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How is I Hear America Singing democratic?
This poem is a celebration of America, and of the ideals of freedom and democracy on which the American nation is built. The poem’s democratic ideal is reflected in the fact that we’re getting a whole cross-section of people represented: mothers and shoemakers and woodcutters and masons and carpenters, among others.
What is the meaning of I Hear America Singing?
“I Hear America Singing” is basically a joyful list of people working away. The speaker of the poem announces that he hears “America singing,” and then describes the people who make up America—the mechanics, the carpenters, the shoemakers, the mothers, and the seamstresses.
Is I too a response to I Hear America Singing?
In 1925, Hughes wrote a poem titled “I, Too” was inspired by and directed in response to the poem “I Hear America Singing”, which was composed by Whitman much earlier. Arguing that all American citizens are the same, disregarding their skin color, Hughes applies in this poem a master-slave relationship.
Which describes extended metaphor in the poem I too sing America?
In the case of the phrase above, the extended metaphor that is being described in the poem is this: eating in the kitchen is compared to racial segregation in America.
Is I too am America a metaphor?
“I am the darker brother” (Metaphor) – This means that the speaker is a Black American citizen. The themes of inequality, racial discrimination and hope are explored through Langston Hughes’ use of an extended metaphor, repetition, contrast and structure in his poem ‘I, Too, Sing America’.
What kind of poem is I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman?
“I Hear America Singing” is not a formal poem. It does not have a set meter or a rhyme scheme. Instead, it is written in free verse, with a single stanza of 11 lines.
What does I am the darker brother mean?
It means not only whites are Americans, but African Americans are citizens and should be treated equally. The first line of the second stanza states “I am the darker brother” — meaning he may be African American, but he is still an American. The following five meters state “They send me to eat in the kitchen.
What is the main idea of the poem I too by Langston Hughes?
The main theme of Langston Hughes’s “I, Too” is racism. More specifically, the poem deals with the lines that are drawn between blacks and whites in the United States, which seem to disregard the fact that black Americans “sing America” too.
How Hughes’s poem builds on Whitman’s poem?
Hughes’s poem is building off of what Whitman wrote, because he is still talking about the job that this person is doing, but calling attention to the fact that there are other people in America, like African Americans, who are also working really hard but that Whitman didn’t mention in his poem.
How does the imagery in I Hear America Singing contribute to its overall meaning?
The imagery in the poem is found as he mentions different types of laborers, to express the nationality feeling to join bonds between a nation. The musicality of the poem describes their work individually, to recognize the particularity and universality of every human being.
How does the way I too is written compare to Whitman’s poem?
The poems “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too” speak of the American identity, but they differ in many ways. In Whitman’s poem, the poet sings to proclaim an American identity in which each person plays an equal part. In contrast, in Hughes’s poem, only the people in the kitchen play an important role.
What inspired Walt Whitman to write I hear America singing?
He uses optimistic words “blithe”, “carols”, “strong”, “delicious”, “robust” and “friendly”. The entire poem is a celebration of life, a celebration of many different types of people that make up what America is and how they find happiness in their everyday. Walt Whitman life experiences inspired him to write the poem.
What is the message of the poem I too by Langston Hughes?
I, Too is a short, free verse poem that focuses on African American identity within the dominant white culture of the USA. It encapsulates the history of oppression of black people by means of slavery, denial of rights and inequality.
What is the tone of I Hear America Singing?
The tone of the story is appreciative. At first, Whitman seems indifferent, but at the end, he talks about the pleasing sounds and the joy of the people. The mood of the poem is proud. This poem is a prime example of what it is supposed to feel like to be an American.
How does the poem invoke I Hear America Singing in the first line?
In the opening line, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear …” the speaker assumes a posture common in much of Whitman’s poetry by asserting his unique ability to see America in all its greatness, or in this particular case, to hear “its varied carols.” What follows is a chronicle of various characters or …
How is the Speaker affected when he is asked to eat in the kitchen I too?
How is the speaker affected when he is asked to eat in the kitchen? The speaker is embarrassed that he is asked to eat in the kitchen. The speaker is angered by the unfair treatment he receives. The speaker is confident that things will change for the better.
When the speaker says they send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes Who are they?
The speaker is an African American. When the speaker says, “They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes,” who are “they”? “They” represent white Americans.
How does the repetition of the word singing influence the overall meaning of the poem I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman?
How does the repetition of the word singing influence the overall meaning of the poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman? The repetition emphasizes hope and a unified vision for America.