On Langston Hughes

One of the strongest recurring themes within the poetry of Langston Hughes has to do with Hughes’ own personal experiences as a black man in America. Many of his poems address this fact in different ways, with many of them seeming rather personal in nature. That said, there is certainly a bright sense of hopefulness to be found within his work as well, even when he is lamenting on the many negative aspects of being black in America and the mistreatment that often came with it. It is because of this fact that his work has endured throughout time and continues to inspire many people to this day of all colors and backgrounds. While Langston Hughes penned many poems, the deep and deliberate nature of his work can be best summed up by analyzing some of his most powerful works. One of the most moving and famous poems Hughes ever wrote, I, Too, Sing America, does an excellent job of portraying a particular perspective of the African-American experience of that time, as well as showcasing the silver lining that Hughes’ work was often known for.

When first looking at the poem I, Too, Sing America, it is immediately noticeable that this is a poem of extremely short length. In fact, many of Langston Hughes’ poems are noted for their lack of length. However, the size of the piece is just one aspect of the intriguing nature of the poem. The poem is small in size but loaded with extremely powerful substance and meaning. The beginning of the poem starts with a really moving and thought-provoking line that instantly grabs the reader's attention. “I, too, sing America” (Hughes, 1) is very striking, and right off the bat opens itself up to a variety of possible interpretations. However, the most common interpretation is that Hughes is in actuality offering up the line and idea as a response to Walt Whitman’s poem, I Hear America Singing. Unlike Whitman, however, Hughes uses the phrase differently, which can be seen by the way he adds the word “too.” Hughes is basically stating that even though he is a black man in a country that is certainly not fair or just to him and his people all the time, he still has hope, and he still loves his country. In fact, it could be reasonably argued that he possessed a love for the country that was difficult to match, for he was able to see the beauty of this nation and the possibilities that might lay in the not too distant future.

The second stanza of the poem goes further and states that “I am the darker brother” (Hughes, 2). Right here we can see that Hughes considers himself a part of American society, which he views as a type of “brotherhood” but also realizes that he is seen as different based on his skin color. Much like the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Hughes' poetry reflects a time in history when blacks were still largely treated as second-class citizens, so, this line should come as no surprise. The poem then goes on to describe how “They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes” (Hughes, 3-4) further illustrating the plight of the black man in white-dominated American society, and how far from equal they were. That said, Hughes follows that sentiment with a bit of contrast by stating: “But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong” (Hughes, 5-7). The sense of hopefulness and positivity in the face of racism and adversity is as unmistakable as it is surprising. The latter half of the poem finds Hughes capitalizing on this turn of events.

Lines 8-14 states that “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” then” (Hughes, 8-14). Here, once again Hughes seems to be implying that there is not only hope for his race and for equality but that the future will be quite different indeed. That perhaps one day he will not only sit at the table just like the white folks do, but nobody will even dare mention it. Hughes doubles down on this claim by following this part up by stating, “Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed-I, too, am America” (Hughes, 15-18). Here, the poem seems to be implying that in the future not only will black be treated equally, but that there will be a profound sense of shame attributed to those that mistreated and looked down on others based on the color of their skin. It is pretty clear that Hughes views all Americans (and people) as brothers and sisters, but that one side has oppressed and held down the other. A fact that he undoubtedly believed would one day change for the better, with people of all races and backgrounds seated together at the same table, perhaps both literally and metaphorically.

Another poem by Langston Hughes that is definitely written in a similar vein is You and Your Whole Race. Although there are definitely strong connections between I, Too, Sing America and You and Your Whole Race, there are also some very noticeable differences in the subject matter. In this particular piece, Hughes seems to express his discontent with the black middle class for not speaking up and looking out for poorer African-Americans, thereby mirroring the actions of the whites by doing nothing to help black Americans living in poverty. The poem states that these middle-class blacks should “Look down upon white folks and upon yourselves and be ashamed” (Hughes, 4-6). Right from the beginning, Hughes poem is critical and accusatory in nature, but in this case, he is also angry at members of his own race, not just whites. This is a common idea in the work of Langston Hughes, that blacks and whites are not actually separate but equal, both in terms of their negligence when it comes to dealing with those living in the horrors of poverty, and when it comes to our respective place(s) in American society as citizens, as in I, Too, Sing America.

There is a certain power to the end of You and Your Whole Race. Hughes goes from accusing and angrily reprimanding middle-class black Americans to describing the righteous way in which they should be acting instead. He states that not only should they stand up and defend those in poverty, but that they should “stand up and say: I dare you to come one step nearer, evil world, with your hands of greed seeking to touch my throat, I dare you to come one step nearer me” (Hughes, 11-14). The description here is extremely vivid and dark, while at the same time seething with passion. Hughes demonstrates that not only is being passive totally unacceptable but that he believes that there should be an almost urgent and immediate fight on behalf of the poor and that nothing should be allowed to stop or stand in the way of this fight toward progress.

An interesting aspect of this poem that has yet to be mentioned, is that Hughes seems to be implying that not only should blacks stick up for the poorer members of their race, but he also seems to believe that they are in control of their own destiny, and responsible for their own failures (in some ways). He does not state that it is solely the fault of the whites, nor does he seem to suggest that help from white people is the only way out of the poverty predicament.

The final two lines of the poem are very powerful. Hughes ends by explaining that once black middle-class Americans finally do rise up on behalf of the poorer citizens will they finally know true freedom: “When you can say that you will be free” (Hughes, 15-16). The idea that is really striking here is that Hughes seems to believe that the fate of African-Americans is interconnected. If there is a segment of the population that is down and out, then the whole race is worse off because of it. Similarly, as can be seen in I, Too, Am America Hughes seems to hold the view that all Americans are brothers and sisters that haven’t yet realized the error in their ways. Still, it is not only clear that Hughes has great hope for America’s future, but he also seems to believe that the success of each of us depends upon the success of all of us. It is a noble and profound idea, and some would argue that it is an idea that still prevails today and in many ways lies at the heart of what it really means to be an American.

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. Ed. Arnold Rampersad. New York: Alfred A. Knopf Inc, 1994. Print.

Hughes, Langston. Selected Poems of Langston Hughes. New York: Random House, 1990. Print.