Langston Hughes Let Usa Be America Again Summary

Life, liberty, freedom, equality, opportunity, and so many other words have been used to describe the United States of America. Every American child grows up with the words “the land of the free” pounded into their heads, and every morning schools declare America as a place of “liberty and justice for all.” Such inflated rhetoric presents America with large shoes to fill. Thus, America’s shortcomings should not be surprising. Langston Hughes and Upton Sinclair were two 20th Century writers, who saw past this idealistic talk and saw the jungle that the United States really was. Langston Hughes wrote in his poem “Let America be America Again”, “Let America be America again. –Let it be the dream it used to be. –Let it be the pioneer on the plain –Seeking a home where himself is free. –(America was never America to me) (1).” He highlights not only the experience of African Americans during the 1930s, but identifies with other oppressed groups including immigrants writing, “I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—And finding only the same old stupid plan –Of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.” Likewise, Upton Sinclair conveyed his repulsion to immigrant oppression during the Industrial Revolution in his book The Jungle, emphasizing the gullibility behind trusting the grandiloquence of the American dream.

The term “American Dream” is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity.

In Langston Hughes poem, “Let America Be America Again”, he describes the dream he has for America to exist at its fullest potential. His dream for freedom, equality, and true democracy is heard loud and clear throughout this work of art. However, the downfall is that America is yet to live up to the standards it so proudly “represents”. The issue roots in the gap between what America claims to be and what it actually is. In this poem, we see where this gap lies and the reality of America is revealed.

I would like to present my self as an expert witness on the topic of racial bias. I have the rare ability to say that I have benefited from the unbalanced scales of racism in America. As a white male I had the opportunity to start many steps ahead of people that are other races and genders. Non-white people in America are not given the same opportunities that White people are given. This unbalanced system is what Coates’ discusses within his article as well as his memoir. America was built on the idea “of land of the free” the poem “Let America be America again” by Langston Hughes ironically addresses this freedom. But, Author Ta-Nehisi Coates knows America is not free for everyone and he proves this in his memoir Between the World and Me.

The poem addresses an issue I am familiar with, referencing a white man in poverty being taken advantage of: “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart” (Hughes). Many of my family members are like this man: white Americans working minimum-wage jobs. They struggle to afford necessities due to their employer’s desire for profit. These family members are like another man referenced in the poem, “who never got ahead” (Hughes), as they were held back by poverty-stricken childhoods with no college education. Still, similar to those discussed in the poem, these poor family members are the ones who have worked the hardest and continue to dream.

Langston Hughes is an American poet and social activist. Hughes’ poems tend to resonate with the majority of his readers because he discusses topics that transcend time. Hughes wrote his poetry so eloquently that his poetry can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the reader’s personal background and what they bring to the reading. Even today his readers can connect to his poetry because he discusses subjects that we are faced with today, such as identity issues. Hughes is known for focusing on issues that were confronting the nation during his time. Hughes used his African-American roots to highlight the themes of his poems. Hughes’ poems provide a critique of relations between blacks and whites in America. He does this by discussing various societal events throughout history and he key roles black people have played in these events. The power of one race over another is a theme in Hughes’ poems that demonstrates the injustice of racial inequality. Hughes uses the topic of suffrage throughout his poetry to show the plight of black people as they seek to have freedom and a voice in society. The American Dream is another topic that Hughes uses to establish the relations between blacks and whites and their desire for attaining their dreams.

It is no surprise that this poem is written by an African American, specifically Hughes, who was born on February 1, 1902. His father left the family for Mexico when he was young to escape from the prominent racism in the states. The early 20th century was certainly not a kind era to the blacks. Until the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum in the mid 1900s, African Americans would be subject to segregation, disenfranchisement and exploitation. In fact, the notion of white supremacy essentially rendered African Americans as an inferior race, generating a lot of prejudice and preconceptions.

The turn of the 20th century conveyed new ideas and themes of literature, art, and music. After years of mundane tradition, the Modern Era brought new themes that reshaped American society into something strikingly different. Using a variety of new themes such as alienation and techniques such as stream of consciousness. In Langston Hughes poem, “Let America Be America Again,” the audience can see the traits and techniques that represented writings in the era of modernism and projects a powerful voice about the struggles and prejudice African Americans faced living in the “homeland of the free.”

