'I, Too' by Langston Hughes

Title: I, Too

Genre: Poem

Author: Langston Hughes

Year: 1926

Context: civil rights movement

I, Too Sing America 

• Part of a collection called The Weary Blues falling under the category of jazz poetry celebrating the African American life 

• The poems had a musical quality to them
  

Langston Hughes 

• Part of Harlem Renaissance

• Talented playwright, poet

• Dropped out of university to work odd jobs 

• Themes were racial equality and working class pride  

Free verse 

• No rigid structure and also you’re free to write however many lines you want 

Theme: working class pride 

Technique	Example	Effect
juxtaposition	They’ll how beautiful I am  And be ashamed	Contrasts the main speaker’s openness and pride with the shameful racism
repetition	I too, sing America I too am America	Boldly expresses how the speaker will not let racism stop his patriotism for America and recognising himself as an American.
imagery	They send me to eat in the kitchen  Tomorrow I’ll be at the table	Reveals the speaker’s unwavering sense of dignity and spirit in the face of mistreatment and prejudice
Appeal to pathos  / emotive language	They’ll see how beautiful I am  And be ashamed	Exemplifies emotion and character of the narrator battling “the company”

I, too

‘I, too’ (1926) by Langston Hughes explores working class pride from a black man’s perspective in America. Initially, Hughes uses repetition in ‘I too sing America’, Boldly expresses how the speaker will not let racism stop his patriotism for America and recognising himself as an American. Despite the speaker being asked to ‘eat in the kitchen’, he persists with hope and says tomorrow ‘I’ll be at the table’. Therefore, this reveals the speaker’s unwavering sense of dignity and spirit in the face of mistreatment and prejudice, as well as showcasing hope for a brighter tomorrow. Appealing to pathos, Hughes mentions that ‘They’ll see how beautiful I am 

And be ashamed’, this juxtaposing main speaker’s openness and pride with the shameful racism. In the final stanza, the speaker concludes, repeating ‘I too, sing America’, boldly expressing how he will continue to recognise himself as an American and how racism will not stop his patriotism. Overall, the poem ‘I, too’ sends a message about optimism and hope in the face of prejudice and mistreatment.

Theme: working class pride 

Technique	Example	Effect
juxtaposition	They’ll how beautiful I am  And be ashamed	Contrasts the main speaker’s openness and pride with the shameful racism
repetition	I too, sing America I too am America	Boldly expresses how the speaker will not let racism stop his patriotism for America and recognising himself as an American.
imagery	They send me to eat in the kitchen  Tomorrow I’ll be at the table	Reveals the speaker’s unwavering sense of dignity and spirit in the face of mistreatment and prejudice
Appeal to pathos  / emotive language	They’ll see how beautiful I am  And be ashamed	Exemplifies emotion and character of the narrator battling “the company”

I, too

‘I, too’ (1926) by Langston Hughes explores working class pride from a black man’s perspective in America. Initially, Hughes uses repetition in ‘I too sing America’, Boldly expresses how the speaker will not let racism stop his patriotism for America and recognising himself as an American. Despite the speaker being asked to ‘eat in the kitchen’, he persists with hope and says tomorrow ‘I’ll be at the table’. Therefore, this reveals the speaker’s unwavering sense of dignity and spirit in the face of mistreatment and prejudice, as well as showcasing hope for a brighter tomorrow. Appealing to pathos, Hughes mentions that ‘They’ll see how beautiful I am 

And be ashamed’, this juxtaposing main speaker’s openness and pride with the shameful racism. In the final stanza, the speaker concludes, repeating ‘I too, sing America’, boldly expressing how he will continue to recognise himself as an American and how racism will not stop his patriotism. Overall, the poem ‘I, too’ sends a message about optimism and hope in the face of prejudice and mistreatment.