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A poem by Langston Hughes that expresses his pride and dignity as a black American. He declares that he, too, sings America and will one day sit at the table with company.
Read the full text and listen to the audio of I, Too, a poem by Langston Hughes that expresses his pride and dignity as a black American. The poem challenges the racism and exclusion that he faced in his life and in his country.
- Summary
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Analysis, Stanza by Stanza
- Historical Context
- Similar Poetry
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‘I, Too, Sing America,’ the speaker, probably Hughes himself, is proclaiming to the world that he, too, is an American. He, too, sings America. He refers to himself as “the darker brother,” and even though he is not allowed to be seen as an equal among men in his country—he is continually hidden away by the white majority– he is still an important ...
In ‘I, Too, Sing America,’ the poet Langston Hughes utilizes free verse. This means that the poet makes use of no rhyme scheme or metrical pattern. This adds a conversational feeling to the piece. The poem is very brief, containing only five stanzas, two of which are only one line long. In total, there are only eighteen lines to the work. However, ...
Throughout this piece, the poet makes use of several literary devices. For example: 1. Alliteration: occurs when the poet repeatsthe same consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. For example: 2. Allusion: can be seen when the poet references something that is outside the scope of the poem. In this case, Hughes alludes to the Civil Rights...
Stanza One
The first line of the poem, which is also the first stanza, says, “I, too, sing America.” The pronoun “I” shows the reader that this is a very personal poem, and it can be inferred that our poet, Hughes, is also our speaker. This is his anthem. One cannot help but compare this line—and indeed, the entire poem—to another cherished American classic, Walt Whitman’s ‘I Hear America Singing,’ written in 1867, where Whitman describes all sorts of Americans who collectively make up the song of America.
Stanza Two
These two lines depict the conditions of separation and segregation of Black Americans. Even after slavery was abolished in the States, many African Americans were still forced to work for the white man, and many of these men paid Black Americans to work in their houses as butlers, cooks, maids, and drivers. Hughes also calls out the hypocrisy African Americans are forced to endure. Hughes calls himself a “brother,” Perhaps many whites have recognized the abolition of slavery, but they still...
Stanza Three
‘I, Too, Sing America’ was written in the present tense, whereas the third stanza looks toward the future. The eighth line of the poem reads “Tomorrow,” and the reader can assume the speaker does not literally mean tomorrow, but perhaps sometime soon. “Tomorrow,” the speaker says, “I’ll sit at the table/When company comes.” The speaker is hopeful that he will not always be hidden away, and someday, he will sit at the table with the other Americans. At some point, the speaker knows that the Af...
Langston Hugheswas born in 1902 and died in 1967, and during the span of his lifetime, he saw America grow and evolve when it came to equal rights for minorities. Even though slavery had been abolished years before he was born, Hughes still encountered blatant racism and oppression as a Black man. His writings often represent this oppression, and t...
Readers who enjoyed this piece should also consider reading some other Langston Hughes poems. For example: 1. ‘Beale Street Love’– a short, powerful poem that speaks on the nature of love on Beale Street, an African American cultural hub. 2. ‘Dreams’ – focuses on the importance of dreams and how they might die. 3. ‘Democracy’ – is focused on the fi...
Learn about the meaning, structure, and context of Hughes' poem that expresses his equal claim to the American identity. The poem uses free verse, allusion, and metaphor to convey the speaker's hope and pride as a Black American.
- Male
- Poetry Analyst
I, Too, sing America. Langston Hughes. Track 89 on Emily Dickinson. This poem was written to chronicle the struggle of African-Americans to demonstrate how they, too, are Americans. The...
- “I, Too” Summary.
- “I, Too” Themes. Racism and American Identity. See where this theme is active in the poem.
- Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “I, Too” Line 1. I, too, sing America. Lines 2-7. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen. When company comes,
- “I, Too” Symbols. Kitchen. See where this symbol appears in the poem. Company. Table.
Poem I Too Sing America by Langston Hughes : I, too, sing America. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes,
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In the poem, Hughes describes a ubiquitous racial oppression that degrades African Americans from their proper place. He writes from the perspective of the "darker brother" to a domineering family that shoos him away to the kitchen whenever company arrives.
