I, Too
E69634
"I, Too" is a short, powerful poem by Langston Hughes that asserts the dignity and eventual recognition of African Americans within the American identity.
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
literary work
→
poem → |
| asserts |
dignity of African Americans
→
eventual recognition of African Americans within American identity → |
| author | Langston Hughes → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
→
surface form:
United States
|
| culturalContext |
Jim Crow laws
→
surface form:
Jim Crow era segregation
|
| educationalUse | commonly taught in U.S. schools → |
| firstLine | I, too, sing America. → |
| genre |
lyric poetry
→
protest poetry → |
| language | English → |
| lineCountApproximate | short poem → |
| literaryDevice |
anaphora
→
contrast → imagery → irony → symbolism → |
| literarySignificance |
frequently anthologized in American poetry collections
→
key text of African American literature → |
| message |
African Americans will be fully recognized as part of America
→
current exclusion is unjust and temporary → |
| movement | Harlem Renaissance → |
| narrativeVoice | first person → |
| period | 20th century American literature → |
| refrain | I, too, am America. → |
| relatedAuthor |
Claude McKay
→
Countee Cullen → |
| relatedWork |
Let America Be America Again
→
The Weary Blues → |
| speakerIdentity | African American man → |
| structure | free verse → |
| subjectMatter |
future social change
→
racial segregation in the United States → |
| symbolism |
beauty as self-worth
→
kitchen as segregation → laughter and eating as resilience → table as equality and inclusion → |
| theme |
African American identity
→
hope → inclusion in American identity → racial equality → resistance to racism → |
| tone |
assertive
→
defiant → hopeful → |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.