Contemporary Relevance of Hughes’s Message
Protests for social equality and ending police violence were carried out on the news. The forthcoming presidential election has prompted a flood of provocative remarks, comments, and tweets from powerful and merciless politicians on social media. Thousands of people are dying every day because of a devastating infection.
To paraphrase the song’s lyrics, “Let America Be America Again” is as relevant now as it was then. In the poem, Langston Hughes criticizes 1930s American culture by sharing his interpretation of the American ideal and why it may not be possible for all people to achieve it now, but may in the future.
Opening Lines and Historical Context
In the first lines of his poem, Hughes argues that America should revert to its former glory: “Let it be the dream it used to be” (Hughes stanza 1, lines 1 and 2). The author alludes to a time when all Americans, not just the privileged few, believed they could achieve their full potential. The Great Depression in the United States was triggered by the stock market collapse in 1929 (Liker 2). Thousands of individuals, notably minorities and those with less education or experience, lost their employment due to these 10-year economic slumps (Liker 1-2). By starting his poem with these words, Hughes may have been alluding to the fact that, as a person of color, he felt the effects of the Great Depression more keenly than others.
Use of Aside to Convey Personal Reflection
Furthermore, Hughes uses the deliberate and strong literary device of an aside throughout the poem to describe his sentiments. After the initial three stanzas, he added a lengthy reflection on how none seemed accurate: “It never was America to me” (Hughes, line 10). “There has never been equality for me, nor freedom in this ‘homeland of the free’” (Hughes lines 15 and 16).
He wrote about these internal reflections so that his readers may understand how his stay in America had influenced him. He wanted his readers to know what he thought and felt as a black man in 1930s Harlem, New York, a neighborhood almost wiped out by the Great Depression. He wants the audience to share his pain and fury.
Challenging the American Ideal
In the third verse, he summarizes the American ideal and its goals for its citizens. Hughes strongly disagrees with these claims despite the widespread belief that freedom, equality, and opportunity exist in the world as we know it now. He included that stanza and crafted its words to express the ideals that America was built on and is meant to uphold, but does not always do so in practice. Hughes means to convey this message regarding the treatment of minorities now.
Solidarity with the Oppressed
Throughout the following three stanzas, Hughes claims to be every disadvantaged group in America. Throughout the poem, Hughes (Stanza 8-10) uses many personas to describe himself, including the poor white, misled and driven apart, “the Negro, the servant to you all,” “the people, humble, hungry, mean.“ Because he wants his readers to understand that there is not only one set of oppressed individuals suffering.
He provides several instances of issues and self-identifies with each of them. They are his people, and he feels a strong sense of belonging among them. This is significant because it demonstrates the vast number of individuals who, due to the structure of American society, will never be able to realize the American dream. Many oppressors hesitate to accept oppression as a tangible phenomenon, writes Gil Richard Musolf (2). Hughes provides this list to show the reader how widespread this feeling of inferiority is among regular people.
A Call for Hope and Reclamation
As Hughes continues to chronicle the tyranny he faces in his writing, he eventually develops a more optimistic view of what America may become. He cries,
“O, let America be America again—
The land that never has been yet—
And yet must be—the land where every man is free.
The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME—
Who made America…”
In this, he expresses his despair and desire for a better America. He stressed every word to emphasize that he is speaking on behalf of all ethnic and racial minorities in the United States when he calls for fairness and the opportunity to pursue the American dream. In his following remarks, he says not to worry, as he will not be fazed if people call him some vile names; the steel of independence is unaffected by stains.
“From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,
We must take back our land again,
America!” (Hughes stanza 15).
This is his rallying cry to the American people: work together to transform the country into a place where everyone can realize their vision of the American dream.
Concluding Message and Poetic Purpose
Hughes delivers a potent message about the state of America during that period in this poem. He expresses his disappointment with how his American dream fell short compared to others. He grapples with the idea that certain groups of people, including himself, were not given the same opportunities, and their desires were ignored. Despite his frustration, he remains hopeful and uses his poetry to articulate his experiences with oppression, serving as an illustration for those who have not encountered it, leading them through it with him.
Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. “Let America Be America Again.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 1936. Web.
Liker, Jeffrey K., and Glen H. Elder Jr. “Economic hardship and marital relations in the 1930s.” American Sociological Review (1983): 343-359. Web.
Musolf, Gil Richard. Oppression and Resistance: Structure, Agency, Transformation. Emerald Publishing, 2017.