What is Patriotism And Inclusiveness

Patriotism and inclusion are two ideas in American history that sometimes wildly contradict each other. Patriotism is the idea of supporting your country, or having pride in your society thus creating an influx of nationalism, the very foundation in which solidarity is created. In this process, like minded individuals bond together in a time of urgency; however this in turn creates a culture of exclusion in some groups, or sourcing the strong force of inclusion in other groups. Most often at times America’s history of patriotism is used as a force to create distinctions amongst one another in society, whether you’re rich or poor, black or white, against or for government, all of these factors associate you inhomogeneous forms of inclusion in America.

The idea of Separate but equal facilities amongst black and white individuals was founded in America.

The exclusion was disguised as a gesture of inclusion and was supported by those who were part of a more dominant group who gave the illusion of fairness, from the your color of your skin defined where you belonged and if you were deserving more rights than others.

  Many African Americans faced racism during this act of exclusion, as a result, solidarity and the fight for freedom was created through the civil rights movements created many individuals like Langston Hughes who fought for equal rights, no matter what skin color a person is the American Dream of freedom and prosperity. In the poems “Let America be America Again”, and “I, Too, Sing America” by Langston Hughes both illustrate how freedom is truly an allusion, a sense of make-believe, the American dream is a dream designed for everyone.

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All of America’s feats are based on inclusion; Langston Hughes reflects his ideas that a nation priding itself built on the foundations of freedom is also the foundation of racial inequality. Moreover, in a sense, Hughes portrays America as a contradiction based on what the country is supposed to be, but it in his own experience, being black means that he is not considered as a member of society, rather a social miscreant. This is the result of ethnocentric individuals believing that the American Dream does not belong to everyone because distinctions have been created which use skin color to define an individual. One of the most powerful lines of the poem that are sourced in repetition is “It was never America to me” (line 5), This line captures Hughes persona as a person who views America pessimistically since that is the only option because of his experience in society.

America is a dystopian paradox, “Let America is the dream the dreamers dreamed/ Let it be that great strong land of love/ where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme” (6-8). In these lines, Hughes presents ideally a patriotic view of America, what it’s supposed to represent, a dream that can be fulfilled, Hughes implies this statement with an ironic sense, in a way he is saying this might be America for you, a place truly where freedom cannot be manipulated or exploited, but as for me, I have not seen this side of America in any circumstance. The tyranny of society dictates how one should live their lives which creates the opportunity to be ridiculed. Similarly the poem “I, Too, Sing America”, supports Hughes claims of racial injustice, and gives a firsthand perspective on how the wrong kind of inclusion is incorporated in his reality. In the first stanza.

Hughes wistfully acknowledges this sense of exclusion of being black which means that he cannot sit and eat in the same facility as a white person. Ultimately this signals the biggest form of hypocrisy Hughes is trying to show which he is not good enough to sit and eat with them but serve them. In contrast, the following stanza holds on to a sense of optimism; he believes in a change that one day America will accept him too, not for being black, but for being human and subject to the same amount of freedom as any other person. In this stanza Hughes is showing that he has not given up in what America should be for him. The American dream is still in his heart yet he just has to believe in this change, there’s still time for him to join a society that has condemned him stay away from one group and sticking with his own. Just like how he has to eat in the kitchen, so that he isn’t seen violating Americas agreement of the separation of blacks and whites.

When Huges implies “They’ll see how beautiful I am/ And be ashamed”, he is showing us how naive society is for wanting to separate him in a box of exclusion, however all he wants is the opportunity to shine, show his true nature, so that ideally America can share its prosperity and foundation of patriotism and the American dream passed on to him and other Americans in the same unfortunate position. In the poem, “Let America be America again”, we begin the understand Hughes struggles in his community after conceptualizing “I Too Sing America”. His demeanor is based on not just his own journey as black man being exploited, but other perspectives of groups as well. The most empowering lines of the poem include, Such eye opening remarks indicate a struggle that is far beyond just race, it’s about separating American reality and perception. When Hughes repeats the words “I am”, it’s no longer just about him, in fact it’s the other individuals in society that are trapped in the same state of exclusion that were supposed to experience the tailored dream of America representing sovereignty and equality.

Unfortunately, it’s not for everyone to embrace. Poor whites, Native Americans, immigrants, farmers, or poor workers entire missing the dream that America has never provided them with; instead they had been manipulated into an artificial fabricated way of living life as if the American dream is still alive, when it’s really dying. After reading the two poems “Let America be America Again”, and “I, Too, Sing America Hughes illustrates a vivid picture that resonates with many underprivileged people’s hopes and dreams not just in America, but the entire world. The sense of being included in the bigger picture whether if it’s the American dream being fulfilled or humanity’s morality staying intact is justified by Hughes voice, He is portraying a strong willed, loud, impactful voice at times aiming at the bigotry of America then he is portraying.

Another voice utilizes a more silent approach, meaning that there is a contrast to how the mutual message being said. These ideas are debating with each other, it’s up to the reader to determine the dominance of each voice thus, and Hughes creates the perfect scenario of juxtaposition, and In lines 62-64 “O, let America be America again/ the land that never has been yet/ and yet must be—the land where every man is free” When reading this bold statement the juxtaposition Hughes imposes on reader is shown. One voice is saying yes America you are what we strive for the land of hope, the land of freedom and equality. Another voice sets in then saying no America you are a phony imposter of what you claim to be, the land that never was free to begin with nor shall it ever be, or can it be?

In another critical moment of juxtaposition, Hughes changes his perception of what America was, and then focuses with a hopeful optimistic tone that America must be molded and groomed back to what it meant in the first place, truly the land of the free. “We, the people, must redeem/ the land, the mines, the plants, the rivers/ the mountains and the endless plain” (lines 82-84). Hughes is showing a more humanist form of inclusion, a positive force were groups that were originally the backbone of America that were casted out of their fair share of the American dream must continue to rise and fight the struggles of tyranny that follow in each individuals path. The beautiful positive reinforcement of juxtaposition allows Hughes potential oath to set America to what it was always meant to be, to have a moral compass that points to his values of fighting for the resolution of inequality. When all along their shouldn’t be any in the land of the free.

In conclusion, the two poems written by Hughes affected me deeply, When reading them, I felt empowered to view just how unfair society can be, creating the perfect conditions of exclusion, by grouping and separating others by either the color of your skin, or what you believe in. Hughes in these poems is an advocator of justice, wanting to fight for a dream worth living, as advertised by America’s artificial cloud of true equality. However Hughes is also a realist. He balances his faith in America with questionable doubt, coupled with optimism of maybe having a better future in sight. Hughes explores his truth of what the American Dream looks like from his end, he warns us that being patriotic to a cause that doesn’t everyone fit everyone is not the way to go. Instead, we must break the barriers of exclusion so that everyone has a equal opportunity to explore an American dream worth fighting for.