“I, Too Sing America” by Langston Hughes Essay

Poem â€Å"I, Too Sing America † is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. The majority of literary critiques and historians refer to Hughes as one of the first American poets, who set the standards and examples how to challenge the post-World War I ethnic nationalism. His poetry contributed and shaped to some extent the politics of the Harlem Renaissance. In analysis of Black poetry Charles S. Johnson wrote that the new racial poetry of the Negro is the expression of something more than experimentation in a new technique; it marks the birth of a new racial consciousness and self-conception. It is first of all a frank acceptance of race, but the recognition of this difference without the usual implications of disparity (145). Being acquainted with many Hughes’s works, for instance â€Å"Our Land,† â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† and of course â€Å"I, Too Sing America,† Johnson confirmed that poet had a strong sense of â€Å"race pride† and characterized Hughes’s poetry to be â€Å"without doubt the finest expression of this new Negro Poetry† (145). Some literary critiques refer to Hughes’s poem â€Å"I Too Sing America† as radical poetry. However, if in this poem Hughes chose to sacrifice artistry for politics, it was not because the two are mutually exclusive. The main reason for such Hughes’s technique is that the blues aesthetic of his early poems embraced a form of nationalism he could no longer abide (147). Hughes himself concludes that the chief responsibility of the black writer was to produce a racial literature drawn from African American life and culture. â€Å"We younger Negro artists who create,† Hughes wrote, â€Å"now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame† (309). Onwuchekwa Jemie, who identified Hughes as a black nationalist, notes that â€Å"Hughes’s insistence on a distinct black art †¦ is †¦ a recognition of the fact that Afro-Americans are a distinct people within the American nation† (103). Therefore, â€Å"I, Too† creates a feeling of an individual versus a large group enhancing the loneliness felt. The poem recognizes an actual inequality African Americans felt during a time period of racial discrimination. Hughes recognizes that although different in color, all people living in America were Americans and deserved to be treated not just equally, but with dignity and honor. Therefore, he poetically forecasts the trends America experienced in 1960’s when the equal status of blacks was nominal. Hughes is not known for using lots of symbolism. His poetry is generally straight forward and to the point. There is not much hidden meaning in his poetry either. What little symbolism he does use is very deep. It can be interpreted in a many number of ways. â€Å"I Too Sing America† has psychological and cultural references such as intergroup stereotyping, communication, cooperation, and conflict. Moreover, it sounds like a slogan, appeal to immediate action. Therefore he hides his radicalism in very title of the poem, which is not a poem at a closer look but a song. It is very crucial to perceive â€Å"I Too Sing America† as a song, emotional, radical, political, but still focused on black aesthetics. The poem is about the hope of one day being equal; it is expressed in each stanza at least once. â€Å"I laugh And eat well And grow strong.† These lines represent hope along with determination. It also gives us insight to the style that Hughes uses in all his poetry. He uses humor in most of his writing to convey his message. What the laugh represents is his thoughts of the future. â€Å"I laugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They will laugh, and will be happy. Moreover, laugh means that he’ll be able to look back. Eating is another interesting symbol. Most probably it represents learning and knowledge. Without knowledge one cannot further themselves in life or make themselves better. Eating well means to learn well and retain the knowledge. â€Å"Growing strong† represents the retaining of the knowledge. Not only does this mean to grow strong with knowledge but for the voices of equality to grow stronger. The biggest use of symbolism is the last line: â€Å"I, too, am America.† In Walt Whitman’s poem â€Å"I hear America singing† the American people are just the working class, Anglo Saxons. The line â€Å"I, too,  am America† shouts out that someone was forgotten, an poetic echo of many years of oppression and discrimination. Whom are you are going to oppress. Hughes’s answer is – yourself. People oppressed themselves yesterday, are oppressing today, but will not tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and no one will be neglected. The psychological and cultural references are not as blatantly placed as the symbolism. The darker brother represents the black man trough a metaphor. In society darkness is used to symbolize evil. Poet employs such a term not accidentally. Placing â€Å"dark,† Hughes emphasizes term â€Å"black.† Eating in the kitchen represents repression. Most Kitchens are hidden much like the suffering of African Americans. They were hidden from the company; the company can be interpreted as a metaphor for foreign countries, or people in general. Most American people were blind to the horror and brutality of slavery. Slavery was also psychological, that is why the knowledge is important. Before one can rise up, one must first discover what it is they are rising up against. â€Å"Tomorrow I’ll be at the table When company comes Nobody’ll dare Say to me, â€Å"Eat in the kitchen’, Then.† Above lines show that â€Å"dark brothers† have learned and will no longer be held down. It also shows the strength of their voices that no one will challenge any longer. It describes the future and the past using the kitchen as the  world. The best realization is made at the end of the poem: Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed.† Poet employs contrast technique to put a parallel between ugly black today and beautiful â€Å"dark brother† of tomorrow, making a transparent window through past to future. Captive Negro waits for tomorrow beauty and finally he will be rewarded for his patience and sufferings. In these last words, as many analysts believe, Hughes makes an emphasis on black culture, its terrific features and diversity. Rampersad writes, â€Å"through the display of black sensitivity, intelligence, and artistic versatility, it was believed, whites would come to a new understanding of the humanity of African Americans and help to accelerate social change† (16). If anything were going to convince a â€Å"white† America of the humanity and equality of blacks, it would have to be â€Å"culture,† that realm where human beings differentiate themselves from the â€Å"savage† and aspire to the divine. Bibliography Johnson, Charles S. Jazz and Blues. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Ed. Edward J. Mullen. Boston: Hall, 1986. Onwuchekwa, Jemie. Hughes’s Black Esthetic. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Ed. Edward J. Mullen. Boston: Hall, 1986. Rampersad, Arnold. Introduction. The New Negro. Ed. Alain Locke. New York: Atheneum: 1992. Hughes L. Good Morning Revolution: Uncollected Writings of Langston Hughes. Ed. Faith Berry. New York: Carol Publishing Group, 1992. 159-61.

