Analysis Of I Too Sing America - 733 Words

â€Å"I, Too† written by Langston Hughes is a poem about America in times of prejudice and injustice. This poem conveys more than unequal treatment to those of color. Hughes utilizes imagery to create a mental picture for the reader of what it felt like to be an African American at that time. Symbolism is utilized to represent America and its people as well. He wrote the poem from the perspective of a slave in the Jim Crow South. To give some background information on Langston Hughes he lived through a lifetime of America growing and transforming regarding equal rights for those of color. Slavery had been abolished before he was even born, he still encountered racism and oppression. Through his poetry he stands up and fights for African†¦show more content†¦This symbolizes the ways in which African Americans educated themselves to fight injustices. In the second stanza he talks about tomorrow by saying â€Å"Tomorrow / I’ll be at the table.† (8-9). Even though this stanza is written in present tense the reader can assume that he does not literal mean tomorrow, but a distant future. He demonstrates hopefulness and optimism through this. He is saying that in the future, he will be able to sit down with everybody regardless of skin color. Not only does Hughes say he say those lines proud fully, he also says â€Å"When company comes. / Nobody’ll dare / say to me / â€Å"Eat in the kitchen.† (10-13). With this being said, the reader can understand that ultimately Hughes is saying that America will be ashamed for all the injustices they made him and African Americans go through. When the day comes, no one will demand him to go eat in the kitchen. The fourth stanza goes after the same idea of the third. He says â€Å"They’ll see how beautiful I am / and be ashamed- (16-17). This goes back to the idea that not only will African Americans be seen as equal, but those who had oppressed them for hundreds of years will regret it and recognize how wrong it was for whites to do what they did. America will recognize the beauty in the culture. Just as he begins the poem, heShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of `` I, Too, Sing America ``942 Words   |  4 Pageslives have been ruin by this one act. Hughes skill in representing deep emotion and impacting the reader while still depicting very real situations serves to promote his plea for change (Gohar, 151). Another poem that discusses inequality is â€Å"I, Too, Sing America†; however, this poem takes a slightly more positive perspective. This poem begins on a somber note as the narrator states that he is forced to eat in the kitchen rather than at the dining table with the white people. Still, the narrator keepsRead MoreI Too Sing America Analysis852 Words   |  4 PagesSinging America Langston Hughes has cited Walt Whitman as one of his greatest influences he has had, and some believe that Hughes wrote I, Too, Sing America in response to Whitmans I Hear America Singing. Hughes builds on to Whitmans poem by writing his poem along the same lines and basics as Whitmans. Both poems talk about the way people work hard, how they sing America, and the way they are so content and never complain. All the characters work all day and they sing America, meaning theyRead MorePoem Analysis On I, Too, Sing America 1611 Words   |  7 PagesDai Yueh Cheng Dr. Smedley English 1B 9 March 2015 Poem analysis on â€Å"I, Too, Sing America† In the poem â€Å"I, Too, Sing America† by Langston Hughes, he envisions a greater America, a more inclusive America where all the races can proudly represent themselves as American citizens. Hughes was a leader of Harlem Renaissance, and had tremendous pride of his race as an African American. However, during that time period, African Americans were being considered as second-class race, and they were being segregatedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Great Gatsby And I Too, Sing America979 Words   |  4 Pagesexpress their opinions through underlying themes in their stories thus allowing writers to be spokespeople of their times. From The Great Gatsby to The Crucible to â€Å"I, Too, Sing America,† each author has expressed the values, critiques of society and traits of their times through their stories and poems. During the early 1920’s, America experienced a post-war economic growth, which increased the average income of an American home. This allowed big businesses to rise and the growth of the AmericanRead MoreAnalysis and Interpretation of I, Too Sing America by Langston Hughes1148 Words   |  5 PagesPoem I, Too Sing America is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. The majority of literary critiques and historians refer to Hughes as one of the first American poets, who set the standards and examples how to challenge the post-World War I ethnic nationalism. His poetry contributed and shaped to some extent the politics of the Harlem Renaissance. In analysis of Black poetry Charles S. Johnson wrote that the new racial poetry of the Negro is the expressionRead MoreI, Too explication891 Words   |  4 Pagesexplication of â€Å"I, Too† by Langston Hughes An analysis of Langston Hughes’ poem â€Å"I, Too† in the book The Norton Introduction to Literature (1021), shows that the author used distinct word choice and imagery to write a timeless poem about ignorance and bigotry that can be applied to any group of oppressed people, while at the same time he conveyed a strong sense of hope that at some future time, all will be welcome at the table. The opening line of â€Å"I, Too,† â€Å"I, too sing America† (1) speaks to allRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poem I, Too978 Words   |  4 Pages Langston Hughes America, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. This is what everyone was told, what the Declaration of Independence states. But, Langston Hughes a black American poet in the Harlem Renaissance period saw the truth. Being an African American in the United States during the early 1900’s was difficult. Many lived a life full of hardships; segregation, prejudice and economic hardships, viewed as second-class citizensRead MoreA Comparative Analysis of Harlem Renaissance Poetry Essay596 Words   |  3 PagesComparative Analysis of Harlem Renaissance Poetry) The great philosopher Plato once orated: â€Å"Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. PBS defines the the Harlem Renaissance a â€Å"Cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the middle of the 1930s. During this period Harlem was a cultural center, drawing black writers, artists, musicians, photographers, poets, and scholars.† Those who wish to sing always findRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Maya Angelou s I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings 1036 Words   |  5 PagesFily Thiam English 002 Mrs. Vilato 9 April 2015 Rhetorical Analysis on â€Å"Graduation† by Maya Angelou In Graduation, a chapter in her autobiography â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, Maya Angelou talks vividly about her middle school graduation in the segregated South. Graduation is an important milestone in most people’s life, as they get a degree and move on to their next level, something better and more important, with the hope that they can use their new knowledge to achieve their life goals andRead MoreAnalysis Of Angie Thomass The Hate U Give786 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough this essay was written several years before the Harlem Renaissance was in full swing, the quote by Dubois is a precursor to the brilliance to come. Its also worth noting that Starrs experience in The Hate U Give solidly parallels Du Boiss analysis of Double-Consciousness. One of the major themes in The Hate U Give is the â€Å"two-ness† that the main character faces. Although she is from a poorer neighborhood, she attends a private school in an affluent area. Because the dialogue surrounding