I, Too, Sing America

Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

Tomorrow,

I’ll be at the table

When company comes.

The lines promoted social change in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century because they spoke about

• African Americans working as servants.

• parties hosted by European Americans.

• European Americans’ views of African Americans.

• equal rights for African Americans.

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Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

The lines promoted cultural change in the United States in the mid-1900s because they

• showed that African Americans were a growing population.

• encouraged African Americans to feel powerful.

• showed that African Americans can have a sense of humor.

• demonstrated that African Americans can enjoy life.

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Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

Nobody’ll dare

Say to me,

“Eat in the kitchen,”

Then.

How did the lines support social change in the United States at the time the poem was written?

• They demanded that African Americans be treated fairly.

• They demonstrated that African Americans had a history of slavery.

• They invited European Americans to eat at the kitchen table.

• They persuaded European Americans to separate African Americans.

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Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

Besides,

They’ll see how beautiful I am

And be ashamed—

How do the lines advance a sense of cultural nationalism?

• They make European Americans feel ashamed of their heritage.

• They cause African Americans to question whether they want to be part of the nation of the United States.

• They promote the idea of African Americans acquiring wealth and beautiful material goods.

• They encourage African Americans to feel positive about themselves and their heritage.

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Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

I, too, sing America.

I am the darker brother.

How do these lines demonstrate the political activism of Hughes in his poetry?

• They show that Hughes liked patriotic songs about the United States.

• They explain why Hughes and other African Americans might dislike the United States.

• They show that Hughes wanted African Americans to be full members of the United States.

• They describe how Hughes composed songs, as well as poems, to show his feelings about the United States.

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Read the lines from Langston Hughes’s poem "I, Too, Sing America."

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes.

In these lines, Hughes could be considered political because he

• criticizes European Americans for being too wealthy.

• highlights the discrimination of African Americans.

• calls for a more informal way of entertaining.

• encourages African Americans to protest.

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An extended metaphor is developed

• over several sentences in a text.

• quickly and used only once in a text.

• at the beginning and end of a text.

• and used only in one paragraph or stanza.

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Read the stanza from Langston Hughes's poem "I, Too, Sing America."

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

The metaphor that extends throughout the stanza is

• the darker brother in the kitchen.

• company coming to visit.

• laughing and eating well.

• growing strong.

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Read the stanza from Langston Hughes's poem "I, Too, Sing America."

I am the darker brother.

They send me to eat in the kitchen

When company comes,

But I laugh,

And eat well,

And grow strong.

The subject of the extended metaphor in the stanza is

• the speaker’s brother.

• the speaker.

• visiting company.

• the kitchen.

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An allusion is a reference in a text to

• a previously mentioned person, event, or thing.

• another well-known text, person, event, or thing.

• an encyclopedia, dictionary, or thesaurus.

• the author’s personal experiences or thoughts