I, Too, Sing America

“I, Too, Sing America” written by Langston Hughes is a poem filled with many mixed thoughts and feelings expressed by a single dark-skinned man. The main reasons why I chose to write about this poem is because it would be a great opportunity to learn much more about the topic of racism, and African American rights. There are also three quotes in this poem that stands out for me. There is a lot to learn about this time period as we progress in this essay. The theme of this poem is freedom and shows the reader this theme by having meaning to every line about social equality.
One of the quotes that stood out to me was, “I am the darker brother.” Not knowing who’s brother he is, but darker is referring to skin color. This being said in the poem is pointing out the feelings of loneliness the man is having due to the atmosphere of hatred around him. Not only is the poet talking about himself, but also talking for everyone else standing in the same position. As the man (poet) constantly uses the word “brother” in this poem, he is referring to the brotherhood of men in America. The second quote that also stood out was, “They send me to eat in the kitchen … when company comes.” This quote from the poem indicates that blacks were sent somewhere else when there are parties or when there are guests in the home. Servants were sent somewhere else because home-owners didn’t want to have them in sight. These lines are relevant to different layers of time. During this time period, people were segregated by skin color. Colored, or dark-skinned people were separated and treated as slaves, while the whites were treated as kings and queens.
Finally, the last quote is, “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table … When company comes.” This quote from the poem is showing the man’s hope to a bright future. “Tomorrow” in his eyes, means the future, in which the colored and whites come together as one, and the racial time period dies down. As he mentions being at the table when company comes,