Analysis Of Langston Hughes 's Poem ' I '

Zora Neale Hurston’s essay “How it Feels to Be Colored Me” and “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, both have a theme of racism in common. Although these works of literature depict racial inequality, the main characters are portrayed as self-confident and proud individuals. They are not discouraged or disheartened by the attitudes of those who try to oppress them.

Langston Hughes’ short poem I, Too portrays a man who is African-American talking being black in the society. In the poem it is mainly about a black person being seen in the society and being criticize for having different skin color. In the beginning of the poem it starts off by saying “I, too sing, America” and singing is also a form of speaking and the speaker is talking about being black living in America to the audience. The speaker is introducing himself stating “I am the darker brother” (2). Hughes is also an African-American and this gave us a clue that he is referring to his people with darker skin color living in America who is being criticize by white people in society. “They’ll see how beautiful I am” (16) represents even though having darker skin he is still beautiful and not care what other’s think.

He reminds them during a time of despair, that they are “men” not prey. The oppressors are not stronger or superior, they are a “murderous, cowardly pack”, so that when one African American dies from lynching, it is not because they are inferior, but rather they are humans who have not given up their true identity. Through this resistance, it leaves a larger legacy to prove to the oppressors that they were not afraid and that they have never been less than a human. Furthermore, in “I, Too”, Langston Hughes writes against how the white Americans attempt to make African Americans feel inferior through isolation, but instead he shows them that they are equal. Hughes states, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/ When company comes./ Nobody’ll dare/ Say to me,/ ‘Eat in the kitchen’/ Then.” (Hughes). After being isolated, he does not lose hope. Instead, he grows stronger until he is ready to join the others “at the table” Instead of being ashamed of his skin color as the oppressors would expect, he uses his time to accept himself and be proud of his

Racial Pride was the main theme of Langston Hughes’s poem “I, too”. This poem expresses an African American man either a slave, or free man. In the beginning of the poem he understands that he is being degraded as he explains in line three through four, “They send me

In the poem, “I, too”, by Langston Hughes, the setting affect Hughes’ perspective on what it means to be American. The setting that Hughes presents to the reader is an American society that discriminates people of a darker skin color. Those who are a darker skin color are segregated from other Americans and treated as a outcast. In Hughes’ poem it states, “I am the darker brother./ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes,/” Through this quote, it can be inferred that Hughes’ perspective of what it means to be American is being part of society and to be treated like everyone else despite of a darker skin color. In the phrase “They send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes,/” it means that Hughes is an outcast and is treated differently than the rest. It also means that those that are white are ashamed to even be with him. It can be inferred that he is not the same color as his family members and is not accepted by his family. His society sees those of color as insignificant and inferior. Another detail is, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/

When Walt Whitman wrote “I Hear America Singing”, he intentionally wanted to catch the attention of America’s individuality. Langston Hughes responded to Whitman, by writing “I, Too” because he felt like every culture wasn’t included in America according to Whitman’s poem. “I, Too” references African Americans during the time of Harlem Renaissance, World War I and II . One of the purposes of this poem is to attract the attention from African Americans and Caucasians. In this poem, Langston Hughes shows his ambition towards changing the level of equality of African Americans and the rest of America.

The poem “I too” by Langston Hughes indicates that one day the speaker hopes that he will viewed as an American and uses devices such as enjambments, line breaks to emphasize emotion and meaning. In the first stanza, the nameless speaker proud proclaims “I, Too Sing America” as a standalone sentence which cements his voice as a strong patriot. In one sentence, Langston Hughes showcases the example that less means more. The use of the lone stanza functions as a declaration of pride and the end–stop allows the

For her to continue by saying that she is the dream and hope of a slave is her reference to the successful outcome of the civil rights movement. By referencing the civil rights movement’s positive outcome she established a common ground with the other people who are a product of the civil rights movement. By establishing that common ground she has allowed herself to be relatable to many generations for many generations to come. The rhetorical appeal amplification is used by Langston Hughes in his poem “I Too” through his repeating of the phrase “I Too” towards the end of his poem. The repetition of the phrase emphasizes his point that being of color does not make him less of an American than the non-colored individuals.

“I, Too” by Langston Hughes is a powerful and timeless poem that covers American segregation of African-Americans, and how Hughes envisions a time where he can confidently say that he too is an American. Having read Walt Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing,” I see “I, Too” as Hughes’s informal response and continuation of Whitman’s poem. Whitman’s poem is written like a song, praising America’s diverse cast of carpenters, boatman, and mothers. Hughes appears to be continuing Whitman’s poem by beginning “I, Too” with, “I, Too, Sing America,” referencing that the song of America is missing the voice of African-Americans.

Langston Hughes, a famous poet from the Harlem Renaissance era, depicted the everyday struggles for blacks in America through his beloved poems. Two of his most iconic poems, “Harlem” and “I, Too”, showed some similarities as well as differences as they relate to African American life in their own unique way. “Harlem” reveals how African Americans struggle to follow their dreams through strange imagery, while “I, Too” shows how African Americans are treated less than equal, but provides a joyful tone as Hughes is optimistic for a better future. “I, too, Sing America” begins with the line “I am the darker brother,” which instantly gives the impression that the poem is in relation to his skin color. He continues into the next few lines by

The poem "I, Too" by Langston Hughes is a great example of a writing using the word "I" as something other than its literal meaning. "I, Too" is about the segregation of African Americans by whites at the time and that it will soon come to an end. The poem to me is the view of African Americans at the time and their never ending perseverance to adapt.

    In the poem “I, Too,” Hughes speaks of the inequality faced by the African American race in order to emphasize his social immobility. Hughes starts the poem by saying “I, too,

Langston Hughes has a habit of writing poems where the speaker is neglected. “I, Too” seems to be no different because the speaker in this poem is a black men who is being excluded due to his appearance. To elucidate, in the poem it states, “ I, too, sing America./ I am the darker brother./ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When company comes,”(Hughes, lines 1-4) These lines demonstrates how the speaker is being omitted due to his skin color. He is not allowed to seat at the dining room table, he must “eat in the kitchen” because he is black and not white. These people who send him into the kitchen are not seeing his true worth, but only the color of his skin. Another poem that echoes “I, Too” is “Still I Rise” by Maya Angelou because the

Through the usage of euphony, Hughes softly calls out the matter of racism, an issue is barely touched on in America today. At the time I Too was written in 1925, this soft call depicts the fear and suppression the “darker brother” (Hughes) of America faced. While the euphony created by the patterns of the lines “ But I laugh/ And eat well,/ And grow strong” (Hughes) portrays their nonviolent protest against this untouched oppressive force of racism, today, the euphony behind the positive dictions such as “company” (Hughes) in this poem presents the issue as if it is simply the difference between “ea[ting] in the kitchen” or eating “ at the table. The usage of euphony depicts that the issue of racism is easier said than done, for that the issue was never solved but only modernized. Hence, this parallel emphasizes how understated the issue of racism is in America, while at the same time contradicting the reality of the issue

   " The poet's life is the focusing glass through which passes the determinants of the shape of his work: the tradition available to him, his understanding of "Kinds", the impact of special experiences (travel, love, etc.)." (Fielder 1431). Langston Hughes did not have an easy life. Being a young black male during the 1920's, Hughes was constantly being discriminated against by the color of his skin. Because of that harsh reality, most of his work was centered around the African American's fight for racial equality. One good example of this is shown in his poem "I, Too". Hughes writes about being discriminated against because he was black.