Uchida Versus Hughes

The two poems by Langston Hughes “Theme for English B” and “ I, Too” both identify racism that permeates all stations of life. In both texts, Hughes represents the two speakers as African Americans and identifies how one tries to elevate himself through education and the other individual remains trapped at a lower station. In the poem “Theme for English B” skin colour and all that it represents emerges when the speaker searches for his identity as well as what is the truth about his abilities. The speaker expresses his view in how he deals with his white counterparts (the instructor). “I, Too” centers on the idea of racial oppression, looking at how whites do not recognize blacks as equals and how this affects the individual. Yet the texts attempt to show the basic human similarities between African Americans and white people despite their perceived differences and societal segregation. The two speakers within the poems struggle with their own self-worth in relation to their colour. The similarity between the two speakers is that they approach their issues confident in their capabilities and futures. The two speakers differ in that they appear to have different stations in life; servitude versus achieving higher education, yet both struggle with self-worth.

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.

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.

Hughes’s poem is more of an argument against that of the people (whites) back then who were prejudice against blacks. With the first couple of lines of “I, Too, Sing America”, the lines mean that even if he is sent to the “kitchen” when “company” comes, he’ll still laugh and eat well and grow stronger from the experience, not really seeing it as if it were bad but more of a motivation to stop it from happening again. When coming to the lines of “Tomorrow, I'll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the Kitchen,” Then”, the lines that are given here are just saying that this time around he’ll be at the “table” when the “company” and no one

The metaphor in line 3, “They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes,” expresses the oppression that African Americans still face (Hughes). However, as the poem progresses, a sense of hope appears. Found in line 15, “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed---” the true value of African Americans will soon enough prevail (Hughes). In “I Too”, the narrator’s use of personal pronouns symbolizes the entirety of African Americans and how the oppression denotes isolation.

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

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

In I, Too, Sing America when Langston Hughes writes of a darker brother who is told to eat in the kitchen you know that he is talking about African Americans. In this poem Langston Hughes writes a stanza that changes your idea of what the poem is about. He says “ Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the Kitchen,” then”. This line is is clearly stating the main idea of the poem right there. It’s telling us of how now there is segregation, but one day in the future all men will be equal.

In the early 20th century, during the Harlem Renaissance, America began to evolve in virtuosity. Poetry was a significant aspect in the renaissance. Great poets like Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen were very influential in the community. Both poets created poems that represented the perspectives of an African American in the 1920’s. Langston Hughes, I, Too, Sing America, expressed his love and devotion to America. Hughes discusses how even though he is the “darker brother”, he still is a Samaritan of the United States. In the beginning of I, Too, sing America, Hughes metaphorically discusses how African Americans are not an equal to White Americans. As he continues, he implies how he will not be ashamed and proclaim his equality amongst his other brothers. Hughes uses dining in a household

He reminds them during a time of despair, that they are “men” not prey. The oppressors are not stronger or superior, they are a “murderous, cowardly pack”, so that when one African American dies from lynching, it is not because they are inferior, but rather they are humans who have not given up their true identity. Through this resistance, it leaves a larger legacy to prove to the oppressors that they were not afraid and that they have never been less than a human. Furthermore, in “I, Too”, Langston Hughes writes against how the white Americans attempt to make African Americans feel inferior through isolation, but instead he shows them that they are equal. Hughes states, “Tomorrow,/ I’ll be at the table/ When company comes./ Nobody’ll dare/ Say to me,/ ‘Eat in the kitchen’/ Then.” (Hughes). After being isolated, he does not lose hope. Instead, he grows stronger until he is ready to join the others “at the table” Instead of being ashamed of his skin color as the oppressors would expect, he uses his time to accept himself and be proud of his

Instead wavering in courage, the character of “I, too” establishes their existence as an important member of American society that must be heard in their“singing” which is symbolic for their participation in society. They are sent away to eat elsewhere by characters symbolic for white people in their endeavors to segregate society. By sitting “ at the table” (9) tomorrow, the character is demanding equality, not superiority. Tomorrow symbolizes a hopeful future of equality. They just want to eat at the table like everyone else, and they are convinced that they will see “see how beautiful”(16) they are and “be ashamed” (17) of themselves because of their

      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

He was sent to eat in the kitchen because of the belief of white majority that he was not man enough, white enough, educated enough, and civilized enough to be seated with the “company.” They are only worried what the “company” might have to say if they see a black person in the house or sitting at the table. It portrays the image of a divided society and the racial discrimination against African Americans. But, regardless of the discrimination and oppression, he will continue to ‘Eat well/And grow strong’ to be prepared for ‘Tomorrow’. So who are “They”? And to whom does this house belong? A keyword in all of this is ‘America’. “They” are in fact the majority white excluding any minority group and the house is America which belongs to the people, not to the white majority or black minority but all. The America Hughes’s experiencing portrays a disappointment, rejection, inequality, discrimination, which is the ‘hidden’ America, where African Americans cannot be out in the spotlight for any reason at any time. Black people are hidden away when white people come to visit; they are treated differently. Many Americans in the early days believed that America is home to the settlers, all immigrants, a multinational but not a multiracial society who formed the melting pot. And the society was proud of this melting pot and worked together to achieve the American dream. Yet, once more, Hughes’s experience proved that this pot, in fact, was white in

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