Analysis Of I Too By Langston Hughes - 1018 Words

Langston Hughes was one of the most prominent African American writers of the twentieth century. He worked through a variety of mediums, including playwriting, songwriting, newspaper articles, memoirs, and poetry. Throughout all of his works, he constantly promoted and exhibited the rich culture and heritage of African Americans. He also made a great deal of racial commentary in his writings. His poems â€Å"I, too† and â€Å"Mother to Son† particularly illustrate these topics. Through the three poems, Hughes utilizes a variety of voices and moods, effectively commenting on the struggles of the African American experience, from its roots in slavery up to the modern day. In the poem â€Å"I, too,† Hughes utilizes a collective form of the word â€Å"I† to†¦show more content†¦They were kept out of sight, especially when other guests were present. However, **I’d say something here like â€Å"Hughes contends/suggests,†** the slaves were not beaten down by their mistreatment; on the contrary, it added fuel to the fire. The speaker says that, while in the kitchen â€Å"I laugh / And eat well, / and grow strong† (6-8). There is a quiet defiance in his words; he laughs at his owners as he grows stronger and perseveres. The mood of defiance grows stronger into the third stanza. The speaker states â€Å"tomorrow, / I’ll be at the table/ When company comes/ Nobody’ll dare / Say to me, / â€Å"Eat in the kitchen,† / Then.† (8-14). Here, the word â€Å"tomorrow† does not literally mean the next day; rather, he means that in the future, he will take his rightful place at the table, as an equal among all people. Nobody will be able to take away that God-given right. His defiant and hopeful tone continues through his words: â€Å"Besides, / They’ll see how beautiful I am / And be ashamed† (15-17). He ends the poem with another bold statement that expounds upon the opening of the poem: â€Å"I, too, am America† (19). The entire poem leads up to this assertion, that African Americans are a vital part of America, as much a part of it as the whites. Another poem by Hughes, â€Å"Mother to Son,† is told from the perspective of a black mother, who is telling her son of her struggles, yet how she always endured. Hughes use of voice in this poem is especiallyShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of I Too By Langston Hughes881 Words   |  4 PagesENG 102-71 Poetry Mini Research Paper 10/29/17 Langston Hughes’s â€Å"I, Too† 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 â€Å"I, Too†. Hughes was one of the boldest African American writersRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poem I, Too978 Words   |  4 Pages Langston Hughes 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 citizensRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of I Too By Langston Hughes771 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"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 arent free . This person said this during the Civil Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Movement was â€Å"The civil rights movement was a mass popular movement to secure for African Americans equal access to and opportunities for the basic privilegesRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s I, Too1077 Words   |  5 Pageswhat make a true American. In â€Å"I, Too,† Langston Hughes discusses the theme of racial equality through the use of metaphor, symbolism, and imagery. Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Hughes parents James Hughes and Carrie Langston divorced because James studied law and was denied permission by the all-white examining board to take the Oklahoma Territory exam. James Hughes decided to move to Mexico to practice law freely. Carrie Langston moved to Lawrence to find anRead MoreAnalysis and Interpretation of I, Too Sing America by Langston Hughes1148 Words   |  5 PagesPoem I, Too Sing America is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. The majority of literary critiques and historians refer to Hughes as one of the first American poets, who set the standards and examples how to challenge the post-World War I ethnic nationalism. His poetry contributed and shaped to some extent the politics of the Harlem Renaissance. In analysis of Black poetry Charles S. Johnson wrote that the new racial poetry of the Negro is the expressionRead MoreAnalysis Of Langston Hughes s Poem, I, Too1193 Words   |  5 Pagesrights against those who tries to take it away. In the poem, I, Too, Langston Hughes shows that to be an American means that you should refuse to buckle under awful pressures. The speaker, an African American man, was denied the rights to sit down at the dinner table when company comes. However, the speaker â€Å"laugh and eat well and [grew] strong† then no one will dare say to him â€Å"eat in the kitchen† then. The African American man â€Å"too, am America.† The speaker decided to take the time in the kitchenRead MoreLangston Hughes The Weary Blues Analysis1256 Words   |  6 PagesOn Langston Hughes’s The Weary Blues Kevin Young, a graduate of Harvard University and one of the winners of the Guggenheim Fellowship, writes the historical perspective of Langston Hughes. He discusses the flowering of the African American literature and culture and how it is actually just the extension of the New Negro movement. From the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes is able to represent â€Å"different things† for â€Å"different men.† The uprising of Hughes’s poems are the result of their hardshipsRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Langston Hughes s The Road 1402 Words   |  6 PagesRoad by Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes offers a gift in this work which is to open the heart and life will provide unlimited abundance. During this literary analysis Langston Hughes uses nature to demonstrate his main character s unwillingness to participate in life. Another point that Hughes demonstrates is the use of anger and survival and how it can be used as a powerful force in breaking down racial barrier s. One more impact Langston Hughes uses is Jesus Christ as a metaphor. Hughes uses thisRead MoreAnalysis of on the Road by Langston Hughes Essay1401 Words   |  6 PagesRoad by Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes offers a gift in this work which is to open the heart and life will provide unlimited abundance. During this literary analysis Langston Hughes uses nature to demonstrate his main characters unwillingness to participate in life. Another point that Hughes demonstrates is the use of anger and survival and how it can be used as a powerful force in breaking down racial barriers. One more impact Langston Hughes uses is Jesus Christ as a metaphor. Hughes uses thisRead MoreLangston Hughes : A Modernist1222 Words   |  5 PagesSappington 13 Apr. 2017 Langston Hughes: A Modernist 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. Langston Hughes’s life contained key influences on his work. As a child, Hughes witnessed a divorce