I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—
I, too, am America.
Langston Hughes
An absolutely beautiful poem by Langston Hughes, very powerful.
About Langston Hughes – Contextual Knowledge
-Born 1902, Missouri.
-Parents divorced when he was still young, and was instead raised by his Grandmother. However, he did later move to Lincoln with his mother and her new husband, and it was here that he began to write poetry.
-Held various jobs, such as a cook and a waiter, and worked at a launderette.
-Later travelled England and Africa as a seaman.
-His first book of poetry, ‘The Weary Blues’, was published by Knopf in 1926.
-His first novel, ‘Not without laughter’, was published 1930. It won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature.
-Most famous for his rich portrayals of life for African Americans from the 20’s through to the 60’s.
-He was a great influence towards the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s.
-Died in 1967 in New York, after complications with regard to his prostate cancer.
Poetry Notes
-References to 'brother' instills ideas of camaraderie, and of a shared interest.
-'I laugh/I eat well/and I grow strong' - shows that the racial equality movement is growing in strength, fed from positive sources, and joining together with confidence.
-'Tomorrow' could be thought of as a reference to revolution; as a noun, it is typically used in speeches to inspire and appeals to the reader/listener's imagination. However, this means that the narrator's dreams of equality may be just that - dreams.
-'I'll be at the table/when the company comes' - this again seems to be a revolutionary reference, hearkening to the protests against racial segregation in the USA. By following this line with 'nobody'll dare/say to me/"Eat in the Kitchen"/then', the reader has the understanding that the narrator has not been invited to the table.
-Use of the word 'dare' shows that the narrator's presence is a threat - though in what sense? Is he a threat to the power of the presumably white family? Is it a personal threat, local only to the white family, or is it a threat because the narrator's actions speak for all racially oppressed peoples in the USA?
-'I'll' - Langston Hughes focusses here on personal grievance and bitterness, and then returns to a voice for the many in the last stanza.
-The sharp, unstressed ending of this stanza - 'then' - gives the narrator a nature of superiority by again insinuating threats. The use of 'then' implies that something has happened, or something has been done, to achieve this new outcome.
-With a view of only the second stanza, the narrator's dreams seem to feature a reversal of racial superiority, rather than equality.
-'I, too, sing America', 'I, too, am America' - the mere mention of singing shows that the people, though oppressed have a voice, and are capable of using it. 'I, too, am America' shows the importance of singing the praise of all people, and of putting common unity against our differences, whatever they may be.
-'Besides,/They’ll see how beautiful I am/And be ashamed' - This stanza is hopeful, ending the poem on a positive note - what makes us different makes us beautiful.
-Continually asserts the wrongdoing of white oppressors. Use of the word 'ashamed' shows not only understanding of their wrongdoing, but also implies that they have come to this conclusion personally.
Langston Hughes
An absolutely beautiful poem by Langston Hughes, very powerful.
About Langston Hughes – Contextual Knowledge
-Born 1902, Missouri.
-Parents divorced when he was still young, and was instead raised by his Grandmother. However, he did later move to Lincoln with his mother and her new husband, and it was here that he began to write poetry.
-Held various jobs, such as a cook and a waiter, and worked at a launderette.
-Later travelled England and Africa as a seaman.
-His first book of poetry, ‘The Weary Blues’, was published by Knopf in 1926.
-His first novel, ‘Not without laughter’, was published 1930. It won the Harmon Gold Medal for literature.
-Most famous for his rich portrayals of life for African Americans from the 20’s through to the 60’s.
-He was a great influence towards the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s.
-Died in 1967 in New York, after complications with regard to his prostate cancer.
Poetry Notes
-References to 'brother' instills ideas of camaraderie, and of a shared interest.
-'I laugh/I eat well/and I grow strong' - shows that the racial equality movement is growing in strength, fed from positive sources, and joining together with confidence.
-'Tomorrow' could be thought of as a reference to revolution; as a noun, it is typically used in speeches to inspire and appeals to the reader/listener's imagination. However, this means that the narrator's dreams of equality may be just that - dreams.
-'I'll be at the table/when the company comes' - this again seems to be a revolutionary reference, hearkening to the protests against racial segregation in the USA. By following this line with 'nobody'll dare/say to me/"Eat in the Kitchen"/then', the reader has the understanding that the narrator has not been invited to the table.
-Use of the word 'dare' shows that the narrator's presence is a threat - though in what sense? Is he a threat to the power of the presumably white family? Is it a personal threat, local only to the white family, or is it a threat because the narrator's actions speak for all racially oppressed peoples in the USA?
-'I'll' - Langston Hughes focusses here on personal grievance and bitterness, and then returns to a voice for the many in the last stanza.
-The sharp, unstressed ending of this stanza - 'then' - gives the narrator a nature of superiority by again insinuating threats. The use of 'then' implies that something has happened, or something has been done, to achieve this new outcome.
-With a view of only the second stanza, the narrator's dreams seem to feature a reversal of racial superiority, rather than equality.
-'I, too, sing America', 'I, too, am America' - the mere mention of singing shows that the people, though oppressed have a voice, and are capable of using it. 'I, too, am America' shows the importance of singing the praise of all people, and of putting common unity against our differences, whatever they may be.
-'Besides,/They’ll see how beautiful I am/And be ashamed' - This stanza is hopeful, ending the poem on a positive note - what makes us different makes us beautiful.
-Continually asserts the wrongdoing of white oppressors. Use of the word 'ashamed' shows not only understanding of their wrongdoing, but also implies that they have come to this conclusion personally.
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