Various imagery

Comparisons

Two implicit comparisons are created in the poem. Through the use of the expression “I, too”, the poet implicitly indicates that the speaker is like everyone else, being as good and as patriotic as his ‘white brothers’ (the white Americans): “I, too, sing America.” (l. 1); “I, too, am America.” (l. 18)

The two lines can also be seen as an allusion, as the poem can be interpreted as a reply to the 1860s poem “I Hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman. In the patriotic poem, Whitman depicts all sorts of categories of people who contribute to the development of America.

Metaphors

Though short, the poem abounds in hidden meanings created through metaphors. By metaphors, we mean depicting something through words which we would not normally associate that thing with. For instance, “sing America” (l. 1) is a metaphor for praising America and, in a more extended way, for patriotism. The speaker’s me...