Although the three poems, “Let America Be America Again”, “I, Too, Sing America”,and “A Dream Deferred” are written by the same poet, Langston Hughes, they portray different themes and moods. All three are written from the general perspective of African Americans who have lived through the time period of slavery and racial segregation. However, as the American society continued to evolve, the thoughts and feelings of African Americans began to evolve as well. “Let America Be Great Again”, written in 1935, was the first of the three poems. To start the poem Hughes expresses his longing for America to return to the America it used to be.…
America is the land of the free but lately it doesn’t seem like it. With all the police brutality and the rasict comments by the President of The United States and his followers. In a poem written by Langston Hughes called “ Let America be America Again” it talks about how America is not free for everyone. So Langston Hughes poem relates to modern America because people are still judged by skin color, social class and people would do anything for money. Today people are still doing what ever it takes to make money.…
After reading “Theme for English B,” “Let America be America,” and “I,Too.” I have concluded that all the poems are talking about how even though they might not all be the same color or have the same purpose in America, it is still everyone’s home. You learn from different people and they learn from you and what ,might be easy for you might not be easy for them because sometimes some people in this country are treated better than others. In the poem ‘Let America Be America” there is a line that says “O, let America be America again—The land that never has been yet—And yet must be—the land where every man is free” and I compare this line with a line from the poem “ Theme for English B” and it says “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink,and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.…
Langston Hughes, poem, Let America Be America Again, captivated my attention due to my current pursuit in American history; presently I am taking US History II. The diction of this poem is simplistic, allowing the reader to cognitively grasp the historical importance and theme. Hughes, suggest to the readers that the America that is held to such high esteem is merely an idyllic dream still awaiting realization; however, fulfilment of the true American dream must become an actuality to all citizens, not just the privileged few.…
Langston often exclaims in his poem, “Let America be America again.” Hughes poem revolves around expressing how America portrayed lies. Remember the nations national anthem, where they express, “O’er the land of the free…” Being free means not being under control, and doing as wished. In the poem, Hughes compares his hopes and dreams for America to the reality.…
The American Dream is an often mentioned and well-known term used to describe the ideology of the United States of America. Despite the common usage of the term it is not always completely understood and so requires, at least, a brief introduction and definition. P Mueller in his writing Star Trek and the American Dream claims that " to some the American dream is just "from rags to riches", to others it includes the realisation of high flying ideals as old as mankind itself." Mueller then goes onto say that the term was coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams and identifies three main roots: mythical aspects (leading back to the ancient dream of a perfect society and as paradise even before the continent was discovered), religious aspects (which Mueller describes as dealing with the puritan vision of a city upon a hill) and political aspects (arising from the declaration of independence and the constitution). It would seem that the most important of these three themes is arguably that of the political nature and various commentators have defined the American Dream in this way. Martin Luther King claimed "It [the American Dream] is found in those majestic words of the Declaration of Independence, words lifted to cosmic proportions: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by God, Creator, with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." This is a dream. It 's a great dream." Jim Bickford concurred with this view within his writing The American Dream: Our Heritage of Hope (in which he goes onto to identify several examples of the American Dream in practice throughout history) when he claimed "America was built on dreams" and went onto to discuss the importance of the declaration of independence in creating the dream by stating "Our ancestors chose to take the risk…
First, the idea of the American Dream is entrenched in the United States declaration of independence that proclaims “all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable…
Langston Hughes is a key figure in the vision of the American dream. In his writings his African-American perspective gives an accurate vision of what the American dream means to a less fortunate minority. His poetry is very loud and emotional in conveying his idea of the African-American dream. Most of his poetry either states how the black man is being suppressed…
The Poem “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes did not have a significant impact on individuals during the time of its publication which was on July 1936. Themes of the poem, including prejudice and racism cease to remain today in the United States. Because America is considered the land of the free and the land of equal opportunity, all individuals are given the same opportunities despite the way they may look or the things they believe in.…
