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. One can instantly feel the emotion coming out in the first sentence; “Let America be America again.”(MLM) This clearly show that Hughes was very passionate about his country and wanted the reader to be just as well. He quickly lets the reader now that he is not talking about going back to the old traditions, but to the old ideology. Hughes explain it this way, “Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed” and “…where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme that any man be crushed by on above.” (MLM) This shows his true heart because he wanted America to go back to dreaming big for a better tomorrow, but what he doesn’t want is the injustice that was so prevalent in the past. He wanted the nation to go back to that old ideology “that we are all created equal”() and should be treated as such. “There’s never been equality for me, nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.” Hughes quickly puts himself as the one being oppressed. His reader quickly discover that he is portraying himse... ... middle of paper ... ...qual treatment for every single individual. Hughes is clearly motivating the reader or the listener to take action not against America but against the corruption that is taking place in America because the true America is pure and good. Like millions of Americans or hundreds them that never really enjoy a poem I’m definitely one of them. There is so much anger in this poem that it quickly grabs my attention and pulled me into his world. I have never knew that such a poem could express such a strong emotion on paper, and even though, I don’t consider myself a communist lover I can clearly understand why he might have been one. His world was clearly different from mine and through his words I was able to feel his pain and suffering because of it. For people that never consider reading a poem they should give it a try because one’s never know what they will find.
The first thing the author, Langston Hughes, used to bring out his purpose for writing is the use of hyperbole. This can be seen in lines twenty-three and twenty-four of the poem. “He’s trying to ruin the government, And overturn the land!” (Hughes 23, 24) The landlord immediately jumps to an extreme in these lines. The landlord immediately jumps to this conclusion when the African-American man is trying to resolve the issue of the condition of his house. The landlord immediately viewed the man as a hostile person when he tried to
“I do not need my freedom when I’m dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread, ” (112) in this metaphor, the narrator doesn’t have the patience to wait for his own rights and freedom because by the time his freedom and rights are granted he will most likely be deceased and not be there to enjoy it/use it. He’s tired of living the way he is and the way he’s being mistreated. The narrator wants to live like every other white person. In this quote, “I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my own two feet And own the land,” (111) the author is expressing, through an idiom that he wants equality just like the whites. The narrator says that it’s not fair that the opposite color have more privileges than them. Another example from the poem says, “I live here,too. I want freedom Just as you” (112). Here the author is saying that the narrator needs his freedom because he can’t be treated like he is right now (unfair rights). Hughes is expressing his perspective on democracy by using figurative language and descriptive
In Langston Hughes' poem, "Freedom," he emphasizes the struggle to enjoy the freedoms that he knows are rightfully his. He reflects the American desire for freedom now when he says, "I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread." He recognizes the need for freedom in its entirety without compromise or fear.
Hughes refers to many event in the past that truly illustrate the short-coming of America in its attempt of a, “land where every man is free” (Line 64), speaking of slavery, gold rush, Great Depression, European settlement, and even the colonies. Hughes speaks about people coming to America; “land of love” (Line 7), “where never [there are] kings connive nor tyrants scheme, that any man be crushed by one above” (Lines 8-9), only to find that it was all just a dream. Each line seems to tell a story of oppression of an immigrant, “poor white, fooled and pushed apart” (Line 19), referring to all the European workers that came to San Francisco and New York looking for work; families being torn apart and punished. “I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars” (Line 20), referring to all the torture blacks had to go through and continued to live with for decades to come. “I am the red man driven from the land” (Line 21), speaking of the theft of land from the Native Americans.
... They focus more on the cultural aspects of identity that Hughes is very proud of, while poems “Democracy” and “Theme for English B” touch on some of the social concerns that created a struggle for dignity as a black person in the early/mid twentieth century. The “Democracy” is a slightly stern and direct request to take action and fight for civil rights. The “Theme for English B” is a compassionate and low-key personal anecdote that reiterates the unpracticed concept that “all men are created equal”. Despite the difference in tone and subject, all four poems relate to the central theme that dignity is something that white men may take for granted, but Langston Hughes, as a black man and a writer, sees and feels dignity as a fight and a struggle that he faces and that the black community as a whole faces every day.
