Compare And Contrast I Hear America Singing And I Too

Born ten years after the death of Walt Whitman, there was no possible way for Langston Hughes to ever meet or communication with Whitman, but that did not mean Hughes could not establish a connection to him, or at least his work. In 1925, Hughes wrote a poem titled “I, Too” was inspired by and directed in response to the poem “I Hear America Singing”, which was composed by Whitman much earlier. Whitman’s poem consisted of a variety of different American laborers who “sing” as they do their jobs. This well-known poem never specifically addresses the ethnicity of these singing laborers of the American population, but Hughes sets about to rectify that omission.

In this poem, everybody seems happy to be here and happy to be heading to work. This poem gives a very different perspective on America based on the people’s point of view. At the start of this poem, Whitman lists many workers and their jobs. He describes them singing and being strong and independent. One part of the poem says, “The delicious singing of the mother, or the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing, Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else.” This quote is very inspirational and it shows how American workers are able to be independent and free. They are able to work for themselves and no for anybody else. This poem makes America really sound like the ‘Home of the Free’, so yes, America does sound like a dream for

Whitman depicts American workers as taking pride in their own individual work by using selective pronouns. Whitman uses singing as a metaphor to describe the pride in the work that Americans hold. He writes that each American is, “singing what belongs to him or her.” The use of “him or her” illustrates the idea that each individual person, rather than a collective group of people, is in possession of their own pride. The exclusivity of this pride is strengthened by the continuation of the line,“and to none else.” This shows that the

Similar to using the short sentences, Hughes builds off of the words in Whitman's poem and directly challenges the greatness of America. All throughout the poem, Whitman uses examples of people in America working proudly, which creates this supposedly beautiful melody which echoes throughout the hallways of every great American home. For example, shows the wonder of American people by saying " The wood-cutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,/ The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,/ Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,/" These lines show what great and amazing things that American's work for in order to

Hughes is known for writing about the lives of black America and not specific groups of African Americans, and reflects on the reality of their culture and their passion for music and connecting with others. “I, Too, Sing America” addresses the fact that one day white people will be proud to live side by side with African Americans and see how beautiful they really are. Hugh’s poem pictures a day where whites and

T- Cheerful, proud of how people can come together in order to create America. Whitman repeats “singing” showing joy in the lives of the workers. “The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat.”

Words, whether they were written or spoken, accomplished one thing: they vehemently addressed the unwavering persistence and positivism of African Americans amidst inequity. Langston Hughes created a prime example of these mental states through his poem “I Too Sing America”. More specifically, they can be noted in the lines, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, ‘Eat in the kitchen’ then. Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed”(Hughes). Despite the apparent hardships his race had to suffer, Hughes does not sound aggrieved in the slightest. In fact, he assures the public that the next day will bring with it new outlooks and perspectives on black lives. This passion and determination to prove his worth as an American citizen is ostensible in all men and women of his race.

Whitman writes this poem because he is proud of America. "I Hear America Singing" has a very deep meaning hidden in just a few stanzas. Everyone in this poem is singing joyfully as they work. Whitman describes masons, carpenters, shoemakers, mechanics, mothers, and many other occupations. He realizes that these people do not have the most elegant jobs, but they are all a crucial element to our society.

Whitman wants people to be content and happy with their occupations in America, he hopes to ”hear America singing, the varied carols I hear, Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong.” (Whitman 1-2). He wants to hear people singing like this and the various carols he will hear will be the voices of many different people loving what they do for a living. In the future, Whitman hears America singing with confidence and perfect freedom in choosing what they want to be when they grow up. Whitman even includes the “delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing” (Whitman 8) hard at work, singing as they either wash the dishes at home or type away in a business office.

In Walt Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing,” he writes about American workers as they go about their day. Whitman uses the work American’s do for a metaphor for working.

In the poem “I, Too” the author relates the way they are treated because of the color of their skin, but at the same time it shows that the subject in the poem is not wrong. In the poem Hughes relates how the ones that sent him to the kitchen are the ones who are not appreciating the good on the people, “I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong” (1021). Langston promoted African-American culture as well it brought the attention of the African-American injustice and repression. Whitman in contrast to this poem talked about how great America was and how all the individuals formed part of a society in which you had a variety of carols of different workers. Whitman identifies everyone with his or her task, the wok is what defines the person here and his various examples seem to be meant to cover many professions and both genders, “each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else, the day what belongs to the day-at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly, singing with open mouths their strong melodious song.” (Poetry Foundation, Whitman). Whitman is making a statement about American identity celebrating in the poem the laborer, whom he views as truly embodying America. In this poem Whitman is seeing America as a choir in which singers

In the poem "I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman, the reader envisions a country of people working for the greater good of mankind. These people come together as part of the whole society developing industry and production. Each person has a different occupation, but each job is important to the bigger picture. The bigger picture and theme being that of a country in which everyone is working together to create a successful and harmonious civilization.

In I Hear America Singing, Whitman shows the reader the renowned diversity in the U.S. by giving his different characters different occupations. Whitman also provides each one of this poem’s characters with an individual singing voice, unique and set apart from the rest in their own ways. Each person having their own singing voice is a hint at individualism, where everyone should be their own person, and avoid giving into a society that begs for conformity and punishes those who stand alone. The widespread happiness included here also pushes individualistic people by basically stating one would be happier being their own person (Lehman). Being oneself means that making good impressions on strangers is mostly useless. One would not be required to harmonize themselves with the rest of society. Whitman’s depictions of joyous people singing happily, seemingly without a care in the world, is supposed to interest the reader in individualism more (“I Hear America Singing” 153). I Hear America Singing is not the only poem he has written that alludes to his individualistic thoughts. Cavalry Crossing a Ford, is a small poem that paints a picture in the reader’s mind of a group of soldiers and horses crossing a ford peacefully. In this story the men are all in a group together as one. Even though they are there for one cause, and are frequently forgotten of, each soldier has “a picture”

     The poem I, Too, uses excellent language, imagery and strong sounds to express the poet’s feelings towards racism. I, Too is an anti-discrimination poem, which shows the injustice of racism. The title gives the reader a sense of what the poem might entail by stating that the author has a personal relationship with America. The poem is situated in America and describes a black man’s personal experience with racial discrimination. He is treated as if he is an embarrassment to the white people, and made to feel inferior to them. The poet is trying to show how America blanket her racial discrimination issues. He also wants to convey the importance of racial equality. He wants the reader to understand that this is not just a personal experience, but a voice of his people. The tone changes throughout the poem. In the first line, the tone is patriotic. The line, “I, too, sing America,” indicates that he is also an American. And symbolizes that he has a stand in the nation. In the next section, the tone is of anger and strength. The man is infuriated at how he is treated, but he knows he is strong enough to fight back. This is shown in the line, “But I laugh, and eat

The American dream is a dream that everyone hopes to one day achieve. It is what keeps the country going and develops hard workers of many. Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” and Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” is the epitome of that dream, the poems both demonstrate a certain air of aspiration for the future of America and both of the speakers want change for the better. The poem’s speakers are both men and are of the working class. Even though their jobs may not be desirable and in Hughes’s “I, Too” the speaker may be working against his will, he is still working and they are both adhering with them for that feeling of hope. After all, the working class strata are the people with the strongest appetite for that dream because the reason