I, Too
BY LANGSTON HUGHESI, 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.
After watching the movie, The Help, it made me think about African Americans and the lives the lead. I've read a lot of Langston Hughes and I think this poem is my favorite. I like that even though the narrator is treated poorly, he knows that some day, life will be different. My favorite part is the last line. It intrigues me that the narrator thinks that he is apart of America. If I put myself in a black persons shoes, I don't think I would want to be apart of the country that enslaved me. However I like that, the narrator is telling everyone that even though he's black he is part of America too.
I like how the stanzas are separated through theme and idea. The break between the last line and the last stanza increased the dramatic affect. It was also interesting that the poem has a lyrical sound but contains a serious meaning.
BY LANGSTON HUGHESI, 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.
After watching the movie, The Help, it made me think about African Americans and the lives the lead. I've read a lot of Langston Hughes and I think this poem is my favorite. I like that even though the narrator is treated poorly, he knows that some day, life will be different. My favorite part is the last line. It intrigues me that the narrator thinks that he is apart of America. If I put myself in a black persons shoes, I don't think I would want to be apart of the country that enslaved me. However I like that, the narrator is telling everyone that even though he's black he is part of America too.
I like how the stanzas are separated through theme and idea. The break between the last line and the last stanza increased the dramatic affect. It was also interesting that the poem has a lyrical sound but contains a serious meaning.