The Theme of Freedom in the Poems “I Too” and “We Wear Masks”

Poem Essay
Name:
Institution:
The two poems are:
Hughes: “I Too”
Dunbar: “We wear masks”
“I Too” by Hughes is a poem of hope for the African- American citizens who have been denied their basic rights. The author begins the poem by confidently saying that he too can sing the American song an indication that he too wants to be part of the respected group in the society. He highlights the plight of the African- American brother who is forced to eat in the kitchen when the visitors arrive. The name African brother simply stands for the whole society of black people who live in America. For the longest time blacks were treated unfairly, however, the author dreamt of a time when the African-American citizens would have equal rights as their white counterparts. He goes further ahead and says that tomorrow when he joins the table the whites will realize how beautiful he is and feel ashamed for their past actions. They will realize that blacks are capable of performing exceptionally well in various fields if the environment is conducive. The author sees a time when the African- American people will take their rightful positions in the society with no one looking down on them.
The second poem is “We Wear the Mask” by Dunbar where the author declares the pain and suffering that the African-Americans go through as they struggle to get a position in the society. Ironically though the faces of the African-American are ever smiling and those are masks the...