I Hear America Singing BY WALT WHITMAN
I, Too
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong,
The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work,
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck,
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing as he stands,
The wood-cutter’s song, the ploughboy’s on his way in the morning, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work, or of the girl sewing or washing,
Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.
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.

Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.

Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed—

I, too, am America.

Part II. Quick Write (35 Mins.) This is an essay with 4-5 paragraphs
HIGHLIGHT YOUR THESIS STATEMENT
Write a short essay comparing and contrasting what the two poems “I Hear America Singing” and “I, Too, Sing America” mean. Think about who is included and who is left out in the first poem, and how the second poem is a direct response to the first poem.

Be sure to:
Begin with a clear thesis that states your position about the two poems. A thesis is what you will prove in the essay. You can connect these ideas to today and what is going on in the US and around the globe right now with the Black Lives Matter Movement.
Include examples of diction and imagery from both texts to support each specific claim you make about similarities and differences in meaning.
Include transitions between points and a concluding statement that ties together your essay.
Do not use any first person (I, me, my, we, our, us, myself, ourselves) or second person (you, your, yourself, yourselves) point of view. You are writing from the third person, so discuss the poets by their last names.

There is no right answer - state what you will prove and then use evidence from the poems to support your thesis. You are graded on how well you support your argument, not on having a right answer.

Suggested Outline:
Introduction paragraph with hook and thesis
Compare Paragraph - discuss the similarities
Contrast Paragraph - discuss the differences
Conclusion Paragraph - Show your end result

Introduction and concluding paragraphs may be 3-4 sentences.
Compare and Contrast paragraphs should be 4-6 sentences and include topic and concluding sentences. (See the hamburger paragraph diagram in the Week 2 module.)

HIGHLIGHT YOUR THESIS STATEMENT