ENGL200 Blog #1

What is the relationship between Hughes's "I, Too" and Whitman's "I Hear America Singing"? How does Hughes respond to Whitman's conception of America?

1.) Langston Hughes’ poem “Dream Deferred” has always been one of my favorites. Reading this poem gives me a sense of pride in, and connectedness to, African-Americans living during the Harlem Renaissance (and African slaves in America). I do not get the same sense of inspiration and awe from the Whitman poem. Though aesthetically pleasing, “I Hear America Singing” is boring and unrealistic.

2.) The most obvious relationship between the Hughes’ “Dream Deferred” and Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” is of a contrasting nature. Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman were in two very different positions in life; they therefore wrote poems from two very contrasting perspectives. Whitman wrote “I Hear America Singing” with the opinion that people in America are generally content, have realized their potential, and are living their dreams. The characters in this poem represent men and women from all walks of life singing, in a sense expressing their satisfaction with the American experience.

Hughes is on the opposite side of the spectrum. He expresses the iniquity that embodies the living experience of many Americans. While the men and women in Whitman’s poem were living happily, “each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else…with open mouths their strong melodious songs,” those living in Hughes’ poem were forced to wait on their unrealized dreams and potential. Walt Whitman describes the condition of American citizens as ideal; however, Hughes goes up against this notion of the “Protestant work ethic” by presenting the reader with his version of the story, one that includes struggle and opposition to a dream.

In addition to this contrast, Hughes also presents a different perspective on work in America. He alludes to festering sores, sagging heavy loads, drying up in the sun…all of which could very well be references to the experience that many field hands (specifically African slaves) would have been experiencing during Hughes’ lifetime. Walt Whitman didn’t mention those aspects of work, only the singing that took place (which according to Hughes and those who were experiencing the same thing was a false and unrealistic expression of complacency).