Langston Hughes Essay

This was a cause for celebration, hence the symbol of singing. Whitman lists each profession followed by what they do and how it is their distinct song. He also related this to how wach one is American and this variety and joy is what makes them American. The point he is trying to get across, is that the freedom in America is a cause for celebration and should not be taken for granted. We need to enjoy the freedom we have been so graciously blessed with. There is nothing more special than the ability to freely do what we find desirable each and every day. Hughes' poem, I, Too, Sing America, is very different in the theme; the main theme is how he is viewed in America, being an African-American. He talks about how he treated differently because of his color. For example, " I am the darker brother/ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When company comes"(Lines 2-4). It is clear that he is not treated equally because of his skin color. In this poem, he explains that, although he has dark skin, he too sings. He wants to, and is apart of their culture and country. Nothing and nobody can take that away from him. He explains that one day everyone will see how beautiful he is and be ashamed of how they treated him. These two poems, clearly have different themes; however, Hughes' poem, I, Too, Sing America, builds off of Whitman's poem, I Hear America Singing, by saying that he is just as American and wants to enjoy the freedom of the country he resigns in and can "sing" just as

Born ten years after the death of Walt Whitman, there was no possible way for Langston Hughes to ever meet or communication with Whitman, but that did not mean Hughes could not establish a connection to him, or at least his work. In 1925, Hughes wrote a poem titled “I, Too” was inspired by and directed in response to the poem “I Hear America Singing”, which was composed by Whitman much earlier. Whitman’s poem consisted of a variety of different American laborers who “sing” as they do their jobs. This well-known poem never specifically addresses the ethnicity of these singing laborers of the American population, but Hughes sets about to rectify that omission.

Both Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman are regarded as some of the finest poets in a long list of excellent American poets. Hughes, a poet during the Harlem Renaissance era of American poetry, often wrote of the struggles of African Americans in his poetry. A common theme of Harlem Renaissance poetry was discussing the struggles and advancements of African Americans in terms of social justice. Walt Whitman wrote his poetry in the period of transition from transcendentalism and realism. His works can be seen to incorporate elements of both styles. Walt Whitman was also a humanist, and this can also be readily seen in his many works. Both Langston Hughes’ “Let America Be America Again” and Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” tackle the idea of oneself within a larger collective group. However, Hughes speaks from the African American viewpoint at the time. Hughes relies on more specific imagery, while Whitman incorporates imagery that is more generalized. Each of the authors uses imagery in similar yet individually effective ways, covers a similar theme with respective viewpoints, and uses different tones to cover how an individual effectively fits into a collective.

    There is a very powerful message in Langston Hughes poem I, Too, that message is we are all Americans no matter what differences we have. During the Harlem Renaissance, African Americans were treated just like Africans, even though they were born in America. All of them at that time were born and raised in America, that should make them American. Hughes says in his poem “I, too, sing America”(1). Hughes says he is American just like

The well known poet Langston Hughes was an inspiring character during the Harlem Renaissance to provide a push for the black communities to fight for the rights they deserved. Hughes wrote his poetry to deliver important messages and provide support to the movements. When he was at a young age a teacher introduced him to poets Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, and they inspired him to start his own. Being a “darker brother,” as he called blacks, he experienced and wanted his rights, and that inspired him. Although literary critics felt that Langston Hughes portrayed an unattractive view of black life, the poems demonstrate reality. Hughes used the Blues and Jazz to add effect to his work as well as his extravagant word use and literary

        One of the most noticable similarities between the two pieces of poetry, "I Hear America Singing", and "I, Too, Sing America", is the theme of unity. Both poems express what America is, and that is the people in America. Whitman's poem however, doesn't include blacks in his poem, but all other kinds of people. Hughes', poem makes it so that he is included. For example, Whitman's poem celebrates, "The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,

