America is not the sanctuary it claims to be. The values of the U.S do not coincide with its history of oppression, slavery, racism and sexism. Langston Hughes’ poem “ Let America be America Again” eloquently exposes a trap disguised as a haven. America is not America yet because it is not true to its values, it 's reoccurring problems in different forms and the fact that 1% of the population actually achieve the “American Dream”. It is fair to say that the first Americans used their freedom to take away those of others. No line showcases this better than, “And torn from black Africa’s strand I came/ “To build a homeland of the free” (5-6). The U.S was founded on the concept that all men have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. …show more content…
The quote , “ The millions who have nothing for our pay except the dream that’s almost dead today.” (16-17) describe people who have lost hope in their country. The speaker is saying that for all the work they 've worked they have nothing to show for it , the only thing they have are lost dreams. Which encourages one to ask, was the “ American dream” for everyone? Perhaps this was the America “they” meant it to be. America is a country that has not been with all its promises lost in greed and sin.The last stanza encourages readers to take control, start anew and make America the place they once dreamed it to be. Langston Hughes’ poem “let America be America Again” shows the many challenges a country faces to be its best self. Countries are controlled by human beings who are not perfect and it is a reflection of their ideas beliefs and values and as people change a nation change as well. However, a nation must live up to the expectation of the people and hold their beliefs and values to be its truest self possible. If a nation can not do this then it is up to the people to foster
Dubbed as “The Greatest Country in the World” by god knows who, America is not as awesome and free as some may see. In doing a close reading of Heather Christle’s “Five Poems for America”, we can see how the author uses metaphors to portray a flawed American, specifically within its political system, religion, obsession with technology and basic human rights. Americans have been living with the oppression of these everyday issues, completely oblivious thus creating the America we infamously know today.
In the first poem "Let America be America" by Langston Hughes the speaker is talking about how America is not what it seems from what everyone thought it was. In the lines it states,
America is a façade hidden behind its notorious past, with an even more troubling present. The land of the free, home of the brave, and one nation claimed to be united under the presence of an omnipotent power, but is it really? America profits off of the so-called dream that is sold to the hopeful and broken. This nation has been riddled with violence, persecution, hatred, and a false sense of togetherness. Racism was not the beginning, it was the ending result of a power struggle between those who wanted control and those who had it. The systematic enslavement and dehumanization of blacks resulted in the concept of a racial caste division, creating the idea of us vs. them (Wacquant, 2002). The Jim Crow laws, prisons, and the creation of ghettos
Ronald Takaki quotes Langston Hughes in his book A Different Mirror “ Let American be America again, let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed, … I am the red man driven from the land, I am the Immigrant clutching the hope I seek, O let my land be a land where, equality is the air we breathe.” (Takaki, 19-20). “‘We the’diverse ‘people of the United States’ transformed America into a mighty economy and an amazing unique society of varied races, ethnicities, and religion.” (Takaki, 20). Takaki wrote in his book, “ Day of spacious dreams! I sailed for America, Overblown with hope.” ( Takaki, 14). Would not all immigrants come here for a better life? Yes, Ken Vinson, who works at a local power station in Marshalltown, Iowa said, “Some people came here because they were desperate. I don’t care how they got here, and they have a family. Now all of the sudden you want to rip these people out and send them back? I wouldn’t want my family torn apart like that.’” (Barabak, 2016) . An opponent may say, their desire and dreams take away our hope. Desires, dreams, and hopes, however, are contagious and
The poem “America” by Tony Hoagland reflects on how peoples’ minds are clouded by small-scale items, money, and the unimportance of those items. Metaphors and imagery are utilized to emphasize the unimportance of materialistic items in America. How America is being flooded with unnecessary goods. The poem uses examples of people to create an example and connection to the overall meaning.
Poems are expression of the human soul, and even though, is not everyone’s cup of tea when the individual finds that special poem it moves their soul one with the poet. There are many poets in the world, but the one that grab my attention the most was no other than Langston Hughes. It would be impossible for me to cover all the poems he wrote, but the one that grab my attention the most is called “Let America Be America Again.” It first appeared in “1938 pamphlet by Hughes entitled A New Song. Which was published by a socialist organization named the International Worker Order” (MLM) and later change back to its original name. I have never felt such an energy coming out of a poem like this one which is the reason that I instantly felt in love with it.
