Preview

Whitman And Hughes Influence On America

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1061 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Whitman And Hughes Influence On America
Imagine a world where prejudice and racism filled the streets of the world. While this is not the world we live in today, it was a part of the world in the 20th century. People would have been treated differently based on how they look. They were yet still of apart of america. This was life for the speaker in the poem “I too sing america” by Langston Hughes. It spoke about the different hardships that african americans had coming to the US and being treated as property with no regard to your feelings. Langston Hughes cited Walt whitman as his greatest influence for his poems. Many people believe he wrote his poem “I too sing america in response to Whitman's “I hear america singing.” Whitman's poem talks about how each person contributes …show more content…
Whitman's and Hughes poems are in free verse and have no rhyme scheme. The reason behind this is that the free verse is emphasizing freedom and equality. Whitman is talking about how america has freedom and this is what lets everyone contribute to what makes america so great. While Hughes says the african americans currently are not free. America promosies all with freedom but because of the color of some people's skin they are denied that freedom. However he will go against the restraints and hopes soon all will have the freedom and the right to be an american. Another thing is that Whitman uses long lines but each talks about the simple job each person contributes to america. However hughes uses short lines and his story expresses a complex meaning. This shows that he changed Whitman's poem to express the idea that even if a man looks differnt, should he be denied the rights of others. The short lines are also better because of the fact they help to emphasize the importance of each word because there is only a few words he can use to emphasize the importance and the message of his poem. It emphasizes the importance a lot better than Whitman's because of the fact it is not sugarcoated. The sugarcoating on Whitman's makes it more happy connotation but harder to understand the message. This makes it easier to see Hughes ambition and hopes of being treated like an …show more content…
If you look at the titles of both poems Hughes poem is a direct response to Whitman's. Whitman's poem says “I hear america singing.” Hughes poem responds “I too sing america.” Hughes took Whitman's title which talks about hearing the voice of america and Hughes said all people even the colored are apart of the voice of america. That is because everyone contributes their carols and voice to america since they are a part of it. Not just the white men who have more power over the colored people. Another thing was that Whitman's poem was happy and had a good connotation as he used words like “carol, strong, blithe” while Hughes was more opposite and negative as he used words that would include things like “I am the darker brother”. The negative connotation creates a more darker mood in Hughes poem. This shows that america is not all rainbows. There is a bad part of America that needs to be fixed. In the end Hughes ends off his poem “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am. And Be Ashamed. The reason he says this at the end of the poem is to show that one day it will be different. There will be no discrimination between different colors and races. His ambition for writing the poem was to try to achieve equality. People will not be judged by the color of their skin or race but by their achievements. Everyone will be able to truely be considered an
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    An Explication of I, Too by Langston Hughes
    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages

    An Explication of I, Too by Langston Hughes

    The opening line of “I, Too,” “I, too sing America” (1) speaks to all of America, not just Black Americans. Hughes alludes back to the poem by Walt Whitman, “I Hear America Singing” in which Whitman writes about different workers (not races or other categories.) Hughes takes this to the next level by adding his own voice to this chorus. While scholars say the tone of the poem is written in defense of Black America, Hughes writes in a manner that conveys the dreams of many other groups of people within America, both seen and unseen through his word choices. In the next two lines, Hughes states, “I am the darker brother / They send me to eat in the kitchen” (2-3). Some would argue that Hughes is using the slang “brother” to refer solely to Black Americans. The usage of the term “brother” directly after “I, too, sing America” (1), ties this term to more of an American Family, rather than just one subset of the population. At no point in the poem does Hughes use concrete imagery (through the use of color or race) of a particular group of people. Even the use of “darker brother” can be taken to mean other things (i.e. the black sheep of the family.) As for the usage of the word “they” in line 3, again, Hughes intentionally leaves out a description of who “they” are. The reader could easily make “they” the white male, but Hughes didn’t intend for his work to be that closed-ended. Hughes ends his poem firmly rooting his place as an American and not just as a Black American by changing the first line of the poem from “sing” to a…

    • 897 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Walt Whitman, Angela De Hoyas, Langston Hughes
    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Walt Whitman, Angela De Hoyas, Langston Hughes

