Langston Hughes 'Poem I, Too'

In, “ I too”, by Langston Hughes wrote in 1922 is about a presumably young black man is stating that he too is an American and one day everyone will treat him as such. “I am the dark brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen but I laugh, and eat well and grow strong.” (Hughes, 1922). This work shows how even through diversity, enslavement, discrimination, and torture the black man one day will prevail, and has held onto the hope that his reliance on God will bring him and his people through that one say they will be treated as equal. “Besides they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed- I too, am America.” (Hughes, 1922). This fight is still prevalent today because the “presumably” a black man is considered dangerous because of his neighborhood, upbringing, or because of the past told to them from long ago. When in all actuality that black man is just one that was raised in a rough neighborhood just trying to find a way to climb up the economic ladder so that he and his family will not have to same life he did. But though all of that black Americans still cling to God in hope that one day he will truly be seen as equal.

The division between whites and blacks was clearly prevalent and the United States of America was a racially discriminatory society reinforced by its racist laws. Hughes took the initiative to speak his mind via poetry, resulting in his piece “I, Too”. In this poem, Hughes clearly signifies one thing: Just because his skin color is different from whites, does not mean that they get to sing the National Anthem louder. Arguing that all American citizens are the same, disregarding their skin color, Hughes applies in this poem a master-slave relationship. The assumed white master shows disrespect to his servant by sending him away whenever visitors come over, because he is ordered to eat secluded from the company. However he seems to not be faze by this and actually finds it funny, supported by “But I laugh” (5). Furthermore, not only does he find amusement in this unpleasant situation, but the isolation has a positive effect on him “And grow strong” (7), implying that even though he submits to his master, his spirit will not be diminished.

Hughes did not make this poem very long and narrative, instead, he made it quick and to the point. On line three he says, "They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes." In saying those words, he is saying that the people are inferring that because he is of darker color he has been scolded and deprived of his freedom. The people have sent him to the kitchen to eat because they felt that he was not of high enough standards to eat in the kitchen when the company comes. Also, this may mean that the people are afraid of what the company might say when they see a black man in the house.

These expectations are derived from stereotypes set from decades of racism and discrimination. "I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen..." (2), featured in "I, too" written by Langston Hughes, tells the story of a man fighting against the forces that try to keep him from thriving. He is

In I, Too, the narrator struggles with what it means to be a black man in America, likening the home setting to America. The narrator is sent to eat in the kitchen when company comes over, but is determined to “be at the table when company comes over” (Hughes 1039). Even though he lives in the house, he has no rights or claim to it. He recognizes that he is as important to the house as the others living in it, and dreams that he will soon have ownership over the house. One day he will be seen by the guests coming over instead of being forced to hide from them. He, too, will have agency over himself and his

The tone of “I, Too” is different from Whitman’s tone. Hughes’s seems more angry and determined. According to how Hughes sees things, he is at a disadvantage and he’s not the only one. Hughes writes: “Nobody’ll dare say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen’ Then” (ll. 11-14). He sounds cross about the fact that he is sent to the kitchen just because he is not white, and he sounds demanding as well. All he has ever seen is America being cruel and harsh, so that is how he

“I, Too” also portrays the racism of the times, but in a much different way, Hughes character is a young colored boy, a symbol of black America. His family depicts white America. The boy is sent to the kitchen when the family entertains, because he is “… the darker brother” (Hughes, L.2, 872), whom the family wants to keep

Langston Hughes once said, “Negroes - Sweet and docile, Meek, humble, and kind: Beware the day - They change their mind.” Poetry has had a profound impact on the society and culture of the American people, changing styles throughout the decades, but remaining steady in

Langston Hughes’ short poem I, Too portrays a man who is African-American talking being black in the society. In the poem it is mainly about a black person being seen in the society and being criticize for having different skin color. In the beginning of the poem it starts off by saying “I, too sing, America” and singing is also a form of speaking and the speaker is talking about being black living in America to the audience. The speaker is introducing himself stating “I am the darker brother” (2). Hughes is also an African-American and this gave us a clue that he is referring to his people with darker skin color living in America who is being criticize by white people in society. “They’ll see how beautiful I am” (16) represents even though having darker skin he is still beautiful and not care what other’s think.

As civil rights and theories of equality emerged, art and literature by the African American populace started to present and showcase the new ideas. One example of an author with an agenda for equality was Langston Hughes, a black artist who wrote and conducted numerous works for the sake of educating the public. In his poem I, Too, it reads: “I, too, sing America. 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. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then” (Doc 4). It is clearly evident that Hughes wrote this to incite hope for an equal society, since the era that he lived in put blacks in a lower position than whites. With freedom of speech, anybody could have voiced their concerns through words on paper, and that became the new normal for Americans in a time of changeable

For example, in “I, too,” (Appendix A) the speaker refers to himself as the “darker brother,” seeking equal rights and demanding change from his white peers (Hughes 2). Hughes emphasizes that his identity is shaped by being the racially “darker one,” and also notes that he is connected to his white brethren, despite variations in race. After company arrives, the speaker is sent to the kitchen: “And I laugh / And eat well / And grow strong” (Hughes 5-7). Often, as a social norm, when guests are invited over to the household, there is a tendency for hosts to put their best foot forward; in the 1920s, this translated into pure whiteness and no blacks. Ironically, though, as the speaker is cast out society, his identity as an black male grows, and this culminates to the speaker’s demand to be identified as an American citizen, too “singing America” (Hughes 1). As summed up by the Poetry Foundation, “Hughes’s tragedy was double-edged: he was unashamedly black at a time when blackness was demode, and he didn’t go much beyond one of

In the poem, “I, too”, by Langston Hughes, the setting affect Hughes’ perspective on what it means to be American. The setting that Hughes presents to the reader is an American society that discriminates people of a darker skin color. Those who are a darker skin color are segregated from other Americans and treated as a outcast. In Hughes’ poem it states, “I am the darker brother./ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes,/” Through this quote, it can be inferred that Hughes’ perspective of what it means to be American is being part of society and to be treated like everyone else despite of a darker skin color. In the phrase “They send me to eat in the kitchen/ when company comes,/” it means that Hughes is an outcast and is treated differently than the rest. It also means that those that are white are ashamed to even be with him. It can be inferred that he is not the same color as his family members and is not accepted by his family. His society sees those of color as insignificant and inferior. Another detail is, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/

Langston Hughes’s poem I, Too published in 1926 speaks at great length about the American identity: to be an American is an issue that transcends race, and all Americans should be treated equally. Writing from the perspective of an initially subservient African American, Hughes presents a story that begins in oppression and ends in triumph. A throwback to the prior institution of slavery, the setting of I, Too is confined to a single slave owner 's house; yet, it paints an image of struggle, growth and unity like none other of its time.

These expectations are derived from stereotypes set from decades of racism and discrimination. "I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen..." (2), featured in "I, too" written by Langston Hughes, tells the story of a man fighting against the forces that try to keep him from thriving. He is the darker brother, the