I, Too, Sing America 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
Read the poem above and discuss how the elements of this poem add to its emotional impact. What is the rhyme pattern? How does the punctuation affect your reading? Notice the word “then” in the second stanza, it seems to stand alone. How is that symbolic of the meaning of the poem?
Answer: there are many commas to slow down the reader- making it kind of choppy but effective. There is no rhyme pattern. The word then does stand alone just as the speaker feels he stands alone in America.