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An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem Essay
An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem Essay
Response to i too by langston hughes
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Langston Hughes’s poem “I, Too” was written during the Harlem Renaissance, a time of booming cultural pride from African-Americans despite the suffering they had recently endured from Jim Crow - a set of local and state laws that enforced racial segregation in the Southern states of America. Hughes utilizes bold syntax to express that no matter what background people come from, everyone has a place in society. He places emphasis on the fact that African-Americans are proud of their nationality by proclaiming, “I, too, sing America…I, too, am America” (Hughes 1,18). Hughes conveys that regardless of the speaker's racial background, they are still Americans, proving that they are a crucial part of society similar to everyone else. His elaborate
Some of the significant subjects were music, literature, poem, and art. The poets Langston Hughes and Claude McKay were some of the most influential poets from the renaissance. The poems “The Harlem Dancer” by Claude McKay and “I, Too” by Langston Hughes will be used to compare and show how two poems form the same era could be similar yet different based on their subject, purpose, style, tone, and rhythm. “I, Too” creates the world where people are treated equally. With so much discrimination and segregation occurring in the 20th century, it was a world that people wished for.
In its poetry, one appreciates the author use of imagery, music, and rhythm, which recall his African-American literary heritage. For instance, in the poem "I too," Hughes gives voice to an African-American living in the shadow of a white family of which he could be presumably
Here Hughes says that once African Americans are perceived as equivalent, everybody will see they are not terrible and that they are excellent and some portion of America. Langston Hughes is a gifted artist who utilizes similitude and his own particular style of writing to build the adequacy of his general message. His use of "I" emphasizes that he too is an American and won 't be let around society nor will other African Americans. "I, Too" delineates the perspective of African Americans in the past and their quality to push ahead. In Conclusion, The two poems are relevant to the African American society.
The poem is about the struggles one man has with his family when he is trying to decide if he should move North to get away from the racism of the South. He talks about how the South has “blood on its mouth,” symbolizing its past with slavery and the way they have always treated African Americans. He says that the South is “beautiful, like a woman, seductive as a dark-eyed whore,” which means he is attracted to the South and he loves the comfort he feels there because it is his home. However, the South spits in his face and turns her back on him even though he loves it there, but he isn’t welcome because of his skin color. He thinks the North might be a “kinder mistress,” more pleasant and welcoming, even though racism is present in the North just as much as in the South.
The narrator shows a higher sense of pride and shows his ambition to express his legitimacy as a an American citizen and as a fellow man in the United States, in a way threatening his slave owners to cross the line of the respect that belongs to him. Hughes, through the narrator, discloses, “They’ll see how beautiful I am/ and be ashamed” (16-17). This statement is a declaration claiming equality, stature and independence (“I, Too” 100). In Langston Hughes’ “I, Too,” he uses metaphors to symbolize the feelings of African Americans who seeks to raise their status to acceptability in America. One example of a metaphor in “I, Too” is in the excerpt, “They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When the company comes” (3-4).
Langston Hughes wrote Let America be America Again explaining that he was never an equal or free in America. He also didn’t just focus on blacks, he also wrote “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the Negro bearing slavery's scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek.” (Hughes 8). Hughes explained that nobody in America is treated right unless a wealthy white man.
For many years, Romans have had societal advancements that have impacted today's people. What advances has Roman made for the healthcare system? Roman scientists have always been peculiar subjects. All from their Roman medical department from cures such as crocodile meat, sea foam, and soaked chameleons to heal effortless ailments. Today’s doctors use Roman scientific teachings to their advantage, to mend people in present.
Racism is a euphemism for dictatorship. As it has been seen in history, persons in authority find it difficult to relinquish their position and tend to be corrupted by power itself. This creates a state of dictatorship wherein the freedom of a certain people is greatly limited. This quote is compelling because it is a fundamental truth that has proven true throughout history. Those have the authority over others do not simply give up their control without a cause to do so.
In the poem, "Theme for English B," by Langston Hughes, one of the most prevalent themes is the underlying similarities between races. Towards the end of the poem, Hughes, addressing his instructor, says, "You are white -- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you." This statement stresses that although they are different colors, they can still make a difference in each other 's lives and overall, they are more alike than they know.
Langston Hughes was first recognized as an important literary figure during the 1920s, a period known as the "Harlem Renaissance", because of the number of black writers that was coming up. Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry. Hughes was best known for describing the black life from the 20s to the 50s, in novels, short-stories, plays, and poems. He was also known for the influence jazz had on all of his creative writings.
Hughes begins the poem declaring, “I, too sing America. I am the darker brother” (Poets.org) indicating that singing was a part of his voice to bring freedom to African Americans. However, when another skin color visits the plantation, he was dismissed from their presence and was sent to eat in the kitchen. Hughes did not let the racial profiling get the best of him. He says, “But I laugh, eat well, and grow stronger tomorrow” (Poets.org).
The poem I, Too, Sing America written by Langston Hughes shortly after World War II in 1945, is a lyrical poem about the neglected voices in America as a response to the Poem “I hear America singing.” During this time, African Americans were oppressed in society and they did not have equal rights to Caucasians. This poem expresses Langston Hughes hope for the future where black people are not oppressed when equality is achieved between races. This poem helps assert Langston Hughes’ ideas of racial pride, hope, and equality. Many black people fought in the war and after it ended, they still did not have equality, which caused questions of why they were not equal if they fought against another country.
The title of the poem, “I Too” by Langston Hughes, shows membership with a larger whole. The audience does not know what Hughes is associating himself with, but it is clear he is showing unionship with a group. In the first three lines we learn the narrator is an African American who is mistreated by the people the narrator lives with. The next three lines in the poem show he still has a good attitude and is growing more as a person; not letting his predicament keep him down as a person. He goes on to talk about the future in the next three lines.
In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society. Frist, Hughes utilizes the shift of tones to indicate the thrive of African American power. In the first stanza, the speaker shows the sense of nation pride through the use of patriotic tone. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” states the speaker’s state of mind.
