Speaker and characters

The poem “I, Too” by Langston Hughes includes two characters – the speaker and “they” (l. 3), which designates white people — as well as an implicit receiver of the speaker’s message.

Speaker and receiver

The speaker of the poem (or the lyrical I) is an African-American man who depicts himself as “the darker brother” (l. 2). Given that the poet was also African-American, we can also view the speaker as a lyrical version of Langston Hughes.

The speaker openly declares his praise for America as he sings the country (l. 1). However, he is aware that other Americans (the whites) do not view him as equal and are ashamed of him.

The fact that he is sent to the kitchen when guests come (ll. 3-4) may also indicate that the speaker is a servant, a worker or a slave. The ambiguity regarding the speaker’s identity contributes to making his arguments more appealing, suggesting that he might be any African-American from the US.

What strikes about the speaker is his optimism. Despite the fact that he is rejected by the white people and treated as inferi...