Preview

Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
188 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes Analysis
In the excerpt from “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the speaker explores his own dream for America because he wants the greatness of America to return, but he accepts the reality of America and embraces it. He wants equality and equal opportunity for everyone, but states that his experience with equality and freedom exist not for him. The description given by the speaker shows a “pioneer on the plain” seeking a place where they can live freely (3). In reality, the pioneers face inequality and will not live this “American dream” in the idealized land of the free depicted as a “great strong land of love” (7). But, they will become objects of segregation and will not live this sweet American dream. His use of my and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the poem “Let American Be America Again” by Langston Hughes, the author portrays America as a place where people try to escape their old life of oppression and struggles to this so called “American Dream”. But, what they find is “the same old stupid plan of dog eat dog”. Hughes sees that American is being seen as a ideal utopia while he actually views America as a place where there are too many obstacles in the way to achieve the American Dream. The dream is only stood in the way by the obstacles we create. For the dream to come true, change must happen.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Often American authors imply what it is like to be an American in their poetry. Essentially, Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman share similar thoughts in their literature. In “I, Too” and “I Hear America Singing”, the authors use textual evidence to support their opinions on America. In Walt Whitman’s poem, “I Hear America Singing”, Whitman explains how hard labor in America is music to him. Whitman says “I hear America singing, the varied carols i hear”, meaning how these jobs differentiate, but they all come together as one large working society. In comparison, Langston Hughes discusses society in his poem “I, Too”. Hughes wrote his literature in an era of time where racism and segregation was strong. Hughes states how he wasn’t allowed to…

    • 242 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes was considered one of the principal and prominent voices of Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s. His poetry encompasses heterogeneity of subject matters and motifs concerning working African-Americans who were excluded and deprived of power. His choice of theme was accentuated and manifested through the convergence of African-American vernacular and blues forms. My attempt is to analyze the implications of the most significant poems by first introducing the author, examining the relevance of the poems and then, contrast them with Richard Wright’s antagonistic perspective.…

    • 524 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    I think that Hughes’ mantra of “Let America be America again” is accurate, as he doesn't want to revert America to a past decade, which is controversial, because the further back in time you go, the fewer rights minorities have, he wants to make America the dream that people thought it was so long ago. The American dream was being able to come from nothing and being able to provide for your family in a country that was totally free and equal. I think that America as a whole is rooted in things like patriotism, liberty, and equality, but we are having trouble making this more widespread as one of the freedoms we have is freedom of speech, and with being able to say and think what you want there are people who don't think that everyone is equal.…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The pity and boldness in the voice of the narrator in, “Let America Be America Again” is easily noticed by the reader of the poem. Hughes feel that African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, and Asians all deserve the same opportunity to the live the American Dream just like the Caucasian-Americans but instead the minorities always get the “short end of the stick”, even though they put in the same or greater efforts. Lines…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes’s poem” Harlem”, ask a great question, what happens to a dream deferred? We start out early in our lives with an endless amount of dreams for the future. Dreams for ourselves and dreams on a global scale. As children we dream of being a fireman, a police officer, teacher, or an astronaut. On a global scale we dream of peace and equality. What becomes of those dreams when they are postponed and overdue?…

    • 302 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    America is the land of the free but lately it doesn’t seem like it. With all the police brutality and the rasict comments by the President of The United States and his followers. In a poem written by Langston Hughes called “ Let America be America Again” it talks about how America is not free for everyone. So Langston Hughes poem relates to modern America because people are still judged by skin color, social class and people would do anything for money. Today people are still doing what ever it takes to make money.…

    • 183 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hughes’ writings generally focused on African-Americans and the opportunities that they deserved to have. In “Let America be America Again”, Hughes believes “there’s never been equality for me, nor freedom in this homeland of the free” (Hughes 14-15) and if he did not do anything to try and change that then he failed the goal that he set. America as a country was created on the basis that all men shall be equal, however African-Americans did not share that right. In the same poem, Hughes said that he wanted for the people to “Let America be America again / Let it be the dream it used to be.” (Hughes…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Let America be America Again”, Langston Hughes speaks on his opinions of the American Dream. Throughout the poem, Hughes compares his hopes and dreams for America with the reality of life for those outside of certain cultural, religious, and societal groups. This is a dramatic and diverse poem, fluctuating from peaceful moments to angry explosions. The author starts by mentioning of the key vision of America, where there is the hope for liberty and equality. Yet for the oppressed races, American life has been one of persecution. Writing now in the first person, the author empathizes with all struggling Americans, "I am the farmer/ the worker/ the Negro/ I am the people." With the gift of optimism, the writer urges "We, the people, must reclaim the land/ and make America again!"…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is basically about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. Hughes probably intended for the poem to focus on the dreams of African-Americans in particular because he originally entitled the poem "Harlem," which is the capital of African American life in the United States; however, it is just as easy to read the poem as being about dreams in general and what happens when people postpone making them come true. Ultimately, Hughes uses a carefully arranged series of images that also function as figures of speech to suggest that people should not delay their dreams because the more they postpone them, the more the dreams will change and the less likely they will come true.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his poem “A Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes utilizes vivid sensory imagery and similes to explore the various phases of a dream deferred. Before I wrote my stylistic imitation, one of my friends suggested I look carefully at the historical context surrounding this poem’s publication. This poem was written right before the Civil Rights Movement, during a time when racial tensions were high in the U.S. and this got me thinking about movements today. Recently, there has been an increased awareness of the rampant police brutality in America, and as I was contemplating the historical context of my poem today, I immediately thought of the #BlackLivesMatterMovement today, which is why I titled my imitation “Matter.” Hughes lived in a society where the dreams of Black people for true liberty and equality were constantly de-valued. Similarly, today, it is clear that racism and systematic oppression still exists. While black and brown people are being shot down by corrupt police officials, these same officials are being acquitted of their crimes, and our cries for justice are not answered. This is what I tried to draw…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay on Langston Hughes

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Many leaders in today’s society possess characteristics that determine how they are either chosen or self-made. These characteristics could range from being a charismatic, transformational, motivational, or influential leader. Each has its own meaning, but it is possible for leaders to possess more than one characteristic. Being a charismatic leader consists of having a charming and colorful personality. As the text reads, “In the study of leadership, charisma is a special quality of leaders whose purposes, powers, and extraordinary determination differentiate them from others."…

    • 2258 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Personally for me , I felt more similarly to the Langston Hughes essay. The era the essay is written from might be another reason since it is more modern and easier to relate. Compared to the Gates essay it was easier to wrap my head around it. I was able to dissect the essay and see the true meaning you could say. The wording Huge used was also more modern and easier to understand.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How America Should Be

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Langston Hughes writes “Let America Be America Again”. A poem that is about what America means to Hughes. This man just wants everyone to have equal opportunity in America. Everyone has a different opinion on what America should be, and I am going to be talking about what this dream meant to Langston Hughes, what I think this poem means to most Americans, and what this poem means to me, which are all very different opinions.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The new found connotation of America is negative. People need to open their eyes to realize that the American Dream is right underneath them. In this case Langston Hughes writes:…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays