Equality is a key phrase when it comes to talking about
human life. In these two pieces, equality is something that is shown in both of
them. The first piece, Let America be America, is a poem about America being
the dream land of equality, which everyone is striving for, when in fact it is
not equal for everyone. This poem takes place in a time where racism was still
a pretty large part of society. “I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars,” is a
quote from the poem. This quote directly talks about slavery, which is clearly
not being equal. “From those who live like leeches on people’s lives,” is another
quote from this poem. This simile is used to show that people were relying,
almost living off of other people to make it through their lives. I don’t think
that equality should have one person holding someone else’s life in their
hands. The second piece is “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” by Mildred Taylor.
This piece has a different view on equality than the other piece. First of all,
the dialect from this piece hints slightly at a medium-lower class person. For
example, “You see that fig tree over yonder?” The use of the word yonder is one
of the reasons that I believe that. The major thing that this story contains is
a different outlook on equality. The man in this story seems to believe that
even though someone may not be as fortunate as others, they can and will keep
on going, because life is life. This is almost like saying everyone doesn’t
have to be equal, just happy with where they are in life. Comparing this to the
other piece, they both bring very different ideas to the table.
All men may be created equal, but they do not live equal lives in
America. Both Langston Hughes and Mildred Taylor clearly believe
minorities do not receive equal treatment to whites. Hughes seeks "a
land where a liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath." He
believes that total equality should be attained. Although Taylor would
like total equality, she explains that, "they're (whites) a lot bigger
and they take up more room and give so much shade, they almost
overshadow that little ole fig (African Americans)." However, she argues
that even though they'll never be as powerful as whites, African
Americans should never give up. Both authors stress that it is the
minorities who made America strong. Langston Hughes creates a strong
visual image of minorities at work building America when he uses phrases
such as "sweat and blood," "hand at the foundry," and "plow in the
rain." Mildred Taylor also creates a visual image with her metaphor of a
small fig tree with deep roots battling oak and walnut trees for
sunlight. Hughes's most effective literary device is his repetition of
words and phrases about "America never was America to me." Taylor's most
effective literary device is her use of a metaphor in a conversation
with dialect, which includes words such as "ain't," and "yonder." She
also employs parallel structure with the words "blooming," "knowing,"
and "growing." Freedom will ring throughout America when all people have
equal opportunities.
The equality (or inequality, one might say) of humans is clearly
depicted in Let America Be America Again and Roll of Thunder, Hear Me
Cry. Both of these sources use repetition to support the cause that
even though inequality is prevalent in society, the minority can never
give up hope. In Let America Be America Again, there is a clear example
of just how powerful repetition can be, “Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be. Let it be the pioneer on the
plain…” Repeating the same sentence beginning makes it as clear as day
that the author, Langston Hughes, believes that although America may be
in a rut, it can restore its former greatness. America is no longer the
go-getter nation that it was, but that memory is a hope looming on the
horizon. Even though these works of literature were written in
different styles, one a poem, one an excerpt from a novel, they both
include strong figurative language to back up their beliefs. It states
in Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry, “ [The fig tree] keeps blooming,
bearing fruit year after year, knowing all the time that it’ll never get
as big as them other trees.” Through its resilience, the minority
represented as the fig trees will never give up, despite others casting a
dark shadow over them. In our society, there is not quite yet an
equality of citizens, but those who feel scammed by life will not stop
hoping and working towards their goals of prosperity. The two documents
and my statements support this claim. No matter what, no matter the
southern dialect in Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry or the formality of
words in Let America Be America Again, it has shown that equality is
non-existent but hoping to be achieved. Those at the bottom will never
give up until they sit on a golden throne.
Equality is something that we are all promised as America, but we don’t
always get it. In “Let America Be America Again”, Langston Hughes uses
many different methods to show inequality. One way he does this is by
using parenthesis to change perspective. He starts with saying what
America is supposed to be but then says how he never felt equal or like
he was an American who was promised these rights. He also describes how
he represents everyone but the rich white man showing how the rich
overpowers and has more respect than the lower class citizens. Hughes
writes, “From those who live like leeches on people’s lives, we must
take back our land again, America!” What he means by this is that
without the lower class, America wouldn’t function but the upper class
is just using them. In “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”, Mildred Taylor
shows in the writing how if people aren’t born with money or land, they
will have to fight to survive. She uses a metaphor with a fig tree and
an oak tree. Papa tells the children how the fig still shares the soil
and keeps blooming year after year producing more and more fruit. This
is like people in society—even though some might be more important than
others, if they don’t accept it, they won’t survive. Both of these
passages convey the message of inequality and describe messages of
equality.
The idea of equality is depicted in the two pieces. Both pieces are
mainly on how in America the idea of inequality stands there in some
eyes. “Let America Be America Again” it talks about how in America the
wealthier people are missing out on the inequality. This poem is
questioning equality in America. There is repetition in the poem. An
example is, “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart, I am the
Negro bearing slavery scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am
the immigrant clutching hope I seek…” In many of the stanzas they have
dashes, indicating that they have more to say. Also in the stanzas the
words are kept short, sweet, and to the point. Figurative Language is
found in this poem about taking back America and changing it to its more
equal form. An example is, “From those who live like leeches on the
people’s lives, We must take back our land again, America!” It is
saying we need to take back America and stop living attached to others.
The setting relates to the mood of this poem. It was written in 1936, a
period when segregation went on and not everybody was treated equally.
In “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry” it shows the inequality found in
America. The why this piece is written relates to the mood. This piece
has a certain dialect. An example of the dialect is, “It’s hard on a man
to give up, but sometimes it seems there ain’t nothing else he can do.”
There is an extended metaphor in this piece explaining how the fig tree
keeps doing what it doing even if the other trees take up space. The
other trees are a lot bigger and powerful than the fig tree, but it
has bigger roots and belongs as much as the others. It explains how they
are equal even if they are different. The metaphor is, “ Them other
trees all around… that oak and walnut, they’re a lot bigger shade they
almost overshadow that little so much shade they almost overshadow that
little ole fig. But that fig tree’s got roots that run deep and it
belongs in that yard as much as that oak and walnut.” That first
sentence of the metaphor is a run on sentence that catches the reader’s
eye. “We keep doing what we gotta do, and we don’t give up. We can’t.”
That quote is an example of repetition and what we have to do to get our
equality. In the end, both of the pieces are about inequality and that
we have to fix it here in America.
