Anybody that could help me.. it would be appreciated... heres my topic:

Compare and contrast the poem " i hear america singing" by walt whitman and " i too sing america" bu langston Hughes

Let's take a look at the two poems.


I Hear America Singing
by Walt Whitman


I HEAR America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics--each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and
strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat--the deckhand
singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench--the hatter singing as
he stands;
The wood-cutter's song--the ploughboy's, on his way in the morning,
or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother--or of the young wife at work--or
of the girl sewing or washing--Each singing what belongs to
her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day--At night, the party of young
fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.



I, Too, Sing America
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.


Les

Here is one possible way to attack this assignment:

Jamie, the key to writing any essay is to begin with an outline. It is like a blueprint from which a house is built.

Decide on the theme of your essay first, after having read both poems and knowing what they both say. The statement of your theme should be in the introduction of your essay. You might say something such as this: " Both of these poems deal with the subject of patriotism...." Then go on to tell the reader what topics you will discuss. Divide the essay into several different topics. For instance:

1. Subject matter
2. Rhyme pattern/or lack of same
3. Language (common, superior, inferior, slang)
4. Tone (serious, jovial, friendly, threatening)
5. Connotation/meaning (both real and suggested)
6. Effect on the reader (emotions triggered by the poems)




Use examples from each of the poems to illustrate how they compare/or contrast on each of these points. Be specific, quote lines from the poem(s) to give the reader a better idea of what you're talking about. The more specific you are in giving examples, the easier it will be to write a specified number of words for the assignment.

Les



Post Edited (06-21-04 17:32)

It seems to me that Hughes is deliberately playing off the Whitman- You hear America singing- well, I'm singing too. Whitman says 'you sing what you own' and Hughes says 'Okay- I own a piece of America.'

pam

Another example of LH playing off WW: WW refers to a party of young fellows at night singing 'strong melodious songs'. LH says that 'when company comes' he has to absent himself to the kitchen, but he is growing strong.

This example also illustrates the main contrasts between the poems.

WW, a white man, is describing in voluble terms a present [at his time] state of America with which he is well satisfied.

LH, an Afro-American, is highlighting in much fewer words an aspect of America's present state which he finds shameful and unsatisfactory [America's attitude to blacks] and he is looking forward to a future when this will be overcome.

Black people singing in Whitmans time conjures up images of the "happy slave" living an idyllic antebellum lifestyle.

Hughes stays away from mentioning singing except in the first line.

Singing is also a way of forgetting misery for the moment.