Still I Rise Langston Hughes Analysis

Langston Hughes and Mary Angelou lived in a time where human beings feared what was different from them. The masses, during that time, believed that blacks were inferior to whites. Hughes and Angelou despised how segregation and racism was practiced throughout the country. Hughes and Angelou wrote pieces of poetry, that emphasized equality for all and that communicated racism is not the answer to the problem. On the other hand, they took contrasting approaches to the topic itself. Hughes and Angelou’s poetry, complete with powerful use of language technique, inspired their audiences to view discrimination from each of their perspectives. Frankly, the Langston Hughes and Mary Angelou poems both had an underlying connotation about racial segregation and overcoming oppression. Within “I, Too, Sing America” and “Still I Rise,” both celebrated black pride and how Hughes and Angelou overcame racism. On the contrary, they came to a solution to our …show more content…
His platform against racism was seen in every aspect of his writing. The metaphor he used in the entirety of “I, Too, Sing America” encompassed how blacks were never considered part of the family nor could they eat in the same vicinity as whites. Hughes spoke out against this injustice by bluntly stating that he would “be at the table when company comes.” In contrast, “Still I Rise” utilized similes, symbolism, imagery, and many others in order to illustrate how African Americans are combating hardships. For the duration of her poem, Angelou compared herself to various elements, such as dust or air, in order to convey that she was willing to fight back against the prejudice and transgressions of whites. Though Hughes and Angelou used similar literary devices within their works, both poets manipulated them in different ways to articulate the message concerning their