Sunday, January 27, 2013
"O, yes
I say it plain
America never was America to me
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!"
I say it plain
America never was America to me
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!"
I deem this stanza
important for it demonstrates the ambivalence between the tone of anger that
Hughes expressed in the first stanzas and the tone of hope depicted in the last
two stanzas of the poem. In other words; although the poet was clearly
frustrated and angry with the unachieved American dream, he still strongly
believes that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Despite poverty,
segregation, inequality, and deprivation prevailing in "the land of
freedom" (especially among Indians, Africa-Americans, and poor immigrants),
Hughes chooses to give his readers a gleam of hope instead of just giving them
criticism and pessimism. Hughes gives
his readers Hope that change is coming, that it is inevitable, and that the
ideal “America” will surely come to existence one day. As we see in the stanza
above, His assurance is demonstrated by the simple past "WAS" --
referring to a dark period of the American history – which he turned in the
following line into a future tense "WILL", the latter refers the
future ideal America that all Americans dream about. The poet here, in fact, is
trying to turn a new page in the American history; and he is inviting his
readers to "put some ink" in these new pages so as to build a new
"beautiful" history that all Americans will be proud of.
Regarding the
second part of the question; it is well known that Langston Hughes was one of
the major authors of the Harem renaissance. In the stanza above Langston gives
us a description of the African American awakening; the former uneducated
peasants of the south are now voicing their opinions on how America must;
African Americans are now swearing their oath that America WILL be theirs too.
What Langston wants to convey that African Americans are now conscious and well
educated to take part in shaping the new America; America that belongs to all
Americans; the land of freedom, dignity, and prosperity.
By: Omar Taky Eddine
