For the longest time in American history racism has always existed to some certain extent. In the poem “Open Letter to the south” by Langston Hughes is about the inequality of people and how we should all come together as one no matter you skin color. In the Poem “Let America be America Again” also by Langston Hughes is from the perspective of a low class black man and expresses his difficulties. Both “Open Letter to the south” and “let America Be America again” compares the longings for acceptance, hope, and the future.
In Let America it talks about how America is a place where people go to be accepted, but for some reason inequality keeps recurring. Through the words of this poem, it shows a longing for acceptance. Especially when he says
…show more content…
In let America, Langston describes at the core root that the weak will rise. You can see the pain that he discusses, but you can also see the hope through the words he uses. For example, “I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain.” Here he is expressing at how he has strength and hope. “Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we’ve dreamed And all the songs we’ve sung And all the hopes we’ve held And all the flags we’ve hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay— Except the dream that’s almost dead today. But then he says “It’s obvious that he has never experiences freedom, and that his hope comes from himself not from this country. In letter to the south, Langston Hughes focuses on how as a nation that America needs to move on and become one. “Let us new lessons learn, all workers, new life-ways make one union form: until the future burns …show more content…
In Open Letter to the south is says “we did not know that we were brothers. Now we know! Out of that brotherhood let power grow! We did not know that we were strong. Now we see in union lies our strength.” This quote is basically saying that both black and white people are weak without one another. The quote acknowledges the past, but it focuses more on the future. In Let America be America again, it isn’t as futuristic as Open letter to the south, but it still looks for change. “Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dream in the other world while still a serf of kings, who dreamt so strong, so brave, so true.” This displays that he still has a dream for the future, even through all the
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
Through his poem “Theme for English B”, Langston Hughes expresses his will to exterminate discrimination by proving that despite different skin colors, Americans all share similarities and learn from each other. Langston wrote the poem in 1900, when black Americans were not considered Americans. He talks about a black student being assigned to write a paper about himself. The audience is thus the student’s professor – the representation of the white Americans. Since the professor said: “let that page come out of you---Then, it will be true.”, the student began wondering “if it’s that simple”. He then describes himself to explain why it isn’t simple: he is “twenty-two”, “the only colored in class”, and lives in the poor community Harlem.
America is known to be the country of liberty. The definition of Liberty is simply the reason America was created; it is a place where everyone is treated equal with hopes of achieving their American dream. As a result, many people dream of coming to live in the wonderful country known for its freedom. However, America does not seem to hold that value as it used to. In the poem “Let America Be America Again”, the poet Langston Hughes expresses his disappointment with the country. The poem was written in 1935 where discrimination and inequality still exist. In the poem “Let America Be America Again”, the poet Langston Hughes uses repetition and alliteration in order to show desirement for a better country and disappointment of the country America came to be, and also imagery in order to exemplify the struggles of those who came to live in country they thought was dream.
In Langston Hughes poem “Let America be America Again” he talks about how America should return to the way that it was perceived to be in the dreams before America was truly America. Throughout the poem he uses various methods to evoke the patriotic images and dreams that he feels America should and will eventually be. Hughes states that America is supposed to be a place of equality for everyone including both white and colored people. During this period in time though there was not equality for everyone. Hughes talks about an America where both whites and colored people will have equality in all aspects socially, politically, and economically. What Hughes is saying is that both whites and colored
America is arguably the most robust country and yet it also one of many countries where we are not all free. In the poem "Let America Be America Again" Langston Hughes shows his opinion of America and declared that America has never been great and never will be if there is varied equality among the ethnics and their social classes. Learned Hand announced “That spirit of an American which has never been, and may never be; nay, which never will be except as the conscience and courage of Americas create it”, her he feels that America is only as good as the common people in it, therefore, Americas future lies in our hands and the way we use it. Both Langston Hughes and Learned Hand presumed that America has never been great yet, Hand is unsure on whether America has the potential to change their ways but, Langston Hughes let out his emotions exclaiming” America never was America to me, and yet I swear this oath America will be! These two Americans have shown how they feel and believe that we can only be a magnificent country if we believe
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.