Your school board proposes that schools should “promote patriotic material, respect for authority, and the free market system” while it would, “in turn… avoid material about ‘civil disorder, social strife or disregard of the law’” (Hannon). In today’s schools, history class focuses on both the negative and positive aspects in our history. The hardships and mistakes are not voided. The board is making a preposition to change this. Our schools constantly make attempts to see the good in everything. We use this ignorance as a tool to shield ourselves from external grief. In doing this, we keep ourselves happy.

The poem is titled Let America be America Again and it follows the main perspective of many minorities and discriminated people through their arbitrary community. This poem sees the racist nation that America once was and explains that the American Dream is not a fairy tale promise of ease of life, but instead is a hollow mold of lies structured upon pyramids of exploitation and bigotry beliefs. It is due to the substandard life of Langston Hughes grows up in, that influences his writing along with the the harsh truths of being a black man in America. “I am the man who never got ahead” Hughes writes in Line 36 of his poem. This sentence from his piece symbolizes the systems of injustice established in the United States, with only “desirable” people able to succeed in life. This barbarous structure in life is the offspring of the fear of vulnerability. It is the pinnacles of the pyramids that feel this fear, as it haunts them to see themselves as weak in the eyes of the public. Through their use of violence and harm, they enforce their assertive roles time and time again, to infuse the supports below them with fear, so that they can continue to act as the skeleton behind society. By using a absolutely abominable classification system, those superior continue to reign and spread their injustice further and deeper. Through the use of injustice, simply one person can easily persuade entire societies to throw their beliefs into the wind and to service these cowardly “masters” who play the sadistic roles of judge, jury and

In his poem entitled “The Negro”, Langston Hughes discusses what it’s like to be a negro from the very beginning of slavery to present day. Written in 1922, the poem came at a tumultuous time. African Americans were fighting the injustice of prejudice and discrimination as well as fighting towards civil rights and equality; a fight that still goes on today in America. Langston Hughes was an African American poet, social activist, novelist and one of the earliest innovators of the then new literary art form called Jazz poet. “Langston Hughes” n.d. During the time this poem was written Langton Hughes was staying in Harlem. He was at the center of the African American community and served as was one of the voices that

The poem is about a student’s process of writing a page that will “come out of you,” and helps represent who they truly are and how they are depict themselves (172). The speaker expresses his feelings that is it hard to understand what is true when he still has much of his life to live and experience. The speaker establishes that he is in fact very different from the others in his class due to him being colored. As the poem begins to go deeper into meaning and more philosophical, he starts to wonder if “my page will be colored that I write?” knowing that his perspective will not be like the others in the class (173). Comparing the similarities that the narrator has with the instructor, he observes that they are related whether they would like to accept it or not. He recognizes that they both are similar through his writing and also due to the fact that they are both Americans. The major key defenses between the instructor and the narrator is that he is “somewhat more free” because the narrator is colored and faced with the struggle of being segregated in society (173). Langston Hughes purpose of this poem was not only to depict the struggle of African Americans trying to achieve the American Dream, but also to show that there are many types of Americans

Langston Hughes was an influential poet in the 1920’s, during the Harlem Renaissance. His writing was heavily influenced by race and life during the 20’s. This influence shows through in poems like “I, too,” “Let America be America Again,” and “As I Grew Older.” He uses different literary devices like metaphors, personification, and similes to convey these messages. His poetry is about the lives of African Americans living in the U.S. and more specifically the life of Hughes himself. Langston Hughes writes about the hardships of being black and life during the Harlem renaissance, depicting the impact his environment had on his writing, specifically in the poem “As I Grew Older.”

One of Langston Hughes’s most famous poems is, “Let America Be Again”. It is quite

   " The poet's life is the focusing glass through which passes the determinants of the shape of his work: the tradition available to him, his understanding of "Kinds", the impact of special experiences (travel, love, etc.)." (Fielder 1431). Langston Hughes did not have an easy life. Being a young black male during the 1920's, Hughes was constantly being discriminated against by the color of his skin. Because of that harsh reality, most of his work was centered around the African American's fight for racial equality. One good example of this is shown in his poem "I, Too". Hughes writes about being discriminated against because he was black.