I, TooI, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen When company comes, But I laugh, And eat well, And grow strong. Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table When company comes. Nobody’ll dare Say to me, “Eat in the kitchen,” Then. Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed— I, too, am America. |
Analysis
Written in free verse and with simplistic vocabulary, Hughes wrote I, Too from a universal point of view of an African American so that the thoughts and opinions expressed in his poem could be seen as those of any African American during the time. And the use of first person allows the reader to empathize with the narrator because he or she must put themselves in the narrator's position to read the poem and fully understand it. The line, "I, too, sing America," means that the narrator is claiming his or her rights to feel patriotic towards America even though he or she is disgraced and sent away, unable to eat at the same table as the others. This shows the segregation of whites and blacks during the time, for each race worked, ate, lived, and traveled separated from their counterparts. However, the poem maintains a positive outlook towards a future of racial equality. "Tomorrow, I'll be at the table," represents the future in which race will not be a separating factor, and "They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed--," showed the outlook that not only will race be set equal but those who set the horrors of slavery and segregation in the African American community will show remorse and recognize how wrong they were in their deeds of the past.
The tone of this poem allows the reader insight into the fact that even though times were not in the slightest bit easy for the African American community, but they were still capable, willing to believe, and confident that a future of equality was in store. And in this confidence, they were able to withstand discrimination that not many today would deem appropriate for anyone despite what the color of his or her skin might be. Hughes is implying that he believes that African Americans are an essential part of the American population, and that the majority will soon realize this. The tone of the narrator, in his/her confidence, expresses his/her heightened sense of self and ambition to prove him/herself as much human as the next white man.
The tone of this poem allows the reader insight into the fact that even though times were not in the slightest bit easy for the African American community, but they were still capable, willing to believe, and confident that a future of equality was in store. And in this confidence, they were able to withstand discrimination that not many today would deem appropriate for anyone despite what the color of his or her skin might be. Hughes is implying that he believes that African Americans are an essential part of the American population, and that the majority will soon realize this. The tone of the narrator, in his/her confidence, expresses his/her heightened sense of self and ambition to prove him/herself as much human as the next white man.