This essay will take us through Langston Hughes' "I, Too, Sing America" through a historical and patriotic lens, looking at the patriotism displayed in a black man who will speak on behalf of the entire black community. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned" Get an original essay Langston Hughes was a great poet during the Harlem Renaissance and his poem "I Sing Too." America" reflects on the struggles the black community was facing during this era. It tells the reader a story about social injustice and racial inequality. It tells the reader about this black man and how he is treated in the white man's family that is difficult to understand, but the way Langston wrote this poem turns out to be quite patriotic. Patriotism can be a very complex topic. It can be expressed by defending one's country or even criticizing it. If you love your country, then you like whatever else you love, you want the best for it. But sometimes what's best doesn't always happen at that moment. But simply Patriotism is Love for one's homeland. But how do you truly love your country? Hughes' poem was published in 1945, about ten years before the civil rights movement began. Prejudice and racism flourished during this period. Black men had no rights as a man as the white man had. Hughes showed this in this poem and also imagined a day when blacks and whites would be as one and could "eat together at the same table", when blacks could be considered equal Americans, just like everyone the others. other. Hughes criticizes the government to try to convince it to improve itself and be the best that America can be. Being black in the pre-civil rights era, you definitely weren't treated like an American citizen. African Americans were basically supposed to be invisible workers. They were not regarded as human beings. They barely had any rights, no justice. With the imagery of this poem, Hughes imagines a greater America, a country centered on freedom, rights, and greater opportunity. The poem begins by saying that “I too sing America” (1). That he is the “darker brother” (2), and that he must “eat in the kitchen when company comes” (3-4). But the speaker then says that “Tomorrow I will be at the table when the company arrives” (8-10). The speaker then says that everyone will finally see “how beautiful I am” (16). Then in the conclusion he says again that “he too is America” (18). It can be said that this man also sings of freedom. He longs for what America can offer him. It can be said that this “darker brother” is indeed a black man. However, Langston Hughes did not use “one of the dark brothers”; he said “I am the darkest brother” (2). This would mean that he is not only addressing himself, but also the entire black community. This man was sent to the kitchen to eat when there was company, this would indicate to the reader that perhaps he is a black slave in a white family. Perhaps the author was not referring to the actual kitchen, but perhaps to their rooms. During the years of slavery, whenever company arrived, the slaves were actually sent away, so they were hidden. Then the black man imagines a brighter tomorrow in which he will no longer be sent to the kitchen, in which no one “would dare say to me 'eat in the kitchen'” (11-14). He sees that one day everyone will see how beautiful he is and that, precisely because he is darker, he is the same as everyone else. Everyone will “be ashamed” (17) of how they once treated this man because he is America. (18). He wants everyone to be able to stand up and sing of celebration and freedom, like in Walt's poetry.
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