Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was very young, and he was left to live with his grandmother. When he was 13, he left Joplin to live with his mother and stepfather in Lincoln, Illinois; they then moved to Cleveland, Ohio a short time later. In high school, Hughes began writing poetry. After high school, Hughes went to Mexico for a year, then to New York City to study at Columbia University. While attending school, he also worked many jobs including cook, launderer, busboy, and even a seaman traveling to and from Africa and Europe. Hughes left Columbia in 1924 and moved to Washington D.C. Two years later, his first book of poetry, The Weary Blue, was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. By 1929, Hughes finished his college education at Lincoln University. A year later, his first Novel, Not Without Laughter won the Harmon gold medal for literature. Hughes is well renowned for its insightful look into black life in America. Hughes is also known for his involvement in the world of jazz and music's influence on his writing. His work was particularly interesting because he refused to differentiate between his own personal experience and the common experience of black people in America. His goal was to tell the stories of his people in a way that reflected their own culture including suffering, love of music, laughter and even language itself. Langston Hughes' poem I, Too, Sing America eludes to the suffering aspect of African American culture. It quickly addresses the differences between whites and African Americans, and the hardship it causes him to face. After the first three lines, the poem quickly turns positive and focuses on the hope that African Americans have for the future. This change in tone is clearly seen in two lines, "Tomorrow, Ill be at the table." This can be interpreted as the table being symbolic of equality. Langston Hughes' hope for an expectation of an equal future for African Americans is seen here. At the time of the Harlem Renaissance, the fight for equality had been going on for hundreds of years and still had another 20 until complete "equality" was achieved.
I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
I, 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.
I, Too, Sing America by Langston Hughes
I, 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.