The Jazz Age’s View of America The nature of an ideology is completely personal; one’s interpretation may vary greatly from another’s interpretation. This is demonstrated in the two poems, “America” by Claude McKay and “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes. Both of these poems emerge from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, and though these two poems each describe an ideological viewpoint of America as a place and a concept, the two speakers view the subject differently from one another. Both poets employ similar sound devices, yet the tones and themes vary between the two works. Hughes’s poem, “Let America be America Again” conveys a forward-looking, emboldened tone. The speaker acknowledges the suffering of all of the different people, from the “poor white” (Hughes 19) to the “red man” (Hughes 20) to the “Negro” (Hughes 32). The speaker attempts to name all who have suffered in America, but continues to dream that …show more content…
In line 6, the speaker requests that “America be the dream the dreamers dreamed” (Hughes). This sing-songy style coupled with the repetition of the word “dream” underlines the importance of the message of the poem by reiterating the point the author wishes to make: Americans wish America truly was the place where man can seek his fortune. Hughes also plays with rhyme: throughout the poem, the lines often end with an “ee” sound, though no formal structure is employed. The speaker states that America is a place where man is “seeking a home where he himself is free/(America never was America to me)” (Hughes 4-5), and at the end of the poem, the speaker repeats “America never was America to me” shortly followed by “America will be!” (Hughes 92-94). This repetition of rhyme highlights the speaker’s hope that he, along with his fellow countrymen, will one day be free. Hughes’s belief of a better tomorrow is demonstrated in this
The poem “Likewise” by Langston Hughes is about Jews living and selling products in Harlem. But looking deeper into the writing reveals references to the creeping increase of antisemitism in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
Have you ever heard the expression money isn’t everything? Well it’s true and in Langston Hughes short story, “Why, You reckon,” Hughes reveals his theme of how people aren’t always as happy as they seem when they have lots of money.
Although Langston Hughes’ “Why, You Reckon?” is a short story, it encapsulates differences between races and classes in American society. The story highlights the desperate and hopeless lives of poor African-Americans in Harlem, New York, who would do anything just so they can fill their stomachs. Hughes adds a contrast by putting in a white man who uses his money and privileges to try to experience the exuberance of Harlem but fails to do so. Written in 1934, during the peak of racial divide in America, Langston Hughes’ “Why, you reckon?” shows that real experiences, not money, contribute to happiness.
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
“Fantasy in Purple” is a short poem that consists of nine lines in which Hughes writes about a music motif to describe the depression African Americans went through at the time of racial segregation. Hughes wrote this poem to make the readers show empathy for what the African Americans went through in the 1900s. In the lines one, two, and six the words “Beat the drums of tragedy,” is repeated as a repetition. This repeated line talks about the beating and depression the speaker went through during the time. The poet uses a lot of imagery to express the speaker’s feelings in a more poetic tone.
This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality, only to find out that at this time equality for blacks does not exist. It is written for fellow black men, in an effort to make them understand that the American dream is not something to abandon hope in, but something to fight for. The struggle of putting up with the racist mistreatment is evident even in the first four lines:
“I swear to the Lord, I still can't see, why Democracy means, everybody but me”. These are the words of Langston Hughes, a black writer and poet from the early twentieth century. This man was famous for his portrayal of the realities of black life and culture in America. Although some literary critics may feel that Hughes’s poetry presented an unattractive view of black life, his poetry demonstrated the reality of their lives. Many of Hughes’s poems stand out in their description of the black experience. Some of the poems that stand out include “Ku Klux,” “House In the World,” and “Children’s Rhymes.” These poems delve into the world of fear, segregation, and the lost innocence of black culture. These poems genuinely demonstrate the difficult lives most black people had to live.
His overall poem envisions a day in which black and whites will eat “at the table” together, as equal Americans with the same human and civil rights. His poem contains two major themes of patriotism and equality. At the beginning of the poem, the speaker declares that he too can “sing America”, meaning that the speaker has the right to openly feel patriotic towards the American country. Even though the speaker is a different, darker skin color, and is not allowed to sit at the table and has to eat in the kitchen, he should still be able to appreciate and celebrate the country he resides in. If he wanted to be patriotic, he argues that it’s unnecessary to care about race when there’s commonality in country and patriotic attitude. There’s a hopeful tone to this poem, as the speaker shows that African Americans are a valuable part in the American country and he foresees a future with a racially equal society. African Americans at the time, like Hughes, suffered from common racial segregation practices and were forced to face constant discrimination in their everyday lives, and with that, equality is the second theme that he addresses in this
Let America Be America Again, written by Langston Hughes, was written to make a satirical statement about the American Dream. He uses personification, alliteration, and imagery to bring home his point that the “dream the dreamers dreamed” (Hughes ???) not only has never existed but will never truly exist for the common man. According to the speaker, assumed to be Hughes but in reality could be anyone who is hopeless and unhappy in this land where “equality is in the air we breathe” (???), that as long as there are “kings” and “tyrants” (???), the American Dream is only an unobtainable goal but is something that must be kept alive.
Alexis de Tocqueville and Langston Hughes both have their own ideas about what America is, was, and should be. Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America praises American democracy in which everyone is included. This inclusion allows for democracy that everyone can be a part of and feel like they are contributing. On the contrary, Langston Hughes’s “Let America Be America Again” depicts an excluding America that does not treat everyone equivalently. Hughes portrays America as a misrepresentation that does not uphold the ideals that it is so famous for. The two works contrast in many ways but do have some similarities. Although their ideas are different, politics is still a choice. Tocqueville describes politics as a choice that everyone should make as it benefits them all while Hughes describes politics as a choice that some do not have the power to take part in. The differing sentiments between Democracy in America and “Let America Be America Again” stem
Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes captivate the attention of Americans through their poems “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too”. I chose these two pieces of literature because of their similar meanings in which everyone is American no matter what and even if there are hard times one can persevere through anything. These pieces are still relevant and important in our times due to conflicts among races, who fits where? And who would be included in the colorful term “American”. Through the use of a synecdoche both Walt Whitman in “I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes in “I, Too” answer the diverse question of what and who are Americans.
Often depicted as a melting pot, America is always being put on a pedestal by the rest of the world due to the large amounts of successful immigrants in the United States. Millions of people have packed their bags and moved to America in hopes of achieving their dreams. While some succeed, others fail and are let down by the dim reality that not everyone can achieve their goals. This essay will compare the poems, “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes and “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus to exhibit my perspective on both works. Both poems portray people’s hopes that America will be great, however, due to the different eras and the authors’ backgrounds, the poems have different meanings. Lazarus’ poem was written in the early stages of America, as it describes her cheerful
Many may agree with the message Langston Hughes was conveying in his poem entitled Let America Be America Again, wishing things didn't happen the way it did that caused America to look corruptive. I felt as though throughout his poem based on the title he states the hardships that Americans had to face in the past and even how America is glorified as "land of the free" but with many struggles as well the terrible things that have occured in America it will never be America again and Hughes knows that because there is no such thing as "America being America again" he only wishes it was that way.
population is oppressed and must ignore or postpone their dreams. The more dreams are postponed
The poems I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whitman, and I, Too, by Langton Hughes, both convey ideal American societies in which to live in. However, while Whitman’s poem focuses on the present American society and highlights the positive attributes of it’s culture, Hughes’ poem is based on the American ethos’ current flaws, while also looking to the future for a more optimal society in which to live.