I too sing America
I too sing America"I, Too" by Langston Hughes, it creates a feeling of an individual
vs. a large group enhancing the loneliness felt. The poem recognizes a certain inequality African Americans felt during a time period of racial
discrimination. Hughes recognizes that although different in color, all people living in America were Americans and deserved to be treated equally. Hughes is not known for using lots of symbolism. His poetry is generally straight forward and to the point. There is not much hidden meaning in his poetry either. What little symbolism he does use is very deep. It can be interpreted in a many number of ways. I Too Sing America has psychological and cultural references such as intergroup stereotyping, communication, cooperation, and conflict.
The poem is about the hope of one day being equal, it is expressed in each stanza at least once. "I laugh/and eat well/and grow strong", these lines represent hope along with determination. It also gives us insight to the style that Hughes uses in all his poetry. He uses humor in most of his writing to convey his message though slight that is what the laugh represents, The laugh also represents his thoughts of the future. Meaning that he�ll be able to look back on all this and laugh. The eating represents learning and knowledge. Without knowledge one cannot further themselves in life or make themselves better. Eating well means to learn well and retain the knowledge. Growing strong represents the retaining of the knowledge. Not only does this mean to grow strong with knowledge but for the voices of equality to grow stronger. The biggest use of symbolism is the last line: "I, too, am America." In Walt Whitman's poem I hear America singing The American people are just the working class Anglo Saxons. The line "I, too, am America" shouts out that someone was forgotten. The use of tomorrow refers to the greater tomorrow, the future which to this day has not yet come.
The psychological and cultural references are not as blatantly...
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