Let America Be America Again

This poem begins with Hughes wanting America to be as great as the American Dream made it once seem and describing the basic freedoms everybody deserves, such as liberty and equality. He then answers the question of ‘who is asking for this?’ by describing the situations of the less fortunate, such as the “poor whites” and the “enslaved Negro” and the “dislocated Indian”, and describes the rich, young man who is always striving for more. He then goes on to say that while these people have been the ones denied this dream, they are the ones who first dreamt the dream in the “Old World”. He explains that they are the ones who sailed the seas, departed from their homelands, to build America “the land of the free”. Then he asks a simple question, “The free?”, and goes on talking about how these people who gave up so much for the dream to be realized have only been shut out of this dream and left in the dust with nothing but an almost dead dream. He then asks for America to be the America that it never once was, truly the land where every man is free, and goes on to say that it’s the duty of the before mentioned people to bring back the mighty dream of the land that they so rightfully own.

This is a poem written by Langston Hughes in 1935 that focuses on the “American Dream” and how this is so unattainable for many people in America but goes on to say that it is possible to achieve an ideal America. It is addressing the people of the United States and shows the views of many of these people and how the American Dream is interpreted by each of these groups of people. It shows the views of the poor whites, the blacks with scars from slavery, the Indians who were driven from their homeland, and the immigrants who are clutching onto the hope of attaining the American Dream. This poem was written to inspire those who are less fortunate to push for the freedom that they truly deserve which will reignite the true American Dream. This is definitely written to express the viewpoints of the lower-class whose dreams for freedom have not been realized due to the ignorance of the more fortunate who are left striving for more for themselves, those who have maybe lost the true meaning of the American Dream through living their own version of the American Dream.

If historians only used one primary source from just one perspective, it would be absolutely impossible for them, or anyone else, to ever have the true whole story of what goes on. It would basically be a form of censorship where the people only hear what the highest power wants them to hear. It is important to be able to understand something through varying viewpoints so that you will be well-informed and be able to make reasonable and accurate decisions or judgments about issues. It also builds stronger relationships by being able to better understand others’ feelings.