    Walt whitman, Angela De Hoyas, Langston Hughes. All great authors of many great poems. Wonder how they stack up against each other? Well that’s what’s going to happen. How do all three of these poets are different an alike. Three people, three different types of pens. Three different types of handwriting.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Langston Hughes And I Hear America Singing
    • 242 Words
    • 1 Page

    Comparing Langston Hughes And I Hear America Singing

    Often American authors imply what it is like to be an American in their poetry. Essentially, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman share similar thoughts in their literature. In “I, Too” and “I Hear America Singing”, the authors use textual evidence to support their opinions on America. In Walt Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing”, Whitman explains how hard labor in America is music to him. Whitman says “I hear America singing, the varied carols i hear”, meaning how these jobs differentiate, but they all come together as one large working society. In comparison, Langston Hughes discusses society in his poem “I, Too”. Hughes wrote his literature in an era of time where racism and segregation was strong. Hughes states how he wasn’t allowed to…

    • 242 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Comparing Poems 'Let America Be America Again And Negro'
    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Comparing Poems 'Let America Be America Again And Negro'

    In the poems, “Let America Be America Again” and “Negro” by Langston Hughes, the voice of the narrator appear to be bold and pitiful. The tones of both poems are anger and bitterness from the minority groups in America towards the majority group. The themes of each poem vary in ways but they are also similar pertaining to the way that African Americans do not have equal opportunities in America just like the other minority groups living in America. In “Let America Be America Again”, Langston Hughes illustrates that America is not the land of the free like it is advertised. In “Negro”, Hughes also castigate America but from the point of the view of an African American.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Similarities Between Walt Whitman And Langston Hughes
    • 128 Words
    • 1 Page

    Similarities Between Walt Whitman And Langston Hughes

    Walt Whitman poem he discusses people singing at work with happy thoughts. But in Langston Hughes poem he discusses slavery and segregation mostly bad events that happened in the past so we won't repeat it in the future. langston Hughes poem gets better towards the end of his poem. So he’s poem starts off with segregation then ends with peace. Walt Whitman poem starts and ends with happiness he’s poem is also a free verse Langston Hughes poem is a rhyme.…

    • 128 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes Contribution To The American Voice
    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Langston Hughes Contribution To The American Voice

    Hughes’ writings generally focused on African-Americans and the opportunities that they deserved to have. In “Let America be America Again”, Hughes believes “there’s never been equality for me, nor freedom in this homeland of the free” (Hughes 14-15) and if he did not do anything to try and change that then he failed the goal that he set. America as a country was created on the basis that all men shall be equal, however African-Americans did not share that right. In the same poem, Hughes said that he wanted for the people to “Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be.” (Hughes…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    I Hear America Singing And I Too
    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    I Hear America Singing And I Too

    Even though, “ I, Too” and “I Hear America Singing” both explore the idea of racial inequality, they are conflicting towards each other because of the perspective each poem is written in. For instance, “ I, Too” is written in the perspective of an African-American man, whereas the perspective of “I Hear America Singing” is seen from a Caucasian point of view. Hughes states, “ I am the darker brother” (line 2) and “But I laugh,/ And eat well,/ And grow strong.”(lines 5-7). Contrarily to Hughes declaration of not being hindered, Whitman writes “mechanics” (line 2), “the carpenter singing”(line 3), “the mason singing” (line 4), “the boatman singing” and “the deckman singing” (line 5), “the shoemaker singing” (line 6). These lines written by…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes Will V-Day Be Me Day Too?
    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes Will V-Day Be Me Day Too?

