later in the poem, the phrase "I am" is repeated over the course of three consecutive stanzas. Hughes says that he is a part of many groups of Americans that are being oppressed and are the victims of inequality. By repeating "I am", he establishes credibility to talk about this issue and puts himself into different groups of people so it does not seem like he is the only one struggling with the fight. Hughes knows how blacks are not the only group of people being oppressed so he includes other groups of people. Parallel structure is also found several times in the poem. One example of parallel structure is found in the ninth stanza. In this stanza, the word "of" is followed by a verb and the sentence ends with an exclamation point. This use of parallel structure highlights the wrongdoing of the whites in America. He lists all of the wrongdoings using the same structure to show that the different ways of oppression are not above one another; they all require the same level of attention and condemnation. In the thirteenth and fourteenth stanzas, Hughes employs parallel structure again. Hughes explains that the

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The speaker in the poem says, “Tangled in that ancient endless chain/of profit, power, gain of grab the land!” (lines 26-27). Hughes used a metaphor in these lines to describe how living in America was like an endless cycle and that he felt trapped and he wanted to feel equal to everyone else. The speaker uses this repetitive phrase, “Let America be America again,” (line 1). They use it again later on in the poem,

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When an individual supports their values and beliefs, they understand the results of standing behind them. This, however, is not the case for the citizens of the United States. Many Americans say that they are fully behind certain causes, but when they see their beliefs turn to reality, they are often surprised and shocked at the consequences because they initially never understood them. It is understood that we as citizens stand up for a country that honors truth, liberty, freedom and justice. But what if we are persuaded to think how they would like us to?

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The rhyme scheme of the poem generally follows an every other line pattern. For example, in lines five and seven Hughes uses rhyming words dreamed and scheme. Alliteration is found in line thirty saying, “humble, hungry and mean,” because of the repetition of the “H” sound (“What literary devices does Langston Hughes use in “Let America Be America Again”). Sensory devices found in “Let America Be America Again” are personification, symbolism, and a paradox. The use of Personification is found throughout the poem, because

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The second speaker also reshapes the first two lines of the entire poem into a plea to the majority. Beforehand, the first speaker uses those lines as a call for the old American spirit to be revived: “Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be” (1-2). Both speakers change the meaning of the lines to express their thoughts on America. As a result, the poem expresses the desire for everyone to be treated equally in the land of freedom. The readers can relate to the speaker because they wish that everyone has equal rights in the country that proclaims itself to be the symbol of freedom.

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