Langston Hughes I Too Tone

The poems, “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too” relate to the same topic while also having contradicting views regarding social status, discrimination, and patriotism. The poets Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes have very differing perspectives on the American way of life. Whitman tends to see the cheerful part of the American way of life, while Hughes sees a life full of mistreatment and neglect. Hughes' opening statement, "I, Too, sing America" is an obvious reference to Whitman's poem, and allows Hughes to use the rest of his poem as an indirect response to "I Hear America Singing".

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.

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.

America is a country that has been through many different times of trials. Wars and disease have spread across that nation several times. During times of depression, though, a group of people seems to always emerge from the destruction. That group of people are the poets and writers of America. Through trial and strife, writers are able to find inspiration for their works, and are able to give readers hope for a better day. Walt Whitman was an amazing writer who wrote several poems concerning the great United States of America, talking about the people that have built the nation up from the dust. But, a group of people that Whitman forgot to write about on most occasions were the slaves and black people of which America thrived. Langston Hughes was a black man in the 20th century that took note of Whitman's poems, and their lack of recognition towards his people. Whitman wrote a poem called, "I Hear America Singing," in which Hughes wrote the poem, "I, Too Sing America," in response. In the poem by Hughes, there are several different ways that the writing interlaces with Walt Whitman's.

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

This was a cause for celebration, hence the symbol of singing. Whitman lists each profession followed by what they do and how it is their distinct song. He also related this to how wach one is American and this variety and joy is what makes them American. The point he is trying to get across, is that the freedom in America is a cause for celebration and should not be taken for granted. We need to enjoy the freedom we have been so graciously blessed with. There is nothing more special than the ability to freely do what we find desirable each and every day. Hughes' poem, I, Too, Sing America, is very different in the theme; the main theme is how he is viewed in America, being an African-American. He talks about how he treated differently because of his color. For example, " I am the darker brother/ They send me to eat in the kitchen/ When company comes"(Lines 2-4). It is clear that he is not treated equally because of his skin color. In this poem, he explains that, although he has dark skin, he too sings. He wants to, and is apart of their culture and country. Nothing and nobody can take that away from him. He explains that one day everyone will see how beautiful he is and be ashamed of how they treated him. These two poems, clearly have different themes; however, Hughes' poem, I, Too, Sing America, builds off of Whitman's poem, I Hear America Singing, by saying that he is just as American and wants to enjoy the freedom of the country he resigns in and can "sing" just as

In Walt Whitman poetry, “I Hear America Singing”, the poem is about the people of America singing a song together, proud to be apart of it, and cherishing it. And there is another poem similar to it, which is Langston Hughes, “I, Too, Sing America”. Hughes poem is about African Americans being pushed down, and not considered as “Americans” because of their race, he says that he is part of America and he sings about it too. “They’ll see how beautiful I am, and be ashamed, I, too, am America.” Hughes represents the culture of Black America.

Whitman does not explain leaders or wealthy people because america stands on the laborer’s backs as if it was forged from the ground up. In his poem, the people have a purpose to work and should be happy with their work. In Langston Hughes “I,too”, Langston explains emotions of how it feels to be segregated. Hughes work of poetry is his contribution to society and change. Langston says “ I am the darker brother, they send me to eat in the kitchen”.

While “I Hear America Singing” champions the work of the people, the words of “I, Too, Sing America” are lined with a deep sense of pride in individual identity. Whitman’s poem includes a number of vocalists with varying professions, such as a carpenter, a hatter, and even a young wife. The words of the piece show that these laborers complete each day’s tasks with pride and singing. Their jubilee is even described as continuing into the night with “strong melodious songs” after the work was done (Whitman 11). They rejoice in their work because their positions represent much more than jobs, but have, in fact, become the people’s resounding contributions to the great machine that is the United States. It is what they are able to offer their country to keep it moving ever forward. Similarly, the narrator in Hughes’s work takes pride in his identity, but in a much different way. It is uncertain whether he is living in a period of widespread slavery or afterwards, but his words clearly convey an environment of inequality. He is, for instance, ordered to “eat in the kitchen” when company comes (Hughes 3). However, the narrator boasts both in what he is and what he will be; he has faith that in the future, he will not be huddled away from the others, but sitting at the table, a citizen. He will be his own man, and the

In addition, because euphony is used throughout the poem, Hughes stresses that between the difference of color, the same patriotic language is spoken, for that he “too, sing America”(Hughes) in the same National Anthem in the same euphonious tone. However, the participation of this singing is still has not euphoniously provide him a seat at the American table. By hiding him in the kitchen, America hides racism in the “kitchen,” to create the look of a euphonious table as mocked by the way this poem hides it behind its euphonious words.

      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

The poems “I hear America Singing” and “I, Too” have different perspectives on the American lifestyle in the 1800s compared to the 1900s. When reading the poems it is obvious that the poem “I, Too” is replying to “I hear America Singing” because Hughes’s poem matches in accordance with Whitman’s opinion. The poems are similar while also having challenging views that contradict each other in terms of tone, position in society, and discrimination.

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.

The message that Hughes and de Hoyos are trying to convey is that their races were forgotten in Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing.” This is proven by one quote from each poem. In “I, Too,” Hughes says, “I, too, sing America./ I am the darker brother.” This is hinting that Walt Whitman neglected to mention anything about the African Americans, who are also proud of what they do. In “To Walt Whitman,” de Hoyos says, “-my Native Amerindian race that I can’t to seem to find in your poems.” This line says that, in all of his poems, Walt Whitman never seemed to talk about the Native