politics and the media essays

politics and the media essays Politics and the media have always been involved with each other, with media strongly setting the standard for what politics are important. Our perspective of the real world is based on the issues the media makes aware to us. It is not known which influences more, but there are definitely two sides to the story. Many studies have been done to decide but each comes out with different answers. I think that the media has more of an impact on politics than does politics on the media. The two have always gone hand and hand. Conflicting each other in newspaper and television, but generally enjoying each other's company. It is the role of the mass media to keep the general public informed and up to date with current news and events in their community, state, country, and around the world. In politics, the media can either help or damage a politician by changing the public's opinion. Many people depend heavily on television as their source of information where they see or hear about political issues and events, because television is the single most powerful source of world communication and nightly newscasts are the most frequently watched source of information for the public. The mass media is everywhere we turn, from television sets, to radio, to newspapers, and now the Internet. In their role, are they actually giving us the right message or is it all false, like in tabloids, which are created just to sell? Most of the public believes that the top priority of the media is to find and report important information to the public. Few believe that it is to give readers and viewers what they ask for. The media sets the standard, and many believe that this creates an unfair society. They determine what people believe to be important issues. When the media focuses on a problem, the public's opinions on that problem then become influenced and this is also true for the president. The president reacts b ...

Juvenile Courts

Juvenile Courts Free Online Research Papers What was the social and historical context in which the juvenile court was created? What has been the fundamental difference between the procedures used in juvenile courts and those employed in criminal (adult) courts? Juvenile Court, authority charged with the disposition of legal actions involving children.One hundred years ago, the Illinois legislature enacted the Illinois Juvenile Court Act (1899 Ill. Laws 132 et seq.), creating the first separate juvenile court. The policy debates raging around the country in this centennial year(1899), however, make it uncertain whether the traditional juvenile court will prevail. Early in the 19th century, juveniles were tried along with adults in criminal courts. In common law, children under age 7 were conclusively presumed immune from prosecution because they lacked state brings the suit and must show guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, while in civil cases the plaintiff brings the suit and must only show the defendant is liable by a preponderance of the evidence.Clearly, both the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems have undergone vast changes over the last 100 years. However, one thing that has remained constant is the desire of courts, correctional professionals, and policymakers to reduce recidivism and enhance society safety. To achieve those goals and other important objectives, implementation of a variety of sentencing, corrections, and diversion practices resulted. Currently, officials are looking at new ways to deal with crime or are modifying existing practices to achieve their goals. Research Papers on Juvenile CourtsThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseOpen Architechture a white paperEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenQuebec and CanadaThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesDefinition of Export QuotasComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 Europe