In this short, yet powerful, poem, Langston Hughes begins by informing the reader that the speaker is a slave. He is not allowed to eat in the same room as the family that owns him, but that doesn’t kinder his spirit. He knows that he is American, and no matter what his skin color is, he and his owners will always share the fact that they are all American. In his next stanza, the reader proclaims “Tomorrow, I’ll sit at the table” (Hughes 1272). His defiance and determination for racial equality is expressed in just the first line of the second stanza in his poem. That same defiance and determination can be related to present day with our President, Barrack Obama. Just like in the Harlem Renaissance, Obama faced many trials and plenty of discrimination due to the color of his skin, but he proved that he, just like everyone else, is an American. Just like Hughes says in the last line of his poem, “I, too, am America” (Hughes 1272), Obama was able to overcome adversity and “become” America, just how Hughes pictured the world would be in the future. Hughes uses short, choppy, easy to understand words to convey a powerful message in just 3 stanza’s. In his poem, Hughes is always looking forward to a brighter tomorrow by keeping a positive and upbeat attitude. He hopes for change in the future, which is what eventually happened, even though he did not live to see it.…
Sometimes, aggression may be necessary to get this “equal opportunity” due to circumstance. “At the time, most southern blacks could not share a water fountain, a beach, a bus seat, a school room, or a voting booth with southern whites.” (Moser, and Watters) This barrier to civil rights meant that many were considered inferior and could not succeed because they were separate from the average American. This shows that the American dream is unrealistic for blacks. Langston Hughes states how America should be a land “where Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.”(Hughes) However, he later asserts that “America never was America to me, And I swear this oath-America will be!” (Hughes) This reiterates how this equal opportunity will be there in the future. Thus, showing how the American dream is currently unrealistic for them. Immigrants who were not American tried to go from rags to riches as well. “Education was free. That subject my father had written about repeatedly, as comprising his chief hope for us children, the essence of American opportunity, the treasure that no thief could touch, not even misfortune or poverty.” (Antin) This shows his belief in the equal opportunity in America. In the end, many of this people did not fully realize the dream and may have ended up in a worse financial situation than before. The Antin’s wound up losing everything after the storm on Crescent Beach. They could not achieve the success that the American dream entitled. Her father was “master of no art, of no trade; that even his precious learning was no avail, because he had only the most antiquated methods of communicating it.” (Antin) They did not expect this would matter but being immigrants put them at a disadvantage. It is clearly not achievable for the poorer Americans and immigrants who probably worked very hard but…
In his 1931 book The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams coined the term “The American Dream.” A term that is used frequently in the English language, the American dream is the dream of prosperity and wealth, and the idea that anyone can achieve it through hard work. The idea of the American dream is very common but many believe the dream is merely an illusion. Dreiser’s Sister Carrie, Steinbeck’s The Leader of the People, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Winter Dreams all display the elusiveness of the great American dream.…
In the poem “Freedom’s Plow” by Langston Hughes, it says, “First in the heart is the dream- / Then the mind starts seeking a way / His eyes look out on the world / On the great wooded world / On the rich soil of the world / On the rivers of the world”. What the poem is saying is, everyone has a dream and tries to seek it. America is the way for people to achieve the dream. It is the freedom they needed to bring it all together. As an African American poet Langston Hughes overcame the discrimination and segregation. He is a perfect example of the American Dream. He took a bad situation and turned it into something big. Being able to choose the route of your life is not a for sure thing all around the world. When immigrating to America it is seen as a new chance or life to pick the route you want. In most countries if you are born into poverty you most likely have no chance of getting out of it. In America anyone can become stable with the freedom they are given and if they have the ability to work hard. America grew so fast because of the freedom they guaranteed. Our country would be nowhere close to where we are today if we had not given freedom to our…
The concept of the American Dream is relatively well known, though, most don’t even know where the term “American Dream” originated from. The term “American Dream” was actually coined by writer, James Truslow Adams. His 1931 book, The Epic of America, defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” In retrospect, Adams says that “The American Dream” is not depicted by wealth, but rather realizing one’s potential, and personal fulfillment. Thus meaning that the “American Dream” is not always about success, or about wealth, it’s about discovering that you have the potential to create your own American Dream. So no matter what race, religion, or ethnicity someone is, they all have the same exact chance at this “American Dream”.…
The American Dream is a fleeting hope that many Americans have clung to since it was originally brought to light in 1931. Because of the new outlooks and interpretations that Americans have presented in viewing this dream since then, it is now within the reach of anyone who pursues it. When one focusses on material possessions and advancing in social status, much like the old interpretation of the American Dream, this hope is lost and the Dream is unachievable. However, when the focus becomes more modern and shifts to bettering oneself and working on his or her own individual happiness, the American Dream becomes much more realistic and provides hope for all Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts a vivid…