The Route To Equailty
The poem chosen was "You and Your Whole Race," written by the famous poet Langston Hughes. Its core issue is economic status injustice, strongly connected with racial differences and a lack of empathy for the suffering of individuals from varied origins. The poem employs vivid imagery that has been deliberately chosen to depict the obvious differences on the way to equality, with each image bringing to life key lines and overall themes within the poems. It emphasizes the striking contrast and dramatic comparison between oppressed and oppressor, wealthy and underprivileged, creating strong emotions in favor of its primary foundation. The use of this emotional imagery conveys the concept that the racial divide has been
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The first picture depicts a tense situation reflective of the Rodney King riots, where multiple people of color standing out of the building that caught witnesses of the fire and mainly ladies holding children, staring gravely at the camera in the 1990s that echoing the opening words of Langston Hughes' poem: "You and your whole race./Look down upon the town in which you live/And be ashamed" (Hughes 1-3). The poem's racial topic is reinforced by this striking image, which depicts the African American community's battle against white domination and the catastrophic effects of such conflicts. The shot effectively depicts how African Americans endure …show more content…
The carefully chosen images in the poem paint a vivid picture of the societal disparities that exist, laying bare the pressing issues of injustice and inequality. With each image, Hughes skillfully highlights the harsh realities faced by different groups, making it impossible to ignore the disparities in society.The poem serves as a reminder that compassion and understanding are essential qualities to bridge the divide that exists between various racial and socioeconomic groups. It urges us to confront these issues head-on and work towards building a more empathetic and just society for everyone.The poem refers to the empowerment that comes with accepting change and enabling ourselves and others to contribute to the creation of a caring society. It highlights the possibility for transformation, not just for abstract ideas, but also for improving people's
The poem Langston Hughes wrote in 1936 called “Let America be America again”. Langston Hughes an afro American in the United States of America. Langston Hughes' philosophical idea was equality in the United States of America. The first way Langston Hughes shows his philosophical idea of equality is by showing he wants everyone to be treated fairly and have the government not allow people to be racist to the Afro-Americans, Indians, and other immigrants located in the United States of America. The second way Langston Hughes shows his philosophical idea of equality is by showing his desire and dedication towards of achieving equality and shows off his dedication of hard work to achieve his dream but can’t due to of the barriers he has to overcome
This sets the mood as a depressing type of mood. Later in the poem, the same tone and theme show up again and again. Hughes speaks about people that are poor, people of color, and overall people not having a fair life. Later he strengthens this statement by saying, “I am the man who never got ahead, the poorest
Paige Stierle Dr. Shawn Temple English Composition 1 16 February 2023 Discrimination has been and continues to remain an underlying issue in society today. The author of “I Was a Civil Rights Activist in the 1960’s. But It’s Hard for Me to Get Behind Black Lives Matter”, Barbara Reynolds, and the author of “An Open Letter to the South”, Langston Hughes, discuss the means in which individuals should go about eliminating this issue. Hughes and Reynolds motivate their readers to create change and end this issue, focusing on three specific ideas. These points include: inequalities in society today, the importance of unity, and the value of nonviolence.
In How It Feels To Be Colored Me by Zora Neal Hurston well as in The Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr both authors convey what it feels like to be face with race issues. The two essays shed light on the social issues in different ways. The essays show the struggles of life when those around the two authors do not fully grasp the concept. Both Hertz and King use tone, their audience, and point of view to get their point across with the goal of bringing a better understanding to their audience.
Background Langston Hughes wrote “Let America Be America Again” in 1935 and published it in 1936. The poem discusses many topics, but the common theme is inequality. He mentions several groups of people that have been mistreated and discriminated against including Native Americans, African Americans, and poor people. The poem serves as a plea for better and equal opportunities for everyone.
Many of the people mentioned in the poem are born Americans getting treated differently as stated in (stanza 8) “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— And finding only the same old stupid plan Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.” Where there is no freedom, no equity, and prosperity at the cost of countless people being left behind, can’t be the dream they hope to perceive. Hughes stands on that America never was America to me put insight that he was never at peace with America, at least not the way he picture it.
" This line encapsulates the heartbreaking reality faced by many black individuals unjustly reduced to targets of racial biases. These powerful portrayals implore us to empathize with individuals wrestling with their racial identities, emphasizing the urgency of fostering understanding and dismantling harmful
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
The purpose of “Why, You Reckon?” by Langston Hughes is to accurately display, through the times of that century and human emotion, that despite money, power, and the color of your skin there can still be an unhappiness of the soul. There is evidence in the beginning of the short story of two men’s unhappiness in life the symbol of them being uncontent was their hunger. “Man, ain’t you hongry.... Well, sir, I’m tellin’ you, I was so tired and hongry and cold that night.” (253- 254).
The poems, “Lineage”, by Margaret Walker, and “Helen Keller”, by Langston Hughes have many similarities and differences in the theme, imagery, and figurative language. The theme in Walker’s poem is about how grandmas are very tough, and you should respect your elders, while the theme in Hughes’ poem is about when times are hard, find your inner strength. A similarity between the two themes is that both idolize and admire strong women that have the power to find strength through dark times. For example, Walker’s poem states, “...full of sturdiness and singing. My grandmothers were strong”.
During the film, the director includes clips and photos of violent events to show the torture African Americans went through. Raw footage of lynchings and abuse were shown to connect to viewers’ emotions. These graphics successfully portray the suffering people went through rather than only hearing about it. The pain and heartache viewers feel supports the argument because it creates a sense of sorrow for how horrifically these people were treated compared to the privileges we have now. Although Americans have more freedom now than years prior, racial discrimination is ongoing.
Since day one of US history, there has been and will probably always be a social, economic, and racial divide. “Open Letter to The South” is a poem that addresses the issues of not only the racial division in this great country, but it also concentrates on the issues that all working class American’s face, even in today’s society and economy. In the poem, Langston Hughes speaks against the words of Booker T. Washington “Separate as the fingers.” He speaks about how whites and blacks should come together and become one, no matter their birth rights or history. He mentions
This provides the reader with the ultimate message of the poem that Langston Hughes tries to get to the world. Langston Hughes claims that “There’s never been equality” in America, that it lacks freedom in this so-called homeland of the free (Hughes, Line 16). This goes back to Hughes' message on how African Americans had endured inequality by Hughes telling that they never had equality. The use of connotations in the poem allows readers to hold the feeling of appeal to the poem and to add more personal feelings to words. The topic that African Americans do not have equality affects readers by making them reflect on how lucky they do not have to deal with inequality.
The quote continues to support Mandela’s words by suggesting that courage can triumph over the fear of challenges. As he goes on in the poem he continues to say, “Then let us hurry, comrades, The road to find” (10). These words are a call to action for African Americans to join the fight for civil rights. The action of fighting against what they feared with courage and bravery shows success as mentioned in Mandela’s quote. Despite the fear that may consume Hughes and many other African Americans during this time, it is vital to recognize how the fear turned into fuel to drive the civil rights movement.
Briley Stovall Ms.Fly Language 17 january 2023 “Thank You Ma’am” RTL “Thank You Ma’am” is a short story by Langston Hughes. This short story is about a boy named Roger getting a second chance in life by Mrs.Luella Bates Washington Jones. One really late night Roger tried to steal Mrs.Jones’s purse but instead Mrs.Jones. Teaches him a lesson and gives him a second chance so he can turn his life around and not to steal again.