Name:
Date:
Period:
I, Too (I, Too, Sing America)
By: Langston Hughes
Previewing Texts
1. Preview the poem by looking at the pictures and title. What do you predict this poem
will be about?
2. Fill out the first two boxes of the K-W-L Chart below. Write down what you know about
the topic in Box #1. Write down what you want to find out in Box #2. When you finish
reading the story, write what you learned or discovered in Box#3.
What I KNOW now
Box #1
What I WANT to find out
Box #2
What I LEARNED
Box #3
1.
1.
1.
2.
2.
2.
3.
3.
3.
Author’s Profile
Name: Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967)
Birthplace: Joplin, Missouri
Famous Works: A Dream Deferred, Theme for English B, The Best of
Simple, The Weary Blues
Writing Style: Langston Hughes was an African American writer best known for his work
about the Harlem Renaissance. He often stressed the need for racial consciousness.
Much of his work is centered on the struggles and joy of African American life.
Famous Quote: I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere
you want to go, if you really want to go.
Questions For Thought
Directions: Answer the following questions in complete sentences. Be sure to proofread
your answers and be prepared to share.
1. What is the persona of the speaker? How is the persona ambiguous?
2. How is the speaker’s description of being the “darker brother” in line 2 ironic?
3. Why is the speaker sent to the kitchen? What does this mean?
4. How does the speaker respond to getting sent away? What can we infer about the
speaker’s character?
5. What does the speaker mean when he says “tomorrow” in line 8? How will he be
treated then?
6. Why do you suppose the speaker uses only on word, then, to make up line 14?
7. What is the ultimate reason why the speaker will not be sent away tomorrow?
8. While the speaker opens with “I, too, sing America,” he closes by asserting that “[he]
too, [is] America.” What do you suppose he is trying to emphasize?
Term Review
Directions: Answer the questions about the following terms.
1. What is diction? How can diction affect the tone of a text?
2. What is persona? What are some ways that persona can be determined?
3. What is a theme? What do you suppose is the theme of this poem?
Critical Thinking
Prompt: The historical context of the time when Hughes wrote his famous work, I, Too,
was characterized by a period of racial segregation and extreme discrimination. One might
argue that while clear civil rights progress has been made, there is still inequality that
exists today. How do you suppose Hughes might respond to contemporary society if he
were alive today? Would he praise the progress of civil rights or would he be critical?