The Harlem Renaissance marked a time in American History where black artists, novelists, and poets changed the course of literature for good. Actually, Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes were two writers who truly stood out in the Renaissance era. Both so similar yet so different; in fact, their work at times seemed to conflict with one another. Hughes’s work highlighted “the resilience of black America,” as Professor Arnold Rampersad stated in his video. Meanwhile, Hurston’s work leaned more on illustrating the pros and cons of the general black culture instead of mainly focusing on its history.
A theme both poems “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman and “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes share is equality. The poets both demonstrate equality by having their various characters ignoring their differences and coming together to sing. Whitman combines the many individual Americans together by saying “ I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear” (1), while Langston’s main character says “ I, too, sing America.” (1) even though he is different from the other characters. Langston and Whitman both relay that no matter what occupation or skin color people have they are equal and they sing together with all their different voices to make one beautiful song.
“Race is a major group of humans beings that passes on certain physical characteristics from one generation to another” “dictionary scott foresman page 708”. Have you ever heard of the two most famous poets Walt Whitman “I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes “Let America Be America Again”. But race had a lot to do with it because some blacks and whites didn’t get along during 1819-1902 when the Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes wrote poems. Even though the poem Walt Whitman “I Hear America Singing”and Langston Hughes “Let America Be America Again” have many similarities there are many differences too;one such difference is the impact of their race. Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes didn’t have that many similarities.
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.
Based on the texts of I, Too, written by Langston Hughes, and I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman, both texts relate to the topic of identity, yet have different conclusions in response to the topic of identity. The statement that conveys how the poems are similar would definitely be supported by the messages that portray individuals that live in America. However, the poems portray different types of individuals that live in America. In I Hear America Singing, various individuals are enjoying their lives; as if they are all united by seeing the beauty created, based on the infrastructure being built during this time period. However, I, Too, portrays specific minorities.
Both of these famous poems argue for equality of certain groups, but they are different in the way that they are written. "I, Too, Sing America" is written by Langston
Many things about Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou are the same but many things are different between them also like how they went through life with the jobs they got and things they did. This essay is to compare the two so you can learn many things about them. We’ll start with things about Mr. Hughes. Langston Hughes grew up with his mom but she was gone most of the time so he was raised by his grandmother until he was 12 years old. Some things about his family is the fact that his father left his mother at a early age and moved to Mexico although he left Langston still had a relationship with him although a very bad one, after high school his father wanted him to go to college for engineering instead of poetry
Back in hard times of the 1900s, two inspirational authors gave hope to African Americans around the world. As white supremacy was the center of America, blacks felt voiceless and didn’t have any sort of freedom to live or do what they wanted. African Americans were known to degradation, pernicious harm, and had to be considered profane in society. Fortunately, the influential people that inspired lots were Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Their poems had many similarities and differences.
America Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again” is the poem that I have chosen to write about. Out of the poems I read it is the one that struck a chord with me on a very deep level. This poem speaks about how to many America is synonymous with freedom, often times forgetting that for some America was never that. I am proud to be an American, but,I often times forget how many people's lives, freedom, and rights were trampled in the making of this great nation.
Poetry, perhaps more than other genre of writing, often sparks controversy and discussion. Authors Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes are two authors in American Literature whose poetry is both debated and praised by critics. "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman and "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes have sparked many discussions on their controversial content. Walt Whitman was the first of the two authors to write, followed by Langston Hughes who was influenced by Whitman's work. While Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing" reflects the happiness of the American people, the poem written by Hughes takes a different approach.
First, they are written around the same time period and both about blacks being discriminated. Both the poems gave African Americans a little bit of hope that one day they will be allowed to be around whites and looked at as the same. These poems may be different, but they both have the same meaning. If anyone is going through a rough time in their life, they can overcome it. Blacks were treated terribly and went through some of the roughest times, but they never stopped fighting and never lost hope.
Walt Whitman was famous for his free verse style of poetry. Langston Hughes was an important 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 emerging black writers. Angela de Hoyos was an Hispanic poet in which Initially her work expressed anger and frustration toward unjust circumstances, particularly the plight of the Chicano. Langston expressed his work based on the period of time in which he was in during the time. For example the Harlem Renaissance, in which he wrote poems that appealed to the artistic side of the reader.
In the two poems, “I Hear America Singing,” and, “I, Too,” there are many similarities and differences that show us that know matter what is happening you have to stand up for yourself and do what you love. We see this in the two poems, “I Hear America Singing,” and, “I, Too” when the authors, Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes, both talk about what America was a like in the 1900s, and how people were doing jobs that they had liked to do. We can see how a African American man would stand up for himself and we see this in the poem “I, Too” because we are able to see how he was able to stand up to everyone else and prove he was able to be treated like anyone else.
The topic of both poems have their similarities in a way, but they are also different. Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou both fought for the rights of African Americans. Langston Hughes fought for rights of all African Americans, while Maya Angelou mainly focused specifically on women’s rights. “I, Too, Sing America” is
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.
