when it comes to America there are many different point of views on the subject of liberty and our ablility to express our freedoms.
We just got done reading two different poems from two very different point of views. One was from the point of view of a of a white man whose last name was Whitman...haha and the other poem was written by Langston Hughes, a very famous and intricate african american writer.
The first poem, by Walt Whitman, is written in a way which evokes a free and vibrant spirit when it comes to regards to America, where men are singing in every which way to the freedoms which they all possess. They are all proud and light hearted to be Americans where all of their dreams are layed out in front of them and just within their reach.
The second poem is not so liberating. Langston comes from the point of view of a slave, or a slave type. A person who doesnt get all of the freedoms that were possessed by the white man, the freedoms which make America a great place. He states that he is a "dark brother," a man that they send to the back of the house when there are people over, a man who does all of the work but reaps no benefits. Where is the freedom and light heartedness in this man? There is none, but where there is no light heartedness there is a determination that will go unmatched. Hughes states that he will not be hidden from company, but will sit with all of the company, and the people who snuffed him before will not be able to say a word to him, because he is America too.
It is interesting to see so many ideas/points of view on America, isn't it? I think we tend to see our view as the "right" one and forget that others have a different perspective. Good look at these two poems.
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