Langston Hughes wrote “Let America Be America Again” in 1935 and published it the following year, in the July 1936 issue of Esquire Magazine. Though complex in both structure and tone, this poem is very clear in its desire to see America become a land of true equality and freedom. As it stands, however, the original dream of America has collapsed. There are in fact two Americas—the dream America and the real America—that do not yet coincide with one another. Whereas the dream America offers an idealized vision of life and liberty for all, the real America has failed the majority its people—including Black folks, Indigenous folks, immigrants, and working-class folks of all stripes. Using a poetic device known as anaphora, the speaker adopts the voices of many underprivileged communities, creating a “polyvocal” perspective that aims to inspire in the reader an ethos of class solidarity. Only through such class solidarity, the speaker implies, can the people of America take the land back from the greedy ruling classes. Such collective action is necessary do redeem the land and “make America again” (line 86).

Take a Study Break