In the poem "Let America Be America Again," Langston Hughes paints a vivid word picture of a depressed America in the 1930's. To many living in America, the idealism presented as the American Dream had escaped their grasp. In this poetic expression, a speaker is allowed to voice the unsung Americans' concern of how America was intended to be, had become to them, and could aspire to be again.
First, the overarching theme of freedom and equality is similar in both text although “A Dream Deferred” talks about the effects of delaying your dreams, and “Let America be America Again” talks about the dreams that were destroyed because of inequality. In “A Dream Deferred”, following the post World War II, the African American community was filled up with disappointment after their dreams were destroyed because of a lack of freedom and equality. Langston Hughes shows this inequality through his poem in the line that states: “ What happens to a dream deferred/ Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun/”(1-3). Langston uses this line to stress the theme that African Americans were expecting their dream of finally having rights but the
Written in the first half of the 20th century, “Let America Be America” is a poem that documents and responds to the oppressed state of the United States, in both the past and present. The poem is a plea for a return to the original principles of freedom that our country has seemingly forgotten. Additionally, the speaker sees America as the broken home to oppressed people who have lost sight of the ultimate goal of freedom and happiness. Although America is often perceived as the “land of the free,” Langston Hughes’s poem contradicts this ideology by not only painting a vivid picture of oppression in America but also by providing a desperate hope for the future.
His poem, “Let America Be America Again”, questioned the American promise by structuring the poem so it can be read from the perspectives of different types of people in America, especially those persecuted, and it enlightened people on how a large population of immigrants and others did not have the life everyone guaranteed in America. He also strengthened this idea by repeatedly stating “America was never America to me” (127). This statement implies that the American promise was never real and most immigrants never experienced any of the positive freedoms of living in
In the fight for equality, people of color often feel isolated and separated from those whose privilege reinforces their oppression. However, there are and always have been white people who see the inequalities that are practiced in society and speak out against them in hopes of reaching equality for all. Langston Hughes used his voice in poetry to express his experience as a black man in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement, and his is a household name. There is no doubt that his words have power. The reader expects to feel his experience and gain empathy and understanding through his poetry. In his poem, “Let America Be America Again,” Hughes presents his experience of American life in a powerful contrast to the experience
Explain: In other words, this poem is a message intended to speak to all the poor individuals who live in America, whether they originated from across the waters or are natives. He sees the government and the business people as full of greedy, and not treating the lower class decently. However, according to Langston Hughes this is not the expectation of the constitution. The author is trying to tell us that he feels the "Alleviation" (free nourishment for the needy) is insufficient for him. He needs a greater amount of everything for everyone so America can become America
While he is proud to be American, Langston Hughes does not hesitate to point out its flaws in both “I, Too, Sing America” and “Let America be America Again.” In both poems, there is a rather prominent undertone concerning problems within America, with a certain focus on racial prejudice. For example, in “I, Too, Sing America”, Hughes describes a situation where the narrator of the poem is sent away to eat dinner in a separate room because, “[He is] the darker brother” (“I, Too, Sing America”). This shows the narrator’s experiences with racial discrimination, a rather long-time flaw the United States possessed. However, hope is shown for when there will be a day when the narrator is not sent away, determined that those who did him wrong “[Will] see
Although the Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual time for African Americans, they still faced discrimination from whites in America. During those times there were many segregated public places that separated blacks and whites. Along with being an influential poet and writer, Hughes was also a social activist and a proponent for equality in America through his writings and used them to influence young African Americans to have pride in their race and be proud of who they are
“Let America Be America Again” becomes personal for the audience which is what makes this poem so easily appreciated and enjoyed. The poem refers to the many races and backgrounds by referring to, “the poor white, fooled and pushed apart” or “the Negro bearing slavery’s scars” (Line 19 and 20). Whether the reader is poor, rich, white, black, or Indian the poem goes in detail of how for better or worse everyone makes up America. With Langston Hughes being African American, he obviously witnessed and endured racism and hardships, but he broadened the discussion by not only mentioning the Negros, but of the poor whites and the “red man” to make