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.
“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.
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
The poem tells of a young black with a writing assignment in which he must simple write a page on whatever he wants. Hughes uses the narrator in this poem to give some insight on the obstacles that he believed stood in his path while he was trying to pursue his dream of becoming a writer. The speaker tells the audience that he is in college and that “I am the only colored student in my class” (Hughes line 10). During that time period, it was very rare for anyone of color to participate in higher education. The speaker tells us he is from the Harlem area, and he identifies with the people of Harlem just as Harlem identifies with him. Hughes understood the feelings and everyday lives of the people of Harlem, New York, and gave his fictional speaker those same understandings. The writer tells his audience of his feelings towards the white American population when he says, “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who are other races” (lines 25-26). Hughes’s used his speaker to explain how black and whites both want to be writers, but blacks are put at a disadvantage due to the social differences of the two. Langston Hughes wanted his readers to understand the cultural differences of people of color and people on non-color. Jeannine Johnson asserts that “for Hughes, poetry is to some degree about self-expression and self-exploration, especially when the "self" is understood to mark the identity of an individual who is always affected by and affecting a larger culture.” One of the most noted portions of this poem is when the speaker tells his instructor, “You are white / yet a part of me, as I am a part of you / That’s American” (lines 31-33). These lines tell the reader that although whites and blacks have their differences, that regardless of race they are both American. Hughes uses
...art of Langston Hughes poem, “I, Too, Sing America”, is the use of the word too. Too shows that Hughes, and other African Americans, are just as much of America as anyone else. Not everyone has the opportunity to say they are a part of something with such conviction. Hughes, through two short works, showed the injustice in America at the time. His writings show a time that America now looks back on with great shame. These well-written poems give hope to those who have read it and enlighten those who read it now. Hughes crosses the societal boundaries to declare, “ I, too, am America”(“I, too” 17).
The poem by Langston Hughes begins with, “I too, sing America.” Analyzing the words “ I, too” shows that the speaker wants to be and feel included in the singing to America. This brings up the question of who else is singing to America? Looking at the word “sing” it could be in a joyful sense in which the speaker imagines America as being a big chorus, and he too wants to be part of the chorus in singing to America. He no longer wants to be left out. This line is repeated twice, which puts emphasizes on them. The next stanza says:
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
Written in the 1860s, I Hear America Singing, by the American poet, Walt Whitman describes the Song of America. This classic poem glows with Whitman’s optimistic view of the American dream that appears in many of his poems. Though life in the 21st century is very different from that of the 1800s, the principles embodied in Whitman’s free-verse poem still apply to our country. Whitman’s poem was the embodiment of the American dream, the idea that you could achieve success and happiness no matter your background. Whether your song is that of the mechanic’s, the carpenter, the mason, or even the CEO at the spire of a skyscraper, your song can become a success. This is the topic of my poem. America’s song is a still a great symphony comprised of the high notes of hope, the chorus of promise and opportunity, and rhythm of tension and balance.
Langston Hughes uses poetic elements to express the reader his feelings towards America. Langston Hughes is very upset that America is not what it promised to be. Living in America, he never saw America to be the land of the free, what it promised to be. Instead, he saw America to be cruel to him and now wants to change America to be the country of the free he thought it was. He expresses all his emotion about America, in his poem, Let America Be America Again, by using connotative diction, repetition, narrative tone and organization; poetic elements.
During the Republican State Convention on June 16, 1858, Abraham Lincoln delivered an acceptance speech that would be known as both preeminent and prophetic—the House Divided speech. While this speech stands as one of Lincoln’s most famous speeches and a force that propelled his launch to presidency in 1860, the House Divided speech also serves as a historical document that is in direct dialogue with Walt Whitman’s poem, “Song of Myself” of 1855. Lincoln’s main objective in the speech is to show how the country can not continue to be half slave and half free but rather a nation where slavery is either extinct or fully accepted by all states and territories. In Lincoln’s words the nation “will become all one thing, or all the other” (Lincoln 1).The fluidity of Whitman’s “Song of Myself” connects with Lincoln’s ideology by showing through the speaker’s three personalities—Walt Whitman, Me Myself, and the Soul—that a metaphorical “house”(country) divided will fall. Whitman uses the three different personalities to show that all men are equal in a society and also that everyone has a distinct role that must be followed in order for the “house” to stand. The House Divided speech illuminates the notion of superiority necessitating a house’s standing in “Song of Myself” by showing that there must be a hierarchical system of roles in the country while the “Song of Myself” also penetrates the House Divided by showing the importance of diversity in a “house.”
To conclude, Langston Hughes uses race in his poems as a way to break down the racial barriers that are placed on society. It is seen in his poem, Let America be America Again, that he doesn’t only want racial equality for African Americans but for all races. It is also important to point out that some of his poems use race as a way to describe the struggles of slaves or the oppression on slaves. He does this to provide an insight into how African American’s view slavery and how they feel about it. The poems that Hughes writes can relate to today’s time period as well as his, although racial issues aren’t as severe as they were in his time there are still issues in 2014 that can be made more equal to all races. A great thing about his poetry is that many of the poems that have a theme of race also result in a subsiding theme of h
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...
The poem “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes is dedicated to the America that never was. Hughes narrates the poem, taking on multiple identities to represent a small portion of the groups that America has lied to. Hughes manages to recreate a broken American Dream, sold to the minority of rich white men only, which in turn becomes fool’s gold for the actual minorities of America. However, Hughes neglects to reflect the marginalized women of America and projects a falsified dream upon Native Americans, while still providing commentary on the hypocrisy of “freedom” in America. This is seen by the lack of female voices, a common dream extended to the Red Man, and the concept of equality.
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.