Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” is a poem about the great working class tradition in the United States in 1860. Whitman depicts working class occupations such as; carpenters, woodmakers, and shoemen as the driving force as well as the backbone of America. The occupations listed were all often done by European immigrants. The lyrics of Whitman’s poem suggest that he is unifying them by repetition of the word singing. However, Whitman noticeably goes through the whole poem without mentioning slavery. Slavery which in 1860 was legal and not abolished until 1865 played a huge factor in the thriving United States economy. In Hughes “I Too” Hughes highlights this and undermines Whitman’s credibility in “I Hear America Singing” for not acknowledging …show more content…
What Hughes is alluding to in these lines is that he believes in his renaissance time period that one day blacks will indeed be equal to whites. Hughes is telling Whitman in these lines that one day he will have no choice but to acknowledge him as an equal, and as part of the labor force; “Singing America”. To the contrary in “I Hear America Singing” Whitman is speaking of America with such admiration and nationalism along with appreciation of the ideal life that America presents. Hughes knows this and instead of saying in his poems he hopes for blacks to supersede whites in the social hierarchy structure in America, he simply in “I Too” just asks to be equal because he knows that is how America will reach its greatest …show more content…
Langston Hughes sticks it to Walt Whitman in the next two lines when he states “Eat in the kitchen/ then”. The last two lines of this poem are symbolic of equality. The kitchen in this poem symbolizes the bigger picture of American society and how unequal it is. That is why sitting in a kitchen in this poem is such a huge ordeal. The next two lines are contextually a lot more significant in the landscape of this poem in response to Walt Whitman. The next few lines state “Besides/ They’ll how beautiful I am/ And be ashamed.” This line of the poem is an absolute huge jab at Walt Whitman. What Langston Hughes is telling Walt Whitman is that he indeed he forgot to mention slavery and African Americans in “I Hear America Singing” and if he were alive today he would be ashamed at
This poem is often compared to Walt Whitman’s I Hear America Singing because of the similarities of the two poems. In this poem, Hughes argues that the African American race is equal to whites. Hughes even declares that one day the African American race will be equal to whites. Hughes proclaims, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America.” Hughes was very bold and daring when he wrote these lines in this poem. He is implying that the white people will regret what they have done to blacks. That they will be ashamed of how they treated them. Undoubtedly, this poem expresses Hughes cultural identity.
Then the narrator continues to relate nostalgically to the longing for an America built on freedom and equality for all. This could be the dream of the author himself. Wagner states of the author, "Like his first masters Whitman and Sandburg, like his fellow black Toomer, and like so many other American poets of the period, Langston Hughes never tires of proclaiming the absolute necessity for all to do what they can to save the democratic ideal" (371).... ... middle of paper ... ...
The American Voice is characterized by the theme of hard work. This is demonstrated in Walt Whitman’s Poem “I Hear America Singing”, where all throughout the poem, he mentions the peoples constant singing and how joyful they are while they work. This means that the american people enjoy their jobs so much that it causes them to start singing. This idea develops over the text where Whitman states that they love their jobs and that they sing
Written in response to Walt Whitman's “I Hear America Singing,” a poem that suggests that the United States offers freedom and equality to all citizens, Hughes implies that freedom and equality are not extended towards all citizens. As a result, the the African American speaker “sing[s] America” (1), a patriotic voice declaring for change. The optimistic tone is further shown through the final line, “I, too, am America” (18). By exchanging “sing” for “am,” the assertion that African Americans are—and will be accepted and treated as—Americans and equals is
In the poem Langston Hughes points out, for example “Tomorrow, /I’ll be on the table/ when company comes. / Nobody’ll dare Say to me, / Eat in the Kitchen”. This allows the reader to understand how the author will not let racism play a role in his life. In its place, he becomes as equal with the white man and kills the evil. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance against his constant struggles with
In Whitman’s poem I hear America Singing, the first line immediately shows a parallel of I, too: “I hear America singing.” On the other hand, Whitman’s poem doesn’t empower blacks, but Americans as a whole. He describes the working class and unifies Americans with their corporate singing.
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” –Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is one of the world’s greatest wonders. It is a way to tell a story, raise awareness of a social or political issue, an expression of emotions, an outlet, and last but not least it is an art. Famous poet Langston Hughes uses his poetry as a musical art form to raise awareness of social injustices towards African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Although many poets share similarities with one another, Hughes creatively crafted his poetry in a way that was only unique to him during the 1920’s. He implemented different techniques and styles in his poetry that not only helped him excel during the 1920’s, but has also kept him relative in modern times. Famous poems of his such as a “Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too, Sing America” are still being studied and discussed today. Due to the cultural and historical events occurring during the 1920’s Langston Hughes was able to implement unique writing characteristics such as such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues that is demonstrative of his writing style. Langston Hughes use of distinct characteristics such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues helped highlight the plights of African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance Era.
