In the excerpt from “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the speaker explores his own dream for America because he wants the greatness of America to return, but he accepts the reality of America and embraces it. He wants equality and equal opportunity for everyone, but states that his experience with equality and freedom exist not for him. The description given by the speaker shows a “pioneer on the plain” seeking a place where they can live freely (3). In reality, the pioneers face inequality and will not live this “American dream” in the idealized land of the free depicted as a “great strong land of love” (7). But, they will become objects of segregation and will not live this sweet American dream. His use of my and…
America has always been regarded as the land of the free and the place where if you work hard, you will reach success. However, Langston Hughes disagrees with this idea in his passage, “Let America be America Again”. Hughes suggests that America was never “America” in the first place, and without unity, America will not be the place everyone has worked so hard to build to be what it is today. In “Let America be America Again”, Hughes develops a theme of commonality and unity being the factors that affects the objective of America being the land of the free.…
In the poem “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the speaker emphasizes a change that needs to be made in America. Langston Hughes brings about the problem of how America has veered from its original dream as a land for the free, now it operates being ran by oppressive powers starving the American people. He speaks to the people of America and the minorities of America in particular, to bring a change and take back what they've worked so hard and long for, our freedom.…
In the poem “Let America be America Again”, Hughes brings up the recurring theme of fighting for one’s belief throughout the text. The poem describes the flaws within America back in the time of segregation. “O, let my…
“Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be” (Hughes). Langston Hughes said this in his poem “Let America be America again.” Hughes is conveying that the American Dream has changed from when it was the goal of every person in America and coming to America. The American Dream is what motivated people to come to the new world and start their lives with equal opportunity. It has evolved along with the ideals of the nation into “the dream that’s almost dead today”(Hughes). Although the American Dream is harder to achieve, it is still attainable to people today.…
Langston Hughes knew the meaning of adversity firsthand. As a black man living in the early twentieth century, he encountered many different struggles on a daily basis. Though he could have easily become jaded by this, he instead strived to overcome and led others to do the same through his contributions to the literary world (Michaels). A prime example of one of his motivational works is Let America Be America Again. His critique of America reached out to not only to fellow blacks, but just about every other group that modern American society had wronged. The statements made in the poem are very straightforward, but by using multiple literary and poetic devices, Hughes manages to deliver his message powerfully and very effectively.…
“When we honor our flag we honor what we stand for as a nation-freedom, equality, justice, and hope” This was said by Ronald Reagan, by saying this he means that means that an American would be willing to stand for what is right in this country. An American is someone who is inspired by our flag and what it means, someone who sees everyone equally, and someone who is thankful for the freedom given to us. One way to be an American is by seeing others Equally. In the poem “I, Too, Sing America”, by Langston Hughes, he writes about African American’s and how they were treated in the early 1900s.…
In the story Thank You Ma’am by Langston Hughes, is about a boy named Roger, who attempted to rob a woman's pocketbook, but fails. This woman, Mrs. Jones, catches him, drags him to her house, and teaches him a lesson.…
Life is not easy. Noone goes through life unscathed. In the poem “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes the author highlights this very well; however, Hughes also highlights that he’s still climbing. In the poem he uses beautiful imagery to describe the stairway of life. He sets a nice tone. His use of symbolism helps the poem immensely. Langston creates an amazing poem using symbolism, tone, and imagery.…
Analyze how Hughes develops the theme that it is urgently important for people to "take time out" to communicate with one another…
On August 28, 1963, nearly a quarter of million people arrived in the District of Columbia for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In the midst of the days various events and speeches, one stood out: Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech “ I Have a Dream”. It is a political text in which he called for racial equality and an end to the discrimination. His oration eclipsed the remarks of all other speakers that day and it is among the most quoted American public addresses. According to the U.S. Representative John Lewis, who also spoke that day as the President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, "Dr. King had the power, the ability, and the capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a monumental area that will forever be recognized. By speaking the way he did, he educated, he inspired, and he informed not just the people there, but people throughout America and unborn generations. “I Have a Dream” has come to symbolise the aspirations of the modern civil rights movement. "The son, the grandson, and the great grandson of preachers," as he so tactfully reminded the clergymen addressed in "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Educated at Morehouse College and at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, he was ordained a Baptist minister in his father's church at 18. In 1955, he completed a doctorate in systematic theology at Boston University. That December, he called a citywide boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama, where he had been serving as pastor of a church for over a year. From then until his death in Memphis in 1968, King travelled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest and action. Meanwhile he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. In these years, he led a massive protest in Birmingham,…
The poem “I, Too” written by Langston Hughes masterfully utilizes imagery in order to showcase the everyday racial prejudice that African Americans have faced in America. On page 130 of the Lenses Textbook broadly defines imagery as “the collections of images in a story, poem or play.” The imagery implemented by Langston Hughes in “I, Too” follows the traditional definition of imagery, in that it “depicts something visual” rather than evoking the basic five senses. “I, Too” contains powerful imagery of a strong willed African American with in its eighteen lines. It strengthens the emotional elements of the poem. As readers read taken each line of the poem, they are immediately struck with the image of an African American who is eating a meal…
With every word spoken comes a sense of authority as it grasps the attention of the listeners. The freedom of expression opens up the possibility to influence society as it gives the opportunity for anyone to speak and to be recognized for its importance. However, there comes a certain point where silence holds the same strength as words, but in a way where it causes more harm than good. Remaining silent does not solve any problems, but rather lets it continue; it can not contribute of seeking the meaning of right and wrong.…
At the beginning of the poem, Hughes lists all the people that were struggling and being oppressed at the time the poem was written. He points out the poor, the blacks that still bare the scares of slavery, the red man driven from his home, and the immigrant clutching to hope. He reconciles them with the opening plea by saying, “America will be!” This is saying that they still had hope.…
Dreams are tools that can help people change their world in a positive or negative way. Hughes says, “Or does it explode?” (Hughes 11), just like the first line of the poem, this final line is a question directed to the reader making another connection. Unlike the rest of the lines in the poem, this one is italicized making the reader pay more attention to it and gives it more meaning. Hughes uses the word “explode” in a way that it can be seen as both a harmful and a peaceful way, but is determined by the reader.…