1. Langston Hughes was another preeminent writer of the Harlem Renaissance. What is his poem criticizing about America?
or
What is the persona's attitude toward America, and toward himself?
2. Identify and discuss the effect of repetition in the poem. Connect to meaning.
3. How is this poem a response to Whitman's poem? i.e. explain the title
Question 1
ReplyDeleteThis poem, I Hear America Singing, by Walt Whiteman criticized unequal racial discrimination in America. Between 2nd and 8th paragraph, he creates repetition that describe variety of white American who is allowed to sing national anthem to show their patriotism toward country. Even though “each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else”, some part of society are not allowed to have common nationalism nor sing national anthem in the same society because of their race and different skin color. However, persona confidently and proudly raise his voice to represent their plausibel freedom and justice by quoting “ I, Too, Sing America”. This inverted method emphasize “too”, which represent his strong desire of indiscriminate equality and togetherness. Also his metaphor of “kitchen” in line 16 symbolize that black’s unequal treatment and their cold and ostracized feeling from white society. However, he bravely articulate his statement and proclaim to the audience, “Nobody’ll dare say to me, Eat in the kitchen”. Although this quote sounds optimistic, it gave hope and encourages many black people to stand up for their social equality.
How is this poem a response to Whitman's poem?
ReplyDeleteThe poem “I, Too, Sing America” By Hughes reveals the racial discrimination that America itself and the poem “I Hear America Singing” by Whitman has towards people who are of a different race in America. The racial discrimination is brought to our attention when Hughes writes “I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes”. Although Hughes is talking about a family and how he is the darker brother he is not talking directly about a family but he is actually referring to America itself and how America will not let him be an American and sit at the “table” because he is the “darker” brother and is not allowed to be seen by the company who are the whites. By stating the discrimination and neglect America shows towards the “darker” brother is a response to Whitman's poem because in Whitman's poem he states” I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear” Whitman's statement seems to be referring to everyone in America but when he says the varied carols he is disregarding the other races in America and is referring to all the whites singing the carols. Hughes responds more directly to Whitmans poem when he says “I, too, am America”. By revealing what should be obvious, that Hughes is an American, shows that Whitman does not think everyone is American. Whitman feels the only people who can sing the American carols are the white men. Hughes strongly disagrees and feels everyone should be counted as American and should be able to “sing”(be listened to) and sit at the “table”(America) when “company”(the whites) is their and should be treated as equals at the table.
John Greenbury
Question 2:
ReplyDeleteThe repetition in this poem serves the purpose of connecting racial views of the past to racial views in the present. In the first stanza the author states that they’re being sent away to the kitchen to eat and hidden from others to symbolize how people may have felt bad for African Americans in the past, but weren’t willing to do anything about it or say anything in public. But in the second stanza the author states that they have grown strong and persevered and have now been welcomed to the table. This symbolizes how African Americans didn’t just stand by and have fought for their equality and that now we can live in a society where everyone can be considered equal, and no longer be forced to be segregated or hidden away.
Question 2
ReplyDeleteIn I, Too, Sing America, Langston Hughes uses repetition on his poem to show the affect of how they used to treat him compared to how they will soon treat him as a person. like where he says "I, too, sing America" in the beginning showing how he wishes to be like an American, where in the end he says how "I, too, am America" displaying how he's become equal to others meaning the white men, because he mentions in the beginning "I am the darker brother". Langston also says " they send me to eat in the kitchen" which is like saying he's worthless in society as if he was like a child. Now he mentions the line again but now says "nobody'll dare say to me eat in the kitchen" which now represents how he's like a child that has grown up and doesn't need somebody to tell him what to do. Langston is also displaying how they used to tease him but now they don't want him to keep on growing in order to keep him below the white men.