The Theme Of Racism In I, Too, Sing America Poem

From the prosperity of the 1920s and the poverty of the Great Depression, the Modernist era in American literature brought an end to the sense of optimism that reigned earlier. The disillusionment and uncertainty led to bold new ideas and ideologies that affected each individual differently. The modernist poems in American literature captured the sense of uncertainty through the challenges of segregation and nativist attitudes toward immigrants. Within The United States, the country was in a state of change trying to forget past beliefs and move forward in a modern world. This change was a slow process that confronted the conflicts among American citizens. The change apparent in America during the Modernist era allowed for new perspectives …show more content…
In the poem “I, Too, Sing America”, the overall idea is to explain the changing societal ways in America. The poem discusses how the narrator will go from sitting in the kitchen to eating with the company at the table. Furthermore, this idea of change signifies the changing societal ways of people obtaining equality. Also the poem is trying to inform that past events in history are irrelevant and society is changing. The poem discusses how the narrator used to sit in the kitchen to eat. This presents the idea of the past and racism of a different era. Further through the poem, the narrator will sit at the table with everyone else showing the equality in society. This presents the change of going from racism and segregation to equality and justice. On the contrary, in the poem “Still I Rise”, the overall idea is to explain that a slave will rise above the hatred and racial prejudice to experience the American Dream. The poem confers on how the narrator can take the hatred and bitterness of words. The narrator can take the twisted lies and the pain of racism, but the narrator still rises. The narrator explains that the painful past will not stop her, and she will rise and rise again. The poem demonstrates the idea of a slave rising above the prejudice and the racism of a changing time. The poem also informs that slaves have to rise and never give up. They must rise above the hatred to experience the American Dream. The poem is how this narrator is the hope and dream of a slave by rising against the challenges in American society. These poems inform the reader about the racism and equality through different perspectives that demonstrate the Modernist voice of the