Introduction
The author highlights the plight of the oppressed with the view of sensitizing the population on the need to combat the challenge of discrimination of Black in the United States. The views that Langston Hughes hold regarding social democracy is due to impacts of his life and challenges he underwent trying to succeed in life. Hughes had a difficult childhood because of the separation of his parents where he was raised by his grandmother after his father moved to Mexico. He tried various professions among them being a seaman where he travelled to Africa and Europe, he also did odd jobs that included working as a cook, busboy and a launderer. However, Hughes became a very successful poet where he addressed societal issues among them being social discrimination and the need to create a unified society where every individual has equal opportunity to success. Moreover, one issue that helped to develop Hughes’ perception is the is the need to have civil and legal rights spread to every citizen without any segregation. With regards to the poem, American is full of segregation and racial discrimination against the Blacks, and ending discrimination and social injustice calls for a collective effort and being more involved in the efforts to end the vice.
Views of Langston Hughes of America
Hughes used his literary skill to address social issues, the main one being discrimination and social segregation. In the poems, Hughes views American as a social discriminating society where there is lack of unity between the black and the whites. In the poem ‘I Too,’ Hughes addresses the challenges that the Blacks faced and how the same limited their opportunity to success in the American society. In this regards, he uses the poem to sensitize the Whites to acknowledge the importance of Black in America and take part in creating a more accepting society where both Black and Whites can achieve their goals and success in their daily activities. The second viewpoint of Hughes is that American requires the citizens to be strong to help in tackling societal challenges such as discrimination. In this regard, every American needs to be involved and must take concerted efforts in tackling such challenges without blaming the leadership. This is evident in the way he is optimistic that the challenges they are experience will end and that he will ‘sit on the table and eat chicken.’
The second view of America that Hughes has is that America is full of patriotic citizens; this is because he acknowledges that America is not a perfect society and that there are various challenges that citizens faces and there is no unity between Blacks and Whites “Thus the dream becomes not one man’s dream alone, But a community dream”. However, he goes ahead to exude a great amount of optimism that the forms of discrimination will end and that he will also be given the opportunity to ‘sing America.’ In this regard, he hopes that there will come a time when he will be given the opportunity to serve the country, much thought is placed on the wishes of the author in serving the country and making it a better place. Another way in which Hughes shows patriotism is apparent in the way he is expectant of the end of all social evils in the society and the efforts he has taken to ensure that whatever he envisions come to pass so that the society can benefits from the same.
Additionally, another view of America is visionary and this is apparent in the way Hughes is full of expectations that he will ‘eat chicken’ together with others ‘tomorrow.’ The degree of visionary America is apparent in that he believes that the social challenges apparent in the country are bound to ensure soon which suggests that the population is concerned about making America a better country soon for the benefits of every citizen. Such is evident in the phrase “Not my dream alone, but our dream. Not my world alone, But your world and my world,
Belonging to all the hands who build. ” There is the need for the audience to acknowledge Hughes for the visionary nature in which he shows the American society. Finally, Hughes highlights the high cases of oppression in America and has the suggests that there is the need for the population to enlighten others on the plight of the slaves to help in creating a land of freedom. Although it is evident that the slaves were not set free, they were optimistic that one day they would be free and that finally came to pass.
Conclusion
Hughes plays a critical role in his two poems; ‘I Too’ and ‘Freedom Plow’ as the poems are some of the building stones for Civil Movements in America. It is from such works as Hughes did that social equality was introduced into the country, moreover, the works of Hughes helped in encouraging the population to show high form of patriotism where they were able to create an accommodating environment for the success of both the Black and Whites. There is need for the society acknowledge steps America has gone through in creating a society which has uniformity in both civil and legal rights.