Langston Hughes 'Poem I, Too'

     Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes creative intellect was influenced by his life in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood. Hughes had a very strong sense of racial pride. Through his works he promoted racial equality and celebrated the African American culture. It was in Lincoln, Illinois that Hughes started to write his poetry. In November 1924, he moved to Washington D.C. where he published his first book of poetry. Hughes is known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America. Langston is also known for his commitment to jazz. Hughes refused to distinguish between his personal and common understandings of black America. He

A situation can be interpreted into several different meanings when observed through the world of poetry. A poet can make a person think of several different meanings to a poem when he or she is reading it. Langston Hughes wrote a poem titled "I, Too." In this poem he reveals the Negro heritage and the pride that he has in his heritage and in who he is. Also, Hughes uses very simple terms that allow juvenile interpretations and reading.

Many writers develop a certain theme they tend to gravitate towards in their work. Sometimes this development is intentional, and sometimes it is not intentional. Langston Hughes was a writer during the 1920’s, which was also during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes was known as an advocate for the civil rights movement up until his death. Most of his involvement in civil rights came from his poetry, where he wrote about racial treatment and the affects it had on African Americans’ lives.

Langston Hughes was one of the great writers of his time. He was named the “most renowned African American poet of the 20th century” (McLaren). Through his writing he made many contributions to following generations by writing about African American issues in creative ways including the use of blues and jazz. Langston Hughes captured the scene of Harlem life in the early 20th century significantly influencing American Literature. He once explained that his writing was an attempt to “explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America” (Daniel 760). To fulfill this task, he wrote 15 volumes of poetry, six novels, three books, 11 plays, and a variety of non-fiction work (Daniel 760). He also edited over 50 books in his time (McKay).

Long before the civil rights movement, African Americans had no rights as an American citizen. Even after desegregation, African Americans were not given the same respect and value as a white American. During the Harlem Renaissance, however, many African American writers and poets began to challenge these viewpoints in their writings. In particular, Langston Hughes used his short stories, plays and poetry to portray the experiences of black life in America. He was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman and the ideas of free verse and was able to represent the feelings of African Americans after the abolition of slavery.

Langston Hughes, “I too, Sing America” chronicles an African-American male’s struggle with patriotism in an age of inequality and segregation in the United States. The poem cleverly uses metaphors to represent racial segregation faced by African-Americans during the early twentieth century. The speaker presents a battle cry for equality and acceptance, and his words are a plea and a declaration for nationalism and patriotism. Although, the poem does not directly imply racism, the speaker’s language suggests that he equates the kitchen to racial discrimination by the general American society. His word usage signals his wish to participate in a land that he proudly claims as his own despite his personal experiences of rejection. Despite

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and social movement that occurred due to black migration to the north increasing the social and economic boom. Langston Hughes is one of the influential African Americans that contributed to the Harlem Renaissance, by writing about events and his surroundings, his work was able to help struggling African Americans. Langston Hughes was born in February 1, in 1902 in Missouri. He began writing poetry while living in Lincoln, Illinois and years later he launched his literary career with his poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Most of his writings were influenced by his upbringing in New York City’s Harlem, which was a predominantly black community.

“But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.” ( pg 261 # pgh 3 ). This quote comes from Dr. Martin Luther King jr. on I have a dream and is interesting because how they were supposed to be free when abraham lincoln along time ago but still aren't free . This person said this during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was “The civil rights movement was a mass popular movement to secure for African Americans equal access to and opportunities for the basic privileges and rights of U.S.” citizenship. Being in the right position. This time in history was difficult for many people because there was a lot of fighting about the rights and how blacks and whites were treated very different. During this time people

Langston Hughes is an extremely successful and well known black writer who emerged from the Harlem Renaissance (“Langston Hughes” 792). He is recognized for his poetry and like many other writers from the Harlem Renaissance, lived most of his life outside of Harlem (“Langston Hughes” 792). His personal experiences and opinions inspire his writing intricately. Unlike other writers of his time, Hughes expresses his discontent with black oppression and focuses on the hardships of his people. Hughes’ heartfelt concern for his people’s struggle evokes the reader’s emotion. His appreciation for black music and culture is evident in his work as well. Langston Hughes is a complex poet whose profound works provide insight into all aspects of black

“The Harlem Renaissance was a time where the Afro-American came of age; he became self-assertive and racially conscious… he proclaimed himself to be a man and deserving respect. Those Afro-Americans who were part of that time period saw themselves as principals in that moment of transformation from old to new” (Huggins 3). African Americans migrated to the North in great numbers to seek better lives than in the South as the northern economy was booming and industrial jobs were numerous. This movement brought new ideas and talents that shifted the culture forever. Black writers, such as Langston Hughes, used their work to claim a place for themselves and to demand self-respect in society. Poems that Langston Hughes wrote captured the essence of the complexity of a life that mixes joy and frustration of black American life through the incorporation of jazz and blues in order to examine the paradox of being black in mostly white America, the land of the not quite free.

The first line of I, Too - “I, too, sing America” - is the speaker’s declaration that he is American. But who is he replying to - why does he “too” sing America? And why does he “sing America?” Why can’t it just say “I am American?” First of all, it’s important to establish that Hughes’s writing was inspired by Walt Whitman, whom many view as the father of American poetry (Ward). In Whitman’s poem I hear America Singing, the first line immediately shows a parallel of I, Too: “I hear America singing.” On the other

From freedom of speech, to freedom of religion, here in America, issues are also freed to hidden behind the phrase “freedom.” The statement of freedom like free flowing words on the page of poem, contains various definitions like different possible interpretations of a poem. While at the time for Langston Hughes, his definition of freedom was chained by the pigment of his skin. As he acknowledges his conflict with freedom while struggling against racism, Langston Hues in his poem I Too, expresses how the issue of racism has been understated in America through the usage of euphony, free verse and enjambment, depicting that the existence of freedom that was promised by America is incomplete.

Credited as being the most recognizable figure of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes played a vital role in the Modernist literary movement and the movement to revitalize African American culture in the early 20th century. Hughes’s poems reflect his personal struggle and the collective struggle of African Americans during this cultural revival.

      In the first line of "I, Too", Hughes says that he too sings America. He is saying that he too sings America. He is saying that he embraces everything America embodies, everything that established her in the first place. He sings for the freedom, the beautiful mountains, and her independence. Even though he embraces America in all her beauty, he is really saying I love this country and I should be socially acceptable in it. He wants everyone to see this, especially when he states that he is the darker brother. That second line quos the reader into why he is not accepted into society. That line spoke true of his life and what he faced everyday just walking down the street Because he was the darker brother, they would send him away to eat in the kitchen when company would come. However, he says he laughs, eats well, and grows strong. He knows one day African Americans will be accepted into society. Therefore, he takes care of himself and does not let society's opinion get him down. He is confident in this because when company comes they will be ashamed that they did not let him eat out in the open. Society will see his beauty and not see him as a disgrace. He finishes off his poem saying that he is America too. He is the freedom, the beautiful