The Difference Between Langston Hughes And I Hear America...

In this essay I will be talking about the differences between Walt Whitmans poem â€Å" I Hear America Singing† and Langston Hughes poem â€Å" I, Too, Sing America†. I will also be giving my opinion on whether or not Langston Hughes is responding to Walt Whitmans poem. Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and a columnist from Joplin, Missouri. Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and a journalist from West Hills, New York. This is all just background information about the two poets jobs and of where they came from. In the poem â€Å" I Hear America Singing† Walt Whitman talks about lots of different types of jobs and of their distinctive carols. He talks of mechanics and how their singing is blithe and†¦show more content†¦In I, Too, Sing America when Langston Hughes writes of a darker brother who is told to eat in the kitchen you know that he is talking about African Americans. In this poem Langston Hughe s writes a stanza that changes your idea of what the poem is about. He says â€Å" Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table when company comes. Nobody’ll dare say to me, â€Å"Eat in the Kitchen,† then†. This line is is clearly stating the main idea of the poem right there. It’s telling us of how now there is segregation, but one day in the future all men will be equal. In Walt Whitmans poem he talks about the American jobs and all the difference tunes they play while in Langston Hughes poem he talks about African Americans and how the future will be different. One may not be able to notice at first but these two poems share a lot of similarities. Both these poems state phrases such as â€Å" I, Too am America†, or â€Å" I hear America† in which both poets answer the question to who or what they think is America. Both poets reach different answers to this question as they explore this topic in their writing. Walt Whitmans poem shows a unified America all working together as one from the mechanic whose singing is blithe and strong to the delicious singing of the mother. In Langston Hughes poem it shows the injustice in not letting African Americans be part of this unified America, so it’s essentially an argument between the two poets as they argue back andShow MoreRelatedI Hear America Singing By Langston Hughes991 Words   |  4 Pages Langston Hughes spoke and captivated the general struggles of an African American’s life during the 1900s through his poem, â€Å"I, Too.† Hughes’ points out the injustice of bigotry or one’s beliefs in America, and his overall message is saying that an African American’s hard work is just as noteworthy as any other American. In contrast, Walt Whitman, author of â€Å"I Hear America Singing,† speaks about the employed citizens of America. 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