Summary & Analysis of Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes is writing a poem of someone who feels that America does not live up to what it should be. The tone is angry and resentful. In this poem it’s not representing the point of view of one particular group. It’s saying that there are many people who’ve come here with hopes and dreams and they’re being let down. He’s also saying that there is an economic disparity (difference) between people. In essence the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, because there is not equal opportunity. That idea is something that is not real for many people because of their race, economic situation, and come up.

Line by Line Analysis

To look at the poem carefully and give further interpretation, as well as explain the literary devices, I we will refer to the poem by lines that we have numbered on the copy of the poem listed above for anyone interested in following along.

Part #1 Interpretation

Lines 1-5 : The reader is immediately introduced to the fact that the author does not believe that America is all it can be due to the fact that the word again is used. He wants America to be “the dream it used to be.” But the powerful line is #5 which reads “America was never America.” This voices what many people feel, that Americas ideals of equality, liberty, and land of the free don’t seem real.

Lines 6-10 : In a sense there is a positive tone because there is a hope that America can be a “great strong land of love,” but then it he uses words like “kings connive ” and “tyrant’s scheme ’' and “crushed .” The reality therefore is that there are people in power who are in control and deprive others of opportunities. Line 10 repeats the idea that America isn’t what it could be for him. So lines #5 and #10 share the same message.

Lines 11-14 : Liberty, which is another word for freedom is important in the dream America holds so preciously. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol Of America. It was a welcoming site for people who immigrated here. So with that being a symbol of America it’s an idea that hold hope to what America represents. Hughes wants an America that is “crowned with no false patriotic wreathe. ” So he wants a real patriotic true America, with no false promises.

Lines 15-16 : This is a repeat of the message from lines #5 and #10 that equality doesn’t exist for him.

Lines 17-19 : This poses the idea of darkness and something veiled, like idea of freedom for him is dark and veiled or blocked.

Lines 20-25 : In this stanza we learn that this is not just about one group of people. Hughes is speaking for many who aren’t included in America’s reality. The poor whites, African Americans, American Indians, immigrants are all groups who’ve been left out.

Lines 26-32 : The central message here is one of greed. Money is at the center of what America has become. Hughes feels that “power, gain” and owning property is the focus. It’s all about money. He says in line #32 “Of owning everything for one’s own greed! ” To him that’s what America has become.

Lines 33-40 : To personalize and give a face to people who aren’t a part of the American Dream he uses the words “I am” over and over. Whether one is a farmer or a worker, he says “I am the people ” and says that those in this position are getting mad and hungry and feel “beaten ” on line #38. It’s really saying that some people are working hard but the dream isn’t there for them.

Lines 41-52 : This makes the poem about the individual. Hughes says “I’m the one…” and “I’m the man…” and “I came” and “I meant ” to express the fact that people came here with high hopes and big dreams, whether as immigrants from Ireland, Poland, England, who had a dream, or “torn” from Africa and forced into slavery here. All should have a “homeland of the free.”

Line 53 : This says it all. “The free !” The fact that we should all be free in every way. Legally free, socially free, economically free to get jobs, and free to enjoy America on an equal level.

Lines 54-63 : Hughes is coming back and saying sarcastically that he wouldn’t say there is freedom. He is speaking for the “millions” of people who have been struggling, hoping, working, flying flags, “who have nothing” except for dreams that are “almost dead.” But the fact that he uses the word almost shows a little hope. It reminds us of how happy and meaningful it was for many people when Obama was elected. It gave people the hope that they needed.

Lines 64-74 : Langston Hughes is saying that America needs to be what it hasn’t been yet…”where every man is free ,’ He capitalizes the word “ME” on line #69, because he desperately wants to realize the American dream. Again we see hope when he says “bring back our mighty dream again .”

Lines 75-80 : Reclaiming the idea of America s the idea here. It has to be for everyone.

Lines 81-85 : Hopes resonates here. Langston Hughes ends this with a sense of hope by saying “And yet I wear this oath-America will be !” on lines #84-85

Lines 86-94 : “We the people, must redeem ” is powerful. It’s a strong, passionate message that America must be more than it is, and that it can be!

Part 2: Literary Devices

Stanzas: Stanzas separate the parts of the poem. However his stanzas vary in length. The variation depends on the message. There is no exact number of lines to each one.

Rhyme: Hughes uses rhyme to draw attention to the poetic element of his message. Words such as “be and “free” in lines 2 and 4, “dreamed and “schemed’ in lines 6 and 8, “wreathe’ and “breathe” in lines 12 and 14 etc. all demonstrate rhyming.

Repetition: Repetition is used for effect here with variations of the message that freedom doesn’t exist for him. To be specific line 5 says “America never was America for me.” Line 10 says “It never was America for me.” His refrain here is the main theme, that he hasn’t felt a part of the American dream. That’s why it’s set apart from her lines, for emphasis.

Metaphor: Hughes uses the word machine on line 34 when he says “I am the worker sold to the machine.” The machine is a metaphor for the system, the American system that has let him down.

Alliteration: The phrase on line #4 represents alliteration. It says “dream the dreamers dreamed.” Another example is on line #11 with “O, let my land be a land where liberty” and “live like leeches on the people’s lives” on lines #77-78.

Point of view: Told in the First Person. Uses the word “I’ throughout.

Extended Metaphor: America is used as an extended metaphor because it is a word used throughout the poem with many comparisons of what it should be. It should be a land of the free on line #4, a place of opportunity on line #13, equality on line #14, and a homeland on line #52.

Figurative Language / Dialogue: As language that evokes mental images and sensory impressions, lines #17-19 evoke the images of darkness and veils. It says “Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?’ This question stands out from the poem in that its font is different, it is spoken as dialogue, and it draws the reader to an image that creates darkness and something covered up, like the dream of America is covered up or dark to certain people.

Imagery: Hughes uses imagery throughout the poem to make it speak to the reader. For example he uses “slavery’s scars” on line #21, “the young man, full of strength and hope” on line #26, “grab the gold” on line #29.

Theme: The central theme is that the author feels left out of the American Dream. He also feels that it’s true for other minorities and those who don’t have the money, land, or power.

Tone: The tone is anger, with a little hope at the end.