According to Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” In other words, Lincoln is outlining that the American nation will not be annihilated or its predominant principles of liberty, to which the nation had been constituted by, diminished by collision with foreign nations; conversely, if freedom is inhibited, the country’s security of liberty would be abated. Primarily, the American nation had been forged based on the liberty of all citizens in the form of the inalienable rights of all individuals, from its early years of collision with Great Britain, forging a nation that does not bereave
He brings to mind all those who suffered and fought for the freedom known as the American Dream. He prompts an emotional response from the reader to show how those early settlers, the slaves, the farmers, the factory workers, the common laborer, all those who gave a part of themselves for this land felt as they fought for the “mighty dream” (???) of America. Even though there is still the hope of that dream, it is unobtainable for many. No matter how hard they work, no matter how determined they are, they will never be more than what they are as long as there are those in power who constantly step on and dominate in order to obtain and keep the power they desperately desire. But the heart of America is strong and must fight to keep the dream alive because without hope, the American people have nothing to live for. It does not matter where one comes from or what one does. The American Dream is for everyone, is what keeps America alive, and is in the heartbeat of every American citizen. “We, the people, must redeem” or land “and make America again”
America the home the free and the brave is a term coined by past generations as a well known saying that patriots hold true,however not all people feel that is a true statement. America a place known for its freedom of speech,right to bear arms and the freedom to be whomever you want, however, for some the American dream is not a reality privileged to all. Millions of people walk the streets of American suburbs and shuffling cities everyday,some just stopping at their local corner store or hustling to get to their place of employment. Many minorities think of the start of their day to be an everyday struggle that is filled with a daily reminder of prejudicial viewpoints,racial profiling and competition at every corner they turn. America is not so kind to everyone,minorities are often the cause of media exploitation,false criminal statistics and mass media hype.
From the very beginning of colonial settlement to the crafting of the Constitution, freedom was never a given, and was often used as a tool to increase economic output for those who selfishly held it. This essay will discuss how the theme of freedom, particularly the pursuit of acquiring it, was immensely important during the initial centuries of America and absolutely essential to its creation, growth and development.
Even after declaring slavery illegal Jim Crowe laws restricted the freedoms of anyone that wasn’t white. America kept Japanese people in concentration camps under the guise that they were a threat against or safety and freedom. It was easy to justify taking someone else’s freedom away by making sure America knew they were attacking ours. America a nation built by immigration was also plagued by some of the most racist and unjust immigration laws. Freedom may be guaranteed in America but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t
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
This concept was later expanded upon in the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson and became the motto of American democracy: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. However, the founding fathers and their influential Enlightenment Era philosophers often referred to blacks as “savages” and “inferior humans”, denying them these “inalienable” rights. It is through this manipulation of language and human understanding that African Americans were denied the most basic elements of freedom. The Constitution itself is highly influenced by Enlightenment thought and meant to serve as the mark of an egalitarian republic. However, it includes no mention of the word “slave”, yet directly condones the foreign importation of slaves for at least 20 years after its ratification. This is evidence that African Americans were marginalized in their aspirations for freedom, strictly because their subjugated position in society benefited
“You stuff somebody into the American Dream, and it becomes prison,” Craig L. Thomas once said.” When we think of the American Dream, most people will automatically think of the ideals of equality, freedom, and prosperity. In Emma Lazarus’ famous poem, The New Colossus, Emma uses the Statue of Liberty to represent the American Dream. From this poem, it implies that the Statue of Liberty will help guide the immigrants, and help them live better life that guaranteed them freedom. On the other hand, in Langston Hughes’ poem, I, Too, his thoughts oppose the ideals of the American Dream. He highlights and exposes the actual American Dream that black people as slaves had to deal and live with. Instead of being free, they are actually locked away
The American Dream is something people think about over the country. Citizens have an equal opportunity to achieve their dream if they work hard and that American Dream would become a reality. According to some citizens, their dream would consist of a house, an education, and a job. The most important part is just providing some sort of shelter over your family’s head and food on the table so they survive. “The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive, and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American Dream” (Hilfiger). This quote is saying that the amount of effort and drive you put into something could make a difference on whether or not you can earn the dream. Not everyone is going to get it, but it’s worth a try if it will make you happy in return.