Do You Think Langston Hughes is an Optimistic Poet? 

Answer

Do you think “I, Too, Sing America” expresses the optimistic view of the Black American slave? [NU: 2016]

Or, Do you think Langston Hughes is an optimistic poet? [NU: 2020]

Langston Hughes’s (1901-1967) poem “I, Too, Sing America” (1926) is a powerful poem about racial inequality and hope. The speaker of the poem is a black man. He is treated unfairly. But he also speaks with hope that one day this injustice will end. Hughes ends this poem with an optimistic view.

Racial Inequality at the Beginning: At the beginning, the speaker says, “I, too, sing America.” This means he is proud to belong to the nation. He loves America and shares the same hope and dream. But he also feels the pain of racial inequality. He calls himself “the darker brother.” Because of his skin color, he is not given respect.

The racial inequality becomes clear when he is sent away to eat in the kitchen when guests come. This shows how Black people are separated and treated as inferior. He sadly says:

“They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes.”

Optimistic View: But instead of crying, he laughs, eats well, and grows strong. This part shows his patience, hope, and strength. The speaker looks forward to the future. He says:

“Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.”

Here, “tomorrow” means a better future when equality will come. At that time, nobody will dare to send him away. Society will have to accept him as equal.

In the end, he says that one day others will see how beautiful he is. They will feel ashamed of their discrimination. Langston Hughes ends the poem with the line: “I, too, am America.” So, the poem expresses the optimistic view of the black American slaves.

In short, the poem not only portrays the painful racial inequality but also hopes