Similarities Between Maya Angelou And Langston Hughes

Both Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou were African- American poets who faced discrimination during the American Civil Rights Movement. These two writers speak over the future they dream about. Langston Hughes has a vision that one day, he will not have to be sent to the kitchen when company comes over. Maya Angelou furthers the descriptive discrimination that Langston Hughes speaks about in “I Too, Sing America” by giving specific examples of prejudice remarks that blacks hear on a daily basis. Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes stood up for themselves, and they set an example for other African- Americans. Hughes and Angelou were both major leaders for the Civil Rights Movement. “I, Too, Sing America”, written by Langston Hughes, and “Still I Rise”, written by

Hughes starts off his poem by talking about the discrimination he faced at the time. Later in the poem, he talks about how in the future, he will be the one sitting at the table. Hughes announces, “Nobody’ll dare/ say to me, / ‘Eat in the kitchen,’/ then” (Hughes). He finishes the poem by affirming, “I, too, am America” (Hughes). Langston Hughes shifts from talking about the bad past, to speaking about the good things coming in the future. Maya Angelou, on the other hand, starts her poem as if she is a burden to society. She begins with an aggressive tone that she keeps throughout the whole poem. Angelou uses rhetorical questions to appeal to the readers’ emotions by making them feel guilty. One personal question that she asked was, “Did you want to see me broken? / Bowed head and lowered