How to Use a Running Record to Assess Beginning Readers

How to Use a Running Record to Assess Beginning Readers A running record is an assessment method that helps teachers evaluate students reading fluency, ability to use reading strategies, and readiness to advance. This assessment emphasizes the students thought process, which allows teachers to go beyond counting the number of words read correctly. In addition, observing a students demeanor while reading (calm, relaxed, tense, hesitant) provides valuable insight into his instructional needs. Running records can be used to guide instruction, track progress, and choose appropriate reading material. A running record is slightly more formal than simple observation assessments, but it is still an easy tool for measuring reading fluency. Tracking Errors The first aspect of a running record is tracking student errors. Errors include misread words, mispronounced words, substitutions, omissions, insertions, and words that the teacher had to read. Mispronounced proper nouns should only be counted as one error regardless of how many times the word appears in the text. However, all other mispronunciations should be counted as one error each time they occur. If a student skips a line of text, count all words in the line as errors. Note that mispronunciations don’t include those pronounced differently due to a child’s dialect or accent. Repeated words do not count as an error. Self-correction- when a student realizes he has made an error and corrects it- does not count as an  error. Understanding Reading Cues The second part of a running record is analyzing reading cues. There are three different reading cue strategies to be aware of when analyzing a student’s reading  behavior: meaning, structural,  and  visual.   Meaning (M) Meaning cues indicate that a student is thinking about what she is reading. She is taking cues from the context of the passage, the meaning of the sentence, and any illustrations in the text. For example, she may say street when she encounters the word road. This error doesn’t affect her comprehension of the text. To determine whether the reading behavior reflects the use of a meaning cue, ask yourself, â€Å"Does the substitution make sense?† Structural (S) Structural clues indicate an understanding of English syntax- what sounds right in the sentence. A student who uses structural clues is relying on  her knowledge of grammar and sentence structure. For example, she may read goes instead of went, or  sea instead of ocean. To determine whether the reading behavior reflects the use of a structural cue, ask yourself, â€Å"Does the substitution sound right in the context of the sentence?† Visual (V) Visual cues show that a student is using his knowledge of the appearance of the letters or words to make sense of the text. He may substitute a word that looks visually similar to the word in the sentence. For example, he may read boat instead of bike or car instead of cat. The substituted words may start or end with the same letters or have other visual similarities, but the substitution does not make sense. To determine whether the reading behavior reflects the use of a visual cue, ask yourself, â€Å"Does the substituted word look like the misread word?† How to Use a Running Record in the Classroom Select a passage that is appropriate for the student’s  reading level. The passage should be at least 100-150 words  long. Then, prepare the running record form: a double-spaced copy of the text the student is reading, so that errors and cue strategies can be recorded quickly during the assessment. To conduct the running record, sit next to the student  and instruct her to read the passage aloud. Mark the running record form by checking off each word that the student reads correctly. Use notations to mark reading miscues such as substitutions, omissions, insertions, interventions, and self-corrections. Record which reading cue(s)- meaning, structural, or physical- the student uses for errors and self-corrections. After the student finishes reading the passage, calculate her accuracy and self-correction rate. First, subtract the number of errors from the total number of words in the passage. Divide that number by the total number of words in the passage and multiply by 100 to get the percentage of accuracy. For example, if a student reads 100 words with 7 errors, her accuracy score is 93%. (100-793; 93 / 100 0.93; 0.93 * 100 93.) Next, calculate the student’s self-correction rate by adding the total number of errors to the total number of self-corrections. Then, divide that total by the total number of self-corrections. Round to the nearest whole number and place the final result in a ratio of 1 to the number. For example, if a student makes 7 errors and 4 self-corrections, her self-correction rate is 1:3. The student self-corrected one time for every three misread words. (7411; 11/42.75; 2.75 rounds up to 3; ratio of self-corrections to errors is 1:3.) Use the first running record assessment to establish a  student’s baseline. Then, complete subsequent running records at regular intervals. Some teachers like to repeat the evaluation as often as every two weeks for beginning readers, while others prefer to administer them quarterly.

