Essay on Langston Hughes is America

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

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.

Langston Hughes poem “I, Too” was written during a time when segregation was in affect, blacks was not allowed to have a voice. “I, Too” spoke volumes to the people of the Harlem Renaissance, it showed that blacks would rise and would become part of the American dream instead of facing ongoing segregation. African Americans would

“America the melting pot.” An expression used by many and often said in a prideful manner. We Americans like to think of ourselves as all accepting and welcoming to everyone, and while that may be true in general, discrimination still exist throughout the country. Fortunately, racism has significantly lowered thanks to the Civil rights movement. Each American can now express who they are without a major fear of contempt or prejudice. Prior to the Civil rights movement, racism ran rampant, particularly in the south. The Harlem renaissance, which took place throughout the 1920’s, helped spur the Civil Rights movement. It was around this time African Americans really started to push themselves forward in society. One successful poet of that

Langston Hughes inspired others to reach their true potential in their work by using their own life as a catalyst:

In Langston Hughes’s poem I, too, he writes from the perspective of an initially oppressed African American; whether it is a slave or freedman remains ambiguous, albeit that is unimportant to the overall message of the poem. The poem begins with the speaker claiming he too “sings America,” and noting that he is the “darker brother.” Whenever people are invited to the house, the speaker is sent to the kitchen to eat - but despite this unfair treatment, he continues to eat well and laugh it off.

"Tomorrow, I 'll be at the table When company comes." States Black writer Langston Hughes. America is great, isn 't it? This country was built on Liberty, and is a beacon to the rest of the world to which refugees can traverse towards. However, the course of actions in this country has not always been rainbows and sunshine, nor is it today even. There was a time in this wonderful country when Liberty seemed to dwindle, and the hope for our country 's equality was slight. During this time, lived a unique writer by the name of Walt Whitman, who awed the country with his patriotic voice which he embedded into his literature. One of his most famous poems, I Hear America Singing, touched the heart of the American People by recognizing the many

The reader believed Langston Hughes knew the mother in “Mother to Son,” and the college student in “Theme for English B,” And the servant in “I, Too,” They were Him; they were all African Americans that had to endure the early 1920’s. In each of these poems were hopes for a better tomorrow, despite life’s hardship’s living as a “colored person” (980), Langston Hughes loved America and that was evident in the endings of “I, Too” and “Theme for English B.” The poems of Langston Hughes will live forever as part of American Civil Rights Poetry.

The Harlem Renaissance brought about many great changes. It was a time for expressing the African-American culture. Many famous people began their writing or gained their recognition during this time. The Harlem Renaissance took place during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Many things came about during the Harlem Renaissance; things such as jazz and blues, poetry, dance, and musical theater. The African-American way of life became the “thing.” Many white people came to discover this newest art, dancing, music, and literature. The Great Migration of African-American people from the rural South to the North, and many into Harlem was the cause of this phenomenon. Harlem was originally a Dutch settlement. Harlem became one of the largest African-

America, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. This is what everyone was told, what the Declaration of Independence states. But, Langston Hughes a black American poet in the Harlem Renaissance period saw the truth. Being an African American in the United States during the early 1900’s was difficult. Many lived a life full of hardships; segregation, prejudice and economic hardships, viewed as second-class citizens. Even with all the suffering Hughes found a positive side and managed to create inspiring poetry. In his poem “I, Too” he describes how domestic servants are treated by the owner when guests come to visit. Hughes uses this situation to create optimistic and patriotic poetry. Hughes views America as the land of freedom, equality and opportunity and he uses his poems to boost peoples pride and argue against racial injustice.

Langston Hughes’ “I, Too, Sing America” was published in 1945. This poem envisions a day in which both races will be equivalent and able to eat together at the same table. The poem starts off with Hughes saying “I, Too, sing America” (Hughes, 1945, line #). Langston 's use of the word “too” shows that he wishes to be included in the population that is called “America.” In addition, he used the verb sing. This may date back to the African American tradition of tribal songs. Furthermore, slaves would often sing songs of liberation while working on plantations. In using the word “sing,” he is informing the people of America that he is included in this group and is doing so in his own culturally rich way. In addition he is further stating that he, too, has a voice and can make a prominent contribution to the country, whether or not they believe he can. The second stanza begins by saying “I am the darker brother” (Hughes, 1945, line #). This is referring to his skin color and the fact that he is African American, and even though his skin color is different, he is still a “brother,” or an American citizen and should not be treated differently for that. The rest of the stanza says

Through figurative language, Hughes’ diction evokes how inequality pervades the black community and demonstrates how they should respond to this issue. The repeated phrase “I, too,” emphasizes the speaker’s insistence on being included in America or as the poem indicates, “at the table”. In this case, the table represents bounty, camaraderie and community, all of which are missing in the speaker’s everyday life. That said, the “too” also represents being second, implying the speaker’s inferiority within society. Furthermore, it highlights two separate entities, black and white communities, that are divided rather than being one cohesive group. Hughes’ use of personal pronouns refers to a collective group, specifically the black community. Essentially, the black community desire to “sing America”, as they view themselves as the “darker [brothers]”. In other words, the white and black community are differentiated solely by their race, yet both claim to be patriotic citizens of the same country. This commonality should be the unifying agent between these communities to join as a family; however, the speaker discusses the resistance he confronts, as “they send [him] to eat in the kitchen.” The distinction of “they” depicts their authority over the speaker’s actions, insinuating his position as a domestic servant. In doing so, the cycle of inequality

Langston Hughes was a renowned poet and writer during the Harlem Renaissance. His background shaped the overall themes of his poems. Segregation and equality were the main subjects for Hughes’s writing. Langston Hughes wrote about the racial discrimination that African Americans faced during the Harlem Renaissance, and this theme resonated throughout the poem “I, Too”.

The poet’s life of his family plays a role in the poem “I, Too.” The poet Langston Hughes’ father and mother’s great-grandmother were African-American, and his mother’s great-grandfather was a white and Scottish. (http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/) Also, his father’s great-grandfather was a European Jew. Which means that the poet had both white and black descent. Therefore, poet thinks that all humans are made it equal as well as the color people. On line 2, poet says, “I am the darker brother.” And then, in the last sentence of the poem, the