During the 1900s, many African Americans experienced the effects of racial segregation but they still had hope, their oppression did not stop their belief for future change. In “I, Too, Sing, America”, Langston Hughes has makes it clear that he envisions change. In the beginning of the poem, he speaks of being treated differently than others in his home, making it hard to live equally. Hughes writes, “I am the darker brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Line). He chooses to discuss this issue because his darker shade of skin in comparison to the other residents in his home, makes it possible for him to eat separately so that he will not be seen by the guests; this depicts segregation in his home due to race. Because of the racial conflicts that Hughes experiences, he hopes that there is some form of change in the future, where he can sit equally with others. He goes on to write, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes, nobody’ll dare say to me, eat in the kitchen “(Line). Hughes...
In, “ I Hear America Singing”, Walt Whitman uses alliteration, literal imagery, and tone to express the idea that there are many individual, hardworking workers in this country, but as a whole these people carry out the American pride. America does not only consist of one person, but it is the whole population that makes what America is today. This country is filled with fun and laughter for everyone to enjoy!
Whitman’s poem was written in the mid-1800s during the industrial revolution, but Hughes’ poem was written in the 1900s during the Civil Rights Movement. This is important because the Civil Rights Movement established the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Industrial Revolution moved at a slow place but there were still issues with slavery. Whitman’s poem was free verse while Hughes’ poem was traditional rhyme/rhythm. The tone of Whitman’s poem was patriotic and celebratory (I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear); because he was paying tribute to the success of the individuals; however, the tone of Hughes’ poem was sarcastic and frustrated (to build a “homeland of the free,’’ because he didn’t feel like some individuals were allowed to experience the American Dream. Whitman’s theme of his poem was that individuals and liberties make America great. On the other hand, Hughes’ theme of his poem expressed that individuals felt excluded from the “homeland of the free.” The purpose of Whitman’s poem is praise for universal brotherhood. However, Hughes’ poem’s purpose was to inform individuals about inequality, meaning that not everyone has the same liberties in America. Whitman’s poem focused on the jobs of the workers, while Hughes’ poem focused on race, social status, and a list to represent the “I am’’ phrase; (I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars). He also
Another analysis of Hughes wishing America to be America again is when he refered to himself in the fifth stanza , line one, two and three; "Negro bearing slavery scars, red man driven from the land, and the immigrant clutching hope I seek--". Tracing back to history on how everything began, Hughes refrenced slavery...
Instead, he hears what he wants to hear, which is the joyous songs of working Americans who have the ability to get jobs and make money. Although, he claims to hear America singing, he doesn’t state the songs of struggle from African-Americans or the songs where they overcame their obstacles. Whitman’s title of his poem falsifies the audience to believe that he sees America for what it truly is, even at its worst time. Despite that, he still seems to avoid mentioning the songs of
In "I Hear America Singing," Whitman refers to "the varied carols" of different workers "mechanics", "the carpenter", " the mason", "the boatman" and "the deck man", "the shoemaker" and "the hatter”. Whitman includes workers of both genders, listing "the mother,"the young wife at work," and "the girl sewing or washing". These Americans at work are "singing what belongs to him or her and to none else," The have a sense of pride for what they can do and for the skills of which they hold. Whitman, on the other hand, identifies each person with his or her task; the work is what defines the person here. Whitman only allows the entitlements these works be their name and voice.
Malcom Cowley, an American literary critic, once said that, “Before Walt Whitman, America hardly existed”. Walt Whitman was an American poet born in 1819 in New York, living during the time period of slavery, The Civil War, and the death of Abraham Lincoln. Often nicknamed ‘The Bard of Democracy’, Whitman was most remembered for celebrating the freedom Americans had found through their new political system of democracy. Democracy is a form of government in which citizens have the power to elect leaders who represent their beliefs. Through democracy, people are treated equally and have equal rights. Whitman believed that the American form of democracy for government gave American citizens freedoms that they were unable to experience before this type of government was put in place. Throughout many of his poems, Whitman repeats this deep love of American freedom which he expresses through his creative writing. He writes about several categories of freedom, including the freedom to pursue what one desires, the freedom to be an individual, and the freedom of equality. The poems “I Hear America Singing”, “One’s- Self I Sing”, and “America” reveal Whitman’s love of freedom through democracy as his source of inspiration which he conveys as good news for Americans to hear.
In 1920, Langston Hughes became the voice of black America. He was the inspirational voice of the African-Americans, the hope and motivation of many. Langston wrote about freedom of creative expression, about ordinary people leading ordinary lives, politics, America, dreams, equality and inequality. No surprise was created when his poem: “I, Too, Sing America” was about a black man wish and hopes to live a life with equality. This poem conveys the fact that despite the differences of color, all people living in America are Americans and have the right to be treated equally. Langston’s poem “I, Too, Sing America” illustrates the hope of equality, ambition and freedom of an oppressed person.