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Let America Be American Again By Langston Hughes

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In American society today it seems that many issues are focused around race and gender. These things have always presented issues in society but they seem to have spiked since Donald Trump ran for and got elected President of the United States. Everyone has seen/heard, whether it be on social media, television, newspaper, or radio, the race issues with the multiple police shootings involving African American citizen, the immigration bans against Muslim countries, and Trump’s “build a wall” statements about Mexico. There has been controversy on gender issues like the debates of how many “genders” there is in society, is sex change acceptable at a young age, is it acceptable at all, gay marriage, and gay rights, along with feminism and the ideals that come …show more content…

The poems, “Let America be American Again” by Langston Hughes, “So Mexicans are taking Jobs from Americans” by Jimmy Santiago Baca, and “Queer Theory: According to My Grandmother” by Richard Blanco discuss just a few of these issues. All three of these poems point out the “flaws” in society today and in the past. The poem “Let America be American Again” by Langston Hughes is about freedom and equality within the United States. The poem explains that the freedom and equality America is supposed to stand for only relates to rich white people. Langston Hughes was an African American writer. He wrote fiction, short stories, and poetry. He was also a key member in Harlem Renaissance and the African American literary movement during the 1920s and 1930s. He often times wrote about the racial injustices he and many other faced daily. This relates back to his poem, “Let America

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“O let my land be land where liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath.” written by Langston Hughes [Let America be America Again] The two poems have the idea of the American dream, and opportunities. The to two poems talk about America changing, also talk about people's jobs.

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“Let america be the dream the dreamer dreamed --let it be that great ,strong land of love”, said Langston Hughes. Langston hughes and Walt Whitman both want this for america, they want them to live the american dream, and it to be how they imagined it to be. Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman were born in different years, so they have different perspectives about america in their times. In the poems” I hear america singing” and “Let America Be America Again” both have many different aspects and similarities. These two poems have many similarities.

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Langston Hughes’ poem Let America be America Again is a profound article of work from mid-1930’s America. Hughes begins by declaring a wish for America to go back and become what it once was, a land where people from across the world would migrate to, searching for a home that they could be free in. Hughes longs for the return of a country where dreams could flourish, instead of remaining unfulfilled. Yet, he states throughout the poem that America was never America to him. This showcases how dreams never stood a chance for African-Americans like Hughes, where, in this time, there was still segregation and little hope for citizens like him.

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Hughes was born in Missouri in 1902 and studied in the New York at the University of Columbia and in Pennsylvania at Lincoln University. During his four decade career Langston wrote 16 volumes of poems as well as many other works. He traveled extensively throughout his life and wrote about his travels in two volumes of his autobiography. Hughes is well known for his works that addressed struggles of African American communities throughout the United States, Hughes “believed it was his vocation to ‘explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America’ (DiYanni 993).” Though many of his poems are describing racism in the early to mid 20th century, they are still relatable to many people

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246 Words | 1 Pages

Langston Hughes, and Walt Whitman have wrote several poems over America, for example “Montage of a Dream Deferred” and The Negro Speaks of Rivers, Walt’s: “O Captain! My Captain! “A Clear Midnight” , including the two the essay is over. Although these poem’s shares the same style and same meaning the of the poems is vastly different. I hear America is an example of him giving honor to those who are living their lives to make America a better place.

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1849 Words | 8 Pages

During the 1920s, Langston Hughes, a prolific African American poet wrote "Harlem," “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” "I, Too," and "Let America Be America Again" and portrayed the struggles and challenges of African

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1029 Words | 5 Pages

Close to twelve million immigrants came into the United States between the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. During the 1870s and 1880s, the vast majority of these immigrants arrived in America from Western Europe including Ireland, England, and Germany. Between 1849 and 1882, the United States saw a large number of Chinese immigrants arrive, largely because of the California gold rush. All these people were lured by America’s promise of prosperity, many fleeing the economic hardships of their country. In his poem “Let America be America Again,” Langston Hughes speaks of the American dream that could never be reached by the lower-class and social minorities and speaks on the equality and freedom that every immigrant hoped for but never were able

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The purpose of Whitman’s poem is to celebrate workers and success. This poem also has a patriotic tone because of the author’s love to the country. “Let America be America Again” has a rhyming style. Hughes’ poem was created in the mid 1900s during the time of the civil rights movement. He writes about how he is feeling left out of the American Dream.

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Throughout the essay, Kesaya is telling the audience about her constant struggle of not feeling American. Several classmates and people have made racist jokes that have offended her and feel ashame. However, she’s realized, in the end of the essay, that she is equally important. And her grandparents have gone through a lot for her to live in the U.S. In the poem, Let America Be America Again, Langston Hudges writes about different people that have been discriminated from the American Dream and their point of view of America.

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1641 Words | 7 Pages

The content humans consume can have a great impact on their opinions regarding the world around them. In reading literature or consuming content about a specific culture, people may form their opinions about that group being portrayed based on the content they are exposed to. This greatly contributes to the formation of stereotypes, as works of fiction about a group that are not written by someone from that culture often do not represent the group accurately, which leaves people with an inaccurate idea of that group that they will likely never revisit, resulting in a negative stereotype. Incorporating multiethnic literature into the classroom, and consuming it in other contexts, will allow readers to gain a new perspective on the world, as

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Langston Hughes once said “There's never been equality for me, nor freedom in this 'homeland of the free. 'Langston Hughes was a part of the new negro movement also known as the Harlem renaissance. The movement was considered rebirth of African American arts. ; such as negro literature. Black women and black men had no equality but they lived for black people to have more equality to have better treatment to us as human beings.

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988 Words | 4 Pages

The poem “ Let America Be America Again" is one of his famous poems that composed by Langston Hughes. America is a country of freedom, equality, and happiness which gives the American citizen a stable life. The society is divided into classes which also survives distinction between rich people and poor people. Moreover, America is a multi-ethnic country, so that it also survives racial discrimination; it happens between white people and black people. Thus, the poem meaning refects racial discrimination, the distinction between rich and poor, slavery, and dark areas of life.

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1666 Words | 7 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

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205 Words | 1 Pages

“I hear america singing” by walt whitman and “let america be america again” by langston hughes are two famous poems. these poets discussed the american dream. In my opinion they are two great poems that explain america and its society. the poems speak about american dreams. but have many differences like ones sad and the other is happy.

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504 Words | 3 Pages

Langston Hughes and America Langston Hughes, as renowned poet, a leader during the Harlem Renaissance, and a man of color, had written poetry during a particularly difficult time for people of color. Considered a founding father of Jazz Poetry, using various techniques, and styles of poetry to convey story in a rhythmic style. Many of Hughes’ poems focus heavily on America or the American dream. While reading “Let America be America again” it is evident that this poem is a description of the American Dream, “Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.”

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