Human resources management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human resources management - Essay Example As such, human assets are the fundamental operational structures within an organization, and other assets to the company, such as land, capital, and resources, only come in as supplementary resources for the productivity of the company. The organization’s main goal is to develop the wisdom, skills, as well as ability of its work force in order to enhance its efficiency and experience (Chidambaram & Ramachandran 2012, p. 279). The second article deals with cultural influence on the investment strategies of the firm, as well as on the training and development program of its workers. In most cases, especially where the location of the firm depends on labor from locals who do not have the proper kind of civilization as well as modernization, the company will have to suffer serious cultural influences from the hosts. For instance, a firm located in the Maasailand in Kenya would have to incorporate the deep Maasai culture into its organizational practices because these workers still uphold their traditional practices. These include a company dress code that permits the Maasai workers to adorn their full or partial cultural dress code, such as red khangas, or ornaments, or ear piercing for men, which in some cases in very uncouth for formality amongst most men, especially in the modern culture (Chowhan, Cooke, Karlene & Zeutinoglu 2008, p.26). The third article focuses on the way line managers involve themselves in the training and development programs of their employees. The increase of line mangers participation in the involvement of learning and development of its workers plays a critical role in changing the relationships that exist between managers and the human resource. These in most cases are advantageous signs especially because the line managers get to learn the exact personality, skills, and level of expertise of each of their employee. As such, they are able to assist them to become better workers by assisting them to develop their weaker areas. Eve ntually, this leads to enhanced productivity within the company in general; all thanks to the support, each worker receives from the management to improve their skills and prowess. Furthermore, the workers also develop deeper confidence and trust into the managerial level of their organization, as well as enable them to take initiative in order to undertake their duties and responsibilities at the organization (Eduardo & Rebecca 2011, p.16). The fourth article deals with the transfer of training skills and capacities from the worker to the organization, so that the company may enjoy the benefits of their trained workers. This is however not the case in many organizations as they often fail to transfer the knowledge from their trained workers after using billions of dollars for their development. These transfer problems make it impossible for these workers to put into practice the new skills that they learned through their training, especially basing on the characteristics of trainin g, which include self-efficacy, motivation, cognitive ability, as well as perceived utility of training. As such, a company should always ensure that all its trained employees put back into the company what they learnt through their training programs sponsored by the company (Gibb 2003, 291). The last article deals with the effect of on-the-job training offered to low paid workers in the state of Canada. It is evident that on-job-training is a very

Team communication in Ford and Toyota companies Case Study

Team communication in Ford and Toyota companies - Case Study Example Organizational climate and morale means good relations and positive atmosphere which supports workers. Thus critics admit that morale "has suffered in Ford for a long time" (Ettlie, 2002). The company tried to improve morale creating new culture and rules but was not successful in its efforts. Many project teams in Ford have excellent problem solving skills and communication. Many employees follow Henry Ford's statement: "Don't find fault. Find a remedy" (Ettlie 2002). Team members use participative and enthusiastic approach to solve current problems and finding new innovative solutions (www.ford.com). Organizational coaching is not just a single conversation or a scheduled meeting that is part of the performance-management process. It is a commitment that requires the coach to establish. The uniqueness of approach implemented by Ford is coaching for competencies. The coaching relationship has the potential for deepening an individual's understanding of his influence on the organizat ion and for strengthening the personal commitment to achieving that organization's goals and outcomes. Developed by Henry Ford, the company has 'lean enterprise system'. Further this system was adopted by Toyota (www.ford.com; Lothans, 2006). B. For Ford Company, team morale and climate become the main problem.

SPSS Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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