Essay On I Too Sing America By Langston Hughes

Improved Essays
The definition of obstacle is, “a thing that blocks one’s way or prevents or hinders progress.” The American Dream is a path of life, an idea of hope that has many of these hindrances on its path. Whether someone plans of becoming president, inheriting their parent’s business, or just wants to have a family with a significant other, all are trying to grasp the American Dream. But, all of them have obstacles they must overcome to gain a better future for themselves and loved ones. My definition of the American Dream is that a person transcends a class barrier, such as being the first in their family to graduate college, and providing a stable future for further generations. The obstacles on the path of the American Dream is what makes it a …show more content…
Langston Hughes, the harlem renaissance poet, wrote a poem over the issue over unfair treatment over ethnicity in his poem “I, too, Sing America.” Langston expresses by writing, “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.” (Hughes) But later in the poem Langston expresses the chance of overcoming this hate through self recognition, “Besides, they’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed- I, too, am America.” (Hughes) Langston Hughes shows the hate African American experience, but also shows how they can overcome such discrimination by taking pride in being an American. To be able to comprehend and perform what Langston is writing about is a major key to success in achieving the American Dream and move past social class barriers, even if one is from a discriminated race or gender. But, discriminated races and genders also overcome prejudice in the workplace in the form of unequal pay and treatment. Another issue for minorities and women is inequality, according to Li Zhou, “companies overlook women and minorities for promotions and terminate employees if they bring the issue to light.” (Zhou) This ruins these people’s goals of becoming successful if they don’t have the chance to get promoted and move up in life. But the real issue in achieving the American …show more content…
Ambition is the hidden skill that is need to succeed in the world of business and capitalism. Many of these famous startups that have earned millions just from a single idea admit that ambition is needed in the modern world to attain the American Dream. For example, Mark Zuckerberg explains that he succeeds because he is always striving to use his time productively. That is the difference between the people that are on the headlines, and the common Joe trying to earn a decent living. The ones that are successful are competitive, strive to always improve, and don’t take no for an answer. They don’t procrastinate and hope to get a B on a project. These people create a plan and follow it through to get 100% and strive to be perfect. When they don’t succeed, they keep trying and use their failures to better themselves for the next chance they get. Jason Demers explains this type of success to Bill Gates, “Gates didn’t earn his fortune in a straight line to success… Gates first company Traf-O-Data was a complete disaster.” (Demers) Gates used his ambition to work past his mistakes and use the lessons he learned from his mistakes and made a fortune off of his second company

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In the poem “I, too” by Langston Hughes, an African-American man expresses his demand about equality and arouses others to pursue against racism in America. The writer uses short but explicit language that brings the topic to a direct and clear understanding. His constant belief of improvement and change allow a positive outlook throughout. He exclaims his importance and value and doesn’t allow himself to show any weakness in his description that would diminish his existence in comparison to others.…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first line of the second stanza states "I am the darker brother" -- meaning he may be…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    American Dream Changes

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages

    They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes, but I laugh, and eat well, and grow strong."(Langston Hughes) as the author of I, too, sing America relates his poem giving an example of one one of the dreams of America that was,even tough of all the discrimination the colored people had they weren't affected by the discrimination they suffered they had a dream as would agree my friend Martin Luther King that also a dream and about that dream many people stood up together to make it true as like all the Americans they all stood together to make America change and make it how it is…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    American Dream Dbq

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What is the American Dream and what is stopping people from reaching it? Today you will learn the three main obstacles in the way of allowing people to live the “American Dream”. The main three obstacles are Money, Education and Race. I will be giving evidence that will support my main three obstacles to prove that these three are the main obstacles in the way from allowing people to live the “American Dream”.…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Due to this issue, Langston Hughes was inspired to write“Let America Be America Again”, frustrated with the discrimination he, and so many others face daily, Hughes writes about his personal feelings on the issue of equality and freedom in America. Hughes states, “(There’s never been equality for me,/ Nor freedom in this ‘homeland of the free.’/)”(Hughes Line 15-16). For many, feelings such as these are far too common, and this quote reflects some of the emotional difficulties of being an immigrant in America. This country was built on the ideals of freedom and equality. For many, however, this just isn 't the reality. People from all over the globe have come to America in the pursuit of a better life, only to be held back due to their race, beliefs, and gender. A mentality such as this is destructive because it affects not only the way people perceive one another, it affects the way society in general perceives itself. This is because narrow mindedness and discrimination stops social and political growth, which can create tension between…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What does “Making America Great Again” mean? Donald Trump's version of "Making America Great Again" is to kick out people who are not American, racially profile people, and to hate. This relates back to legacy by talking about this. Comparing Trump and Hughes' views keeps the legacy of Hughes alive by forcing people to make connections to things that have happened in the past that are coming back into circulation. But what most people probably didn't know is that there is a poem by Langston Hughes, “Let America be America again”. The ideas of Hughes consisted of a dream of equality and respect for all people, no matter their race. The different ideas and opinions have started a new outlook and caused people to look further into the meaning…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In "Let America Be America Again," Langston Hughes transparently shares his musings on the American Dream. Hughes made this ballad in 1935 and it was distributed in the July 1936 issue of Esquire Magazine. It showed up again in 1937 in Kansas Magazine. Decades later, in 2004, Democratic Senator John Kerry utilized the ballad's title as his trademark for his Presidential Campaign while running against George W. Bramble. All through the sonnet, Hughes differentiates his desires for America with the truth of life for those outside of the socially and financially predominant racial, religious, and social gatherings. He inspires the intense longs for the individuals who went to the United States in light of the fact that they considered it to be a…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hughes points out the lack of equality of poor whites but also how unjustly and even more unequally blacks are being treated by the same upper class people. He points out the need for blacks and poor whites to work together for equality, otherwise they cannot rise above the upper class who are taking everything from them. In “Let America be American Again” Hughes says “(There’s never been equality for me, / Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.””)(15-16). While poor whites are not being treated equally at this time they still have their freedom unlike blacks who have never been given equality or freedom. In “Open Letter to the South” Hughes states to the poor whites and the working class “Let us instead, you and I, / One single hand /…

