I Too Sing America Poem Summary

I,too by Langston Hughes, The Atlantic Slave Trade and the Powwow At The End Of The World all approach the same conflict in their own distinctive ways. After reading each of these texts, the reader will come to the conclusion that despise the texts approach the topic differently, they all revolve around one central idea - Racial Inequity. Throughout history, the world has been brimming with blind hate. People's perception of others frequently stopped at their skin. People were socialized to think a certain way and unity was not evident outside the political rhetoric. In the poem I,too by Langston Hughes, the narrator forthrightly states that he too is america, despise his race. In the opening stanza, “I, too, sing America”, the author’s choice …show more content…
He furtherly states that one day the oppressors will see how truly beautiful he is and they will feel regret for what they have done to him and his people. This poem supports the central idea of Racial Inequity because he was sent away to eat in the kitchen, implying that the guests would feel ashamed to eat in his presence. The Atlantic Slave Trade takes a much more substantial approach at the topic of Racial Inequity. Unlike I,too which did not provide any historic background, The Atlantic Slave Trade reveals the brutal past of the African people and how they were objectified. The Atlantic Slave Trade was a catastrophic event in which africans were forcibly transported to europe for labor purposes. “Europeans could not obviously count on their own "proletarians" who did not have the suited skills especially when tropical agriculture was concerned” (lines 10-11). Europeans used this as an excuse to exploit the african culture. They could not rely on their own proletarians whatsoever since they were not fit enough and did not have the skills needed for agricultural growth and production. This is an example of Racial Inequity. Europeans at the time considered themselves superior to …show more content…
The fact that Europe could do such damage to Africa without any consequences proves that Racial inequity was absolutely undeniable at the time. Europe left an everlasting scar on africa by exploiting them in every way possible. In the Powwow at the end of the world, the narrator views the Grand Coulee Dam as a blockade to finding his/her tribe. The europeans are to blame for dismantling the indian race and their traditional values. One main theme in this poem is compassion. Will the Native Americans forgive the european oppressors for what they have done? This line answers this question - “ I am told by many of you that I must forgive and so I shall after an Indian woman puts her shoulder to the Grand Coulee Dam and topples it”. This event is unlikely to happen, meaning that forgiveness at this point is not bound to happen. The europeans, being the world's dominant force at the time, in a way manipulated mother nature itself by building these dams by hand to separate and exploit cultures without caring about the harm they they will force upon the Native Americans. The salmon which is referred to by the narrator many times throughout the poem withholds great