Poetry of Langston Hughes There Are Three

¶ … Poetry of Langston Hughes

There are three poems of Langston Hughes' upon which the paper will focus. Those poems are: "I, too," "Democracy," and "Let America be America Again." "I, too" was a poem of focus earlier on in the course. "Democracy" and "Let America be America Again" are other poems with various similarities that the paper will bring to light over the course of the comparison. Some of the elements of the poetry that will be compared include themes, symbols, language, and metaphors. Through comparison of these poems, the paper will demonstrate just some of the commonalities across Hughes' body of work.

"I, too" is written in the first person. There are five stanzas in all. The first stanza and the last stanza only consists of one sentence. Each sentence begins with "I, too" and there is a mention of America. The middle three stanzas consist of several lines, and the fifth stanza only has three lines. The poem consists of words in isolation, phrases, and short sentences. The poem is written from a singular perspective, from that of an African-American male living in a subordinate position in a country dominated by White Americans. Despite communicating racial tensions, the tone of the poem is somewhat hopeful.

There is repetition of language in this poem. The word "I" is repeated the most often. Some key lines from the poem with the word "I" are: "I am the darker brother," "I, too am America," and "But I laugh,/And eat well,/And grow strong." The repetition of the word "I" is significant. The use of the word I reminds the reader of the subjective point-of-view of the writer and the imagined character talking to the reader. Hughes lived during the end of Reconstruction and into the Civil Rights Movement; therefore, as an African-American man, he had lived through segregation and some of the most racially turbulent moments of American history where the perspectives of minorities was not acknowledged or valued by the mainstream culture. Hughes' use of "I" throughout "I, too" is a rebellion to that kind of cultural repression. Repeating the word I throughout the poem is a kind of exercise of personal freedom; it is a declaration of existence.

Though there is no mention of white people in the poem, their presence is implied in the kinds of pronouns that Hughes uses. He writes, "They send me to eat in the kitchen/When company comes…" Later on he writes, "Nobody'll dare/Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen…" and "They'll see how beautiful I am and be/And be ashamed…" He does not say that white people order him to eat in the kitchen and that white people make him leave when there is company in the home. He does not specifically mention that whatever profession he has, it is a form of servitude to white people, yet in his simple and vague language, a great deal of racial tension and social stratification is implied.

Perhaps he felt that the facts of the African-American experience was common enough knowledge that it might be redundant or have less of an impact if he mentioned white supremacy in American culture, specifically. He chose to not mention the nature of racial segregation directly because it was extremely obvious and pervasive in American culture. Additionally, though the poem mentions issues that are sad and shameful parts of American history, the poem is not hateful, spiteful, or angry. Again, as aforementioned, "I, too" has a tone of hope.

"Democracy" is another fairly short poem consisting of five stanzas. "Democracy" is about the experience of living in America when one is not a part of the ethnic and cultural majority. A common theme in Hughes' poetry is the communication of the experience of the cultural other in America. An important part of the experience of non-whites is their exclusion from history with respect to their contributions, their subjectivity, and their experiences.

Hughes' poetry seeks to communicate the experience of American life from outside of the cultural norm. Whereas "I, too" was a bit hopeful, "Democracy" is more realistic and even cynical. This poem also communicates feelings such as exasperation (5th stanza) and disappointment (3rd stanza). There is a tone of self righteousness and of justice (2nd and 4th stanzas). There are some similarities in form and content, yet there are differences in tone and mood.

"Democracy" opens with "Democracy will not come/Today, this year/Nor ever/Through compromise and fear." This is very interesting writing. He immediately implies that though America claims to be a democracy, it is not, as evidence by the injustices experienced by those who are not white Americans. He also claims that democracy will not come immediately or during the year, or ever.

Democracy will not come through compromise and fear. Democracy is a state of being that should come peacefully, as implied by Hughes. He also implies that democracy will not come as a result of compromise, but with perhaps its opposite, confrontation and contention. This might seem counterintuitive, but in democracies everyone is allowed to voice their individual opinions, even at the risk of disagreement and contention. It is an intriguing thought and there is a logic to it as the European colonizers created their democracy through violence and force.

This is yet another poem where the imagined speaker articulates his right to exist and share the same desires for freedom and equality. The second stanza states, "I have as much right/As the other fellow has/To stand/On my two feet/And own the land." He wants rights in general. He specifically wants the right to be an adult man, not dependent another person, presumably a white man, those who could occupy the highest stations in American society.

He wants a part of the American dream, which is to be financially independent and have a piece of land upon which to live or make a living. These are not unreasonable desires, which is another sentiment that the poem communicates later on. The poem closes on this note with, "I live here, too./I want freedom/Just as you." Both poems so far seem like they are conversations with mainstream America. His poetry is a concise conversation with the part of American culture that denies his existence. This is a common motif or metaphor in the poetry of Langston Hughes.

Finally, the last poem of focus is "Let America be America Again." This poem is another poem with a lot of repetition. "America" is a word that is repeated often in this poem. Hughes is very concerned with the lived experience of Americans of the 20th century, a century that saw many changes in American culture and American life, with respect to minority cultures and other aspects of society. There are a number of lines that begin with "I am" in "Let American be America Again."