Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Contrast and compare poems
Essay on comparison and contrast of poetry
Poetry Comparison Essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Contrast and compare poems
African Americans have felt oppressed for several years, beginning from when they were slaves in America and even when they became free citizens. Two pieces of literature which clearly explicate how African Americas they felt when they were persecuted are I, Too by Langston Hughes and Frederick Douglas by Robert Hayden. While Hayden portrays that attaining freedom is inevitable and pays tribute to Frederick Douglas for helping African Americans attain freedom, Hughes clearly portrays that African Americans have hope for that racial equality will be established one day. The poem Frederick Douglas by Robert Hayden mainly focuses on Frederick Douglas’ fight in order to help all African Americans to achieve freedom and the struggle of obtaining …show more content…
This work of literature begins with the narrator asserting that he also could “sing America,” signifying his love for America even though he is the “darker brother” who doesn’t have the same privileges as the lighter brothers. The first line indicates that the speaker is indeed patriotic to America even though he isn’t a lighter brother. The speaker continues to explain that because he is a darker brother, he must only eat in the kitchen and isn’t allowed to sit at the table. This suggests that the time period is during the time of racial segregation. Although he isn’t allowed to sit at the table or has to eat in the kitchen, the speaker doesn’t become gloomy, but instead becomes hopeful that change will come. He doesn’t criticize the lighter brothers, but rather is determined and positive that things will change soon. The speaker is hopeful that “tomorrow” he too will be seated at the table and won’t have to eat in the kitchen. He is optimistic in that others will see that he is also “beautiful” and will become ashamed. This poem is also formed with free verses, which signify that this poem is also attempting to symbolize the impression of freedom with the poem running freely. Hence it is clear that Hughes believes that racial equality is certain and has hope that it will come
I believe both clips would be a thorough way to help people understand the horrors of slavery. Clip 2 describes Douglass's two masters Captain Anthony and his overseer Mr. Plummer. Douglass states that Captain Anthony, "He was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slaveholding. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave." (Clip 2) His overseer Mr. Plummer "was a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer, and a savage monster" (Clip 2) he was known to have cut and slash women's head so horribly that even the Master, the cruel man that he was, would at times be so outraged at his cruelty that he would threaten to whip him. They were terrible to their slaves and what they would do to them, Aunt Hester being an example. During
a slave. He says, "I am the darker brother." He is what the rest of the people ignore about America and what they think is okay. Hughes says how he has to hide under the table when company comes and how he is neglected as a person. "But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong." Even though he is neglected he doesn’t forget that it will get better. If he eats and gets stronger under that table the next day he will not have to sit under the table. Hughes has hope. His views on what America is about are completely different from the views of Whitman. Hughes is the darker brother. "They’ll see how beautiful I am, and be ashamed." Hughes is telling the readers that once people see how beautiful he is they wont treat him and think of him the way they do.
To conclude, Frederick Douglass’s determination is admirable because he never ceased to defend the rights, freedom and equality of himself and others. He fought throughout his entire life, and in the end he was able to see the results of his life’s work. Through his effort, he was able to change the lives of the American people and history. Revolutionaries like Frederick Douglass who did not conform to are the kind of people that this world needs more of today. who create an impact and change in the world because they fight for what really matters, rather than settling and waiting for others to do the
In the line “I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen” (Hughes 2-3) is denial of a particular person due to the pigmentation of their skin. The African American race had to suffer and be treated differently because of one small detail that was out of their control. Many individuals struggled with how they were treated during this time and others let such treatment make them stronger. As seen in the following lines “Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the kitchen, then.” Hughes illustrates that the narrator is in touch with being the same as everyone else. These lines show that he knows what he deserves and he will stand up for himself. Guilt of being a certain race is not hanging over the narrator’s head unlike many others who feel defeated. This poem stands for those who see themselves equally with the ones that look down upon them. “I, too, am America” is a testament of faith in his countrymen and women to recognize and appreciate the contribution of African-American citizens.” (Lewis) shows that America should be proud of the strong ethnic mix. Hughes possessed optimism for all human beings and took a lot of pride in showing that through his
This leads the reader to put the point of view of the poem into play. Because it talks of such a brother, and because Hughes’s was a revolutionary poet who constantly wrote on the struggles of the black man, then the reader is able to easily interpret the poem as a cry for the African-American man. Langston Hughes’s writing as an African American then makes the narration very probable and realistic. Another example of Hughes’s constant struggles with racism and his inner and thoughtful response to that is clearly seen when he recalls being denied the right to sit at the same table. His point of view is that he was not able to sit at the table because he was an African-American.
Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglas are both ideally similar but at the same time, vastly different. While their paths to freedom are not in line, they share the same views on the value of education. Likewise goals and methods are a point on which they do not agree. Neither of them lived a soft and easy life, but if you were to ask one of them, he would tell you that he lived life to the fullest and it was good.
Slavery has existed in America since the country was first founded. Slavery died down and then it began to become heavy in the south during the 17th century. The invention of the cotton gin made white men in the south determined to have slaves help build their economy up. They knew that cotton would help them, so slavery began once again. There were millions of Africans sold into slavery. Many of the African Americans were treated cruelly by their owners. Many were beat to death or wiped. The woman were sexaully assulted and families were tore apart. Two influential people who freed themselves from the bitter south became inspirational. Harriet Jacobs and Frederick Douglass became the voices of the south. There were many key differences and similarities to both of their slave experiences.
In this final research analysis, I will be doing a comparison between the “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” and the “Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson” to show how both Douglass and Rowlandson use a great deal of person strength and faith in God to endure their life and ultimately gain their freedom.
Hughes uses his tone in the poem to convey not only to identify who he is but also who we are as humanity. He also implies the limitations of racial tension and reflects what it means to be American identity as a unity throughout the poem.
These lines portray the strong desire of blacks to be seen as equivalents and take a legitimate seat at the “dinner table” of life. “Nobody’ll dare / Say to me / “Eat in the kitchen” (11-13). Hughes imagines the day when whites will no more have the bold courage to show prejudice and blacks will not be denied their places in a nation based only on the shading of their skin. At that point, with the shrug of the shoulders, Langston Hughes closes “Besides / They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed” (15-17). He is not alluding to his boyish appeal or slicked back hair when he talks about his charm. Langston utilizes these lines to show the desire that when all the chains of persecution are removed and the covers of prejudice and discrimination are lifted, people will perceive the magnificence of black society, art, music, and patriotism. He feels that this beauty will be extraordinary to the point that it will disgrace the individuals who mistreated them and make them ask why they have despised such a wonderful thing for so long. Hughes’ last line, “I, too, am America” (18) is implicated to the title and opening line which represents the dignity and self-esteem in African Americans to call themselves Americans. Despite the fact that they have not been broadened the accommodations of this
In the poem Hughes is talking about being sent to the kitchen to eat when company arrives. “They send me to eat in the kitchen, when company comes.” In this quote, he directly shows the treatment that colored people are subjected to. They (being white people) don't feel as though colored people are good enough or on the same level as them to be eating at the same table. They are looked upon as less to go eat in the kitchen. This shows what Hughes was trying to display that people of color are thought of as less, so the American dream is out of reach for them. Another quote that stuck out was him describing himself as America. “I, too, am America.” This quote is very important because it's basically a clever way of telling people that colored people matter too. They are no matter what color, a vital and crucial part of America and they matter, so they should be treated as everyone else instead of being looked down upon. This is a backlash to the oppression felt reminding people they are important as
In Langston Hughes’ allusion poem to Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing”, Hughes introduces the idea of the “..darker brother” (line 2) to Whitman’s everyday workers. In his poem “I, Too, Sing America”, Hughes uses a combination of conceit, optimistic diction, and enjambment to convey the discrimination the African American community had to go through and their hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow..
Toward the end of Hughes poem, he says "I, too, am America." I like this line because everybody ought to be dealt with similarly on the grounds that skin color isn't a legitimate motivation to treat somebody in an unexpected way; In the same fashion, Martin Luther King Jr once said that he had a dream that one day black people and also referring to his four children, will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I think Hughes poem additionally communicates the way that white individuals have constantly made bogus judgments of African
Yesterday Class was very helpful for me, because I was really confused with everything, since we were the end of the semester, and I was actually glad I came, because I was struggling with my lesson planning and I had now idea how to even began, but after the class it was clear for me, and I am glad we did one lesson plan the in class.
In this poem, Hughes shows how black people went through racism and struggles being considered the lower class in America. Yet, unlike most poets who write about racism, Hughes shows readers that African-Americans were This stanza includes seven lines and includes the part where the speaker identifies himself. “I am the darker brother/ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When company comes, /But I laugh, / And eat well, / And grow strong” (pg. 713). These lines give readers an overall idea of why he said “I Too sing America” because it shows how he was telling that even though he has darker skin than white Americans, he is still an American.