    • 156 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Langston Hughes, the author of the passage, uses the diction of equality to illustrate that black people desire to be treated the same way as white people are treated in America. He expresses what they want by using metaphors, as well as literal statements to get the point across to the reader. The point is that racism exists, despite the statements about freedom in the Constitution.…

    • 397 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    America was founded on the values of liberty, justice and the pursuit of happiness; furthermore, many people believe that they can reach success in a country with such values. In response to the American Dream, “Let America be America again” by Langston Hughes describes how America has failed to apply its beliefs to the majority of it’s citizens. Richard Miller’s article, “The Dark Knight of Soul”, questions the value of the Literate Arts in a society that seems doomed. However, Miller believes memoirs are the key to helping people make sense of the past, in order to make peace with the present. While Miller seems to only think memoirs can save the Literate Arts, I believe that all Literature can be used to give people hope for the future.…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Growing up through the early and mid nineteen hundreds was a hard time for African American’s and immigrants. They were cussed at, swore at, beaten and were separated by race in public places. Langston Hughes was born on February 1 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. He grew up in a turbulent time of depression in America. The Ku Klux Klan had very many members during the 1910’s and 1920’s, which Langston was a teenager and young adult through. Mr. Hughes was an important writer and thinker of the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was the African American artistic movement in the 1920’s that celebrated black life and culture. He turned to writing books and poetry that led him to write “Let America Be America Again.”…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Langston Hughes wrote I, Too, Sing America as an addition to Walt Whitman's I Hear America Singing. Except he wrote it to include black men in the definition of America. Not only does this change the theme of America's so-called song, but also the view of the metaphorical lyrics. Hughes felt the need to make sure that he was included in the chorus of America and therefore inserted himself with the force of his poem, I,Too, Sing America. Hughes adds on to Whitman's poem I Hear America Singing in three crucial ways.…

    • 576 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    America is viewed as a land of opportunity and success, but within this American dream lies a darker narrative of exploitation and oppression. While “Let America Be America Again”, a poem by Langston Hughes, addresses both accounts of the American dream, Hughes’ use of allusions highlights the historical disparity created by industrial America. In “Let America Be America Again,” there is a conversation between two opposing sides of the American Dream. One side is riddled with greed and success whilst the other has been used as a stepladder for their counterpart. The successful side continues to take advantage of the exploited side and widens the economic gap between the two perspectives. The triumphant perspective represents the narrative…

    • 422 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States of America has always been a place where one can prosper from hard work. People from all over the world flood to America at their chance of achieving the American Dream. In America, due to its freedoms, if one works hard, there are endless possibilities one can achieve. America is a very diverse country, and has been that way since the day it was founded. However that diversity brings much hatred and racism with it. Hate crimes and prejudices has caused a problem in America since the beginning. There has always been a person who was looked down on, or not given the same opportunities as others. Langston Hughes’ “Freedom Plow”, shines light on the liberated individual fighting for agency by holding onto the metaphorical plow.…

    • 709 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Harlem Renaissance, which lasted through the 1920’s and part of the 1930’s was a time when many black artists, through various artistic mediums brought to light the culture and struggles of black people during their time and in past history. One of the best known of these artists is Langston Hughes. His name even appears in pop culture references such as in the song “La Vie Bohéme” from the musical Rent. One of Hughes most famous poems is titled “I, too, sing America”. It refers to not just the time in which it was written but the history of people of African descent in America. The poem’s use of simple yet powerful words drives the meaning home and allows the complex meaning to shine. The rhythm of the poem is the rhythm of jazz and blues. This adds a musical quality to the free verse piece. Between the lines one can see…

    • 1699 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays