How Does Walt Whitman Use Literary Devices In I Too

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In his poem “I Hear America Singing”, Walt Whitman made America seem like a utopian society where all workers were admired and getting the proper recognition since people realized the country could not function without them. What Whitman did not realize was that not everyone was included in his idealistic vision of America. Many minorities felt like Whitman’s poem was inaccurate for all of America and wrote poems in response to the poem. Among these poems is “I, Too” by Langston Hughes. Through literary devices, Hughes puts a spotlight on the injustices of racism and the hope for freedom.
Throughout his poem, Hughes incorporates literary devices. His use of sitting at the dining table was an extended metaphor to freedom. In the beginning of the poem, an African American gets sent to the kitchen to eat which represents the lack of equal rights between
African Americans and caucasian Americans. As the poem continues, the African American proclaims, “Tomorrow,/I’ll be at the table/When company comes” (Hughes 8-10). This stanza symbolizes the African American’s hope for equality one day. Although sitting at a table seems insignificant, it symbolizes equality. The …show more content…
By using indirect language his text is more meaningful. It is a common occurrence for people to speak directly of the injustices of racism and the hope for freedom, almost to the point where their voices were losing their impact; few would use figurative language to describe the situation. Since Hughes’ work used indirect language it stood out, and therefore people are more motivated to read it and take it in. Reading the lines, “Tomorrow,/I’ll be at the table/When company comes” (Hughes 8-10) and “I, too, am America” (Hughes 18) hits a reader more deeply than simply saying “I’ll achieve equal rights one day” or “I am human.” The use of figurative language enables the reader to understand the pain of an African American to a greater
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