One poetic device Hughes uses is repetition. Throughout the poem, repetition has been used in order to strengthen his tone and make his point. Hughes starts off the poem with a desirement for America to be the dream he has always dreamed of:

Hughes's poem builds on top of Whitman’s poem in more ways than one. Every single person with their described job in Whitman’s poem was said to have been sung loud and strong as to what they were doing when working, meaning that they took pride in how they worked and what kind of work they did. With how there's so many types of people and jobs being talked about in Whitman’s poem, you would think it would include the lives of blacks and how they have dealt with all the racism and stuff at the time (later on too). Hughes’s poem is a type of add-on to Whitman’s poem in the way of including the whole of black people into the mix, with many lines in the poem stating things of which overall say that even if you’re black you should still be allowed to partake in things and be in an area without any prejudice towards your skin color.

Langston Hughes was one of the first black men to express the spirit of blues and jazz

Langston Hughes clearly connects with a wide range of audiences through the simplicity that surrounds his poetry. The beauty of this manner in which he wrote his poetry, is that it grasp people by illustrating his narratives of the common lifestyles experienced by the current American generation. His art form expresses certain questionable ideologies of life and exposes to the audience what it takes to fully comprehend what being an American truly means. Each individual poem describes and illustrates the strength and hardships the African American community was experiencing. Through his literature art form of poetry, Hughes was able to convey the common assertions of

The speaker uses end–stops to emphasize his confidence in his identity. The sextet has a plethora of metaphors which may stand for American society. Moreover, the speaker deploys imagery, such as, “darker brother”, “tables”, and “company” which frames America more as a salad bowl versus a salad bowl due to the lack of true integration into society (2). For instance, the imagery alludes that the poem’s theme is really about race and discrimination as one might assume when reading. Given these points, the poem illustrates the speaker’s critique of a larger order. In the following line, the line break allows the reader to pause before beginning the next line in the stanza, which introduces the imagery of a kitchen. The metaphor of the kitchen suggests the theme of a second class citizen subjected to segregation in the United States. In doing so, the speaker inadvertently compares his position to a servant when he states that the company shoos him away to eat in the kitchen like a servant against his own will. The speaker’s language suggests that he compares his position to the role of a servant and master to describe his present experiences with segregation. Despite being shunned due to his racial background, the speaker’s triumph is illustrated in a series of enjambements and commas that guide the reader: “But I laugh/And eat well” (5–7). Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is regarded as one of the most significant American authors of the twentieth century. Foremost a poet, he was the first African-American to earn a living solely from his writings after he became established. Over a forty-year career beginning in the 1920s until his death in 1967, Hughes produced poetry, plays, novels, and a variety of nonfiction. He is perhaps best known for his creation of the fictional character, Jesse B. Semple, which first appeared in a Chicago Defender newspaper column in 1943. Hughes’ writings focused mainly on the lives of plain black people and show their beauty, wisdom, and strength to overcome social and economic injustice.

In this essay I will be talking about the differences between Walt Whitman's poem “ I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes poem “ I, Too, Sing America”. I will also be giving my opinion on whether or not Langston Hughes is responding to Walt Whitman's poem. Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and a columnist from Joplin, Missouri. Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and a journalist from West Hills, New York. This is all just background information about the two poets jobs and of where they came from. In the poem “ I Hear America Singing” Walt Whitman talks about lots of different types of jobs and of their distinctive carols. He talks of mechanics and how their singing is blithe and

Next, the poet describes the different things he has seen and the places where he has gone. He, therefore expresses how beautiful the world can be if one goes out an explores; this shows he is more free than before. Hughes, takes on a serious tone and the poem is more formal. Time has passed when he wrote this poem according too, the places and events he has seen with Abe Lincoln and slavery. Hughes, describes the things that have occurred during the time of his life and him seeing everything.

The general idea of imagery in Whitman’s poem was people being happy about their jobs. While in Hughes poem it shows how he was treated and how he wasn’t so proud