    Langston Hughes wrote three poems, “Will V-Day be Me Day Too?” ” A Dream Deferred, ¨ and ¨I, Too, Sing America¨ uses language to create two tones in the three poems. In ¨V-Day Be Me Day Too?¨, it talks about how much African Americans have suffered and done with being discriminated because they have a different race and color. Also, in ¨A Dream Deferred¨, it talks about a dream, that if that dream can be accomplished or will it be unaccomplished. Lastly, ¨I, Too, Sing America¨, it talks about why they can't be treated the same if they are Americans too.…

    • 374 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Comparing Whitman's 'I Hear America Singing' and Hughes' 'I, Too Sing America'
    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing Whitman's 'I Hear America Singing' and Hughes' 'I, Too Sing America'

    Despite the fact that both poems are very similar, they also have a vast amount of differences. To start off, Walt Whitman’s poem is more formal and abstruse, and Langston Hughes' poem seems to be more straightforward, personal, and individual. Walt Whitman tends to focus more on strength as a whole, while Hughes' mainly talks about himself and how he interacts with society. "I Hear America Singing" also focuses mainly on the working force, but "I, Too Hear America Singing" focuses on segregation and slavery.…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Let America Be America Again, By Langston Hughes
    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Let America Be America Again, By Langston Hughes

    If you could sing while you worked, that meant that you are satisfied with your days work and had pride in being a part of America's success. Langston Hughes wrote, “ Let America be America again,” he may may have thought that most people are living in poverty and trying there best to get out but they were getting all the hard work and little pay. They are both are different in style because, Whitman's poem is a free verse, but Hughes is a standard rhyme poem. “I hear America singing” is praising individuals and liberties that make America great. “ Let America be America Again” is frustrated over individuals who feel excluded, because they can't get the same opportunities. the tone of Whitman is patriotic, because they were happy the be America's success. Hughes tone is frustrated, because not everyone could the same opportunities as the…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Walt Whitman Influence On Langston Hughes
    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Walt Whitman Influence On Langston Hughes

    Back on February 1, 1902, there was a boy named James Mercer Langston Hughes. He was born in Joplin, Missouri. After his birth, his parents decided to separate, and his father moved to Mexico. His grandmother, Mary, mainly took care of Langston while his mother moved around when he was younger. She eventually died in his younger teens, by then his mother had settled down in Cleveland, Ohio. Walt Whitman, and Carl Sandburg introduced him into poetry, later on they both were primary influences on Langston. He would submit literary work and poetry magazines into his school, which would ultimately reject him.…

    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes Poetry Analysis
    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Langston Hughes Poetry Analysis

    From my point of view I felt Hughes put more of his focus on the importance of culture. He wanted the present day african-americans to be proud of their culture. For one he states numerous times where he has witnessed people denying their own racial identity. We hear about this when he tells us about a time a young poet told him “I want to be a poet--not a negro poet”(para 1). As we read on we…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How America Should Be
    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How America Should Be

    Second, I will be explaining about what I think this poem means to most Americans. I believe that most Americans feel the same way that Langston Hughes feels about America. Because most people could relate to this poem, a lot of people have come to America in hope of freedom but don’t get it because not everyone is treated the same way. I also believe that Americans just want their voices to be heard and change the things that need to be changed, like having equal rights for everyone and not being judged by how much money people have.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Walt Whitman Research Paper
    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Walt Whitman Research Paper

    Walt Whitman is one of the first great American poets. He was born in 1819 on Long Island and he was one of ten children. Whitman only went to school for a few years until he turned eleven and concluded formal schooling. He then attempted to find work to support his future family. He found a job as an office boy and then moved on to be an apprentice with a local paper where he learned all about the printing press. The following summer he joined a different paper called the New York Mirror where he published some of his earliest works of poetry. As Whitman’s work has grown with techniques such as free verse, parallelism, repetition, imagery, and symbolism so have his views of democracy, the human body, Abraham Lincoln, and race and diversity in America.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Let America Be America Again Essay
    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Let America Be America Again Essay

    Langston Hughes, a famous American poet, became a popular writer around the 1900’s. He was first recognized for going against classical ways of writing and using “jazz poetry” or “black rhythm”. In his poems, he usually displayed messages or ideas others could not share such as the poem, A Dream Deferred. Hughes poem Let America Be America Again was written in 1935 during a time of poverty and racism. He used the poem to tell a story of the less advantaged part of the people. Langston Hughes hopeful yet devastating poem, Let America Be America Again, uses imagery, repetition, and flashbacks to compare present day America to past America while also describing the American dream and the struggles to reach it. He also describes the values America's…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics