KN+Task+3

Read the following poem by Langston Hughes and complete this task below:

//I, Too// 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.

1. Imagery - Words and phrases that describe the concrete experience of the five senses 1a. The words of imagery are **sing**, **darker**, **eat well**, **laugh**, **grow strong**, **beautiful**, and **ashamed**. 1b. **Sing** creates imagery by having the reader experience a joyous and happy sound rather than a loud and forceful sound. **Darker** creates imagery by having the reader picture how there is not just whites in America; there is also African-Americans. So, this shows how the reader should think openly while reading this poem. **Eat well**, **laugh**, and **grow strong** imply how the author chooses to have a positive outlook in life rather than spending his life in pity. This helps readers get inside the author's head and realize how he thinks. **Beautiful** creates imagery by describing how the author wants people to know that he is beautiful on the inside. He does not deserve to be treated differently just because of the color of his skin. **Ashamed** creates imagery by showing how the author has a sense of knowing that the others are doing wrong before they even realize it.

2. Metaphor - Concise form of comparison equating two things that may at first seem completely dissimilar, often an abstraction and a concrete image 2a. The most important metaphor is "I, too, am America." 2b. "America" has gone through impacting changes throughout it's history, but it is still the land of the free. Whites are treated equally just like African-Americans are "too". They all receive the same opportunities, and both races combine to make "America" the way it is today.

3. Symbol - A symbol is invested with significance beyond what it would carry on its own 3a. The major symbol of the poem is America. 3b. Langston Hughes uses the symbol of America to display equality. Everyone deserves equality, but America is one of the few places where equality is apparent. Equal rights are given to people in America, which helps America grow as a whole rather than creating chaos and conflict.