How Does Langston Hughes Use Metaphors In I Too
Langston Hughes speaks out against racism in the poem I, Too. He speaks about how it affects him and how change needs to be made. His goal in the poem is to inspire his audience to make a change in the way society treats African Americans. The author uses symbolism and metaphors to humanize society by portraying it as a household, in order to display to the reader the racial discriminations going on within the time period and what needs to change in the future.
To start, Hughes utilizes metaphors throughout the poem to portray the disconnection between the narrator and society within the household. At the start of the poem the narrator begins with the statement “I, too, sing America.” (Hughes, line 1). This quote is so important because it
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Within the poem there is a dinner party going on inside of the house and the narrator describes what it is like being a part of the party as an African American. The party is used to symbolize society and the narrator is symbolizing the African American people and how the “rest of the party” is sending him away and blocking him out like he is not a part of society. For example, when the author says “I’ll be at the table.” (Hughes, line 9) He doesn't mean that he will actually be seated at a table he is saying he will be a part of society as opposed to being on the outside when he wouldn’t be allowed to. Hughes was a very influential person during the Harlem Renaissance, he was a leader amongst the black culture and was a trailblazer fighting for the rights of all African Americans. So when he connects the Civil Rights battle to the kitchen using symbolism it helps specifically the white audience to get a good picture of what it is like to live under oppression since they probably have never had to deal with that. The quote “They send me to eat in the kitchen “ (Hughes, line 3). Is used to show the audience what it is like to be sent away from the rest of the people because you are different and how you have to take that kind of oppression by almost ignoring it. Like he does here “But I laugh, - And eat well, - And grow strong.” (Hughes, lines 6-8). He laughs and grows stronger from the segregation and it makes him a better person because of it. This shows how the symbolism of the house helps the audience get a good grasp of what the real oppression is like from the receiving
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