What Hughes means by this is that he is trying to say that everyone no matters their skin color or anything, everyone deserves to have right and freedom. For example, on page 112 lines 1-4 it reads, “I have as much right as the other fellow has to stand on my feet and land”. This quote connects back to the thesis because it shows how strong Langston Hughes feels that he and others have as much right and freedom as suppose to the white people. As you can see, Langston Hughes feels that on democracy everybody should have it and
I came To build a “homeland of the free.” Hughes stresses that America is the land where “every man is free.” that includes the "poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME”. We should not forget how America was originally founded, especially in this day and age. Our core values of diversity are what makes America great, and we should never forget
When looking at the poem, Hughes expresses the pride that he has in his heritage and in who h...
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
Although he believes it was better in the past, he sees America as some sort of fraud because it was never a bastion of freedom. This quote, “O, let my land be a land where Liberty / Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, / But opportunity is real, and life is free, / Equality is in the air we breathe. / (There’s never been equality for me, / Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”) (Hughes, 11-16) captures the fabrication that America was never the home of the free. There is this concept that America is a place of freedom and equality but Hughes understandably does not see it this way. He utilizes examples of many groups of people that have been persecuted either racially or economically such as poor white people, black slaves, Native Americans, and immigrants (Hughes, 19-22). These persecuted groups are overlooked and not given the basic freedoms promised in
Hughes narrative essay commenced with a contradiction intended to entice the audience and evoke skepticism on his “salvation”. He portrayed real-life situations and cultural differences in the
Therefore, Hughes portrays the idea of progression of freedom and racial equality because he decided to stay in his seat and have the americans be ashamed of how they treated him for his
Langston Hughes wrote in his poem “I, too, Sing America,” “Nobody'll dare / Say to me, / "Eat in the kitchen," / Then” (Hughes). Hughes put forth the idea that freedom is not just freedom from slavery and in his poem “I, too, Sing America.” He shows that freedom can be from fear as well. In earlier lines in the poem, Hughes writes how he is sent to eat in the kitchen when company comes and he goes along with what he is told to do. However, in his last stanza he shows that he should be allowed to participate with the other people in the poem. He shows that he is a free man and that he can be a normal member of society and not be pushed out of the picture like before. The last few lines of the poem shows how freedom is attainable, he commanded respect and he was given it. The idea of freedom in the American Dream is very attainable, one must just push forward through whatever comes their way. Freedom is an important part of the American Dream and one of the main reasons that people come to
This image is the author’s perspective on the treatment of “his people” in not only his hometown of Harlem, but also in his own homeland, the country in which he lives. The author’s dream of racial equality is portrayed as a “raisin in the sun,” which “stinks like rotten meat” (Hughes 506). Because Hughes presents such a blatantly honest and dark point of view such as this, it is apparent that the author’s goal is to ensure that the reader is compelled to face the issues and tragedies that are occurring in their country, compelled enough to take action. This method may have been quite effective in exposing the plight of African-Americans to Caucasians. It can be easily seen that Hughes chooses a non-violent and, almost passive method of evoking a change. While Hughes appears to be much less than proud of his homeland, it is apparent that he hopes for a future when he may feel equal to his fellow citizens, which is the basis of the “dream” that has been
Langston Hughes, born on 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, was an American poet, novelist, and playwright during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. He saw and experienced constant racism and prejudice in his life and later wrote in an attempt to help the oppressed have a voice. Hughes’ poem “Let America Be America Again” was originally published in an issue of Esquire Magazine in 1936, though he first wrote the poem in 1935. The poem was last published in 1938 in a small collection of Hughes poems called A New Song. The poem was written with attention to tone, diction, structure, and poetic devices to give a voice to Americans being denied the American dream.