It is sometimes important to put things into perspective. Our Constitution is what we just celebrated, but it has survived only because We the People and those we have elected have respected and honored it. When we forget the role each person must play, it is no longer following the roles the founding fathers intended A famous poem published in 1936 explains that.
Let America be America Again. Let it be the Dream it used to be. Let it be the Pioneer on the Plain Seeking a home where he himself is free.
Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed-- Let it be the great strong land of love Where never kings connive nor tyrants' scheme That any man be crushed by one above.
O, let my land be a land where Liberty Is crowned with no false patriotic wreath But Opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breathe.
Ten more stanzas follow the three I have shared. However, I left out the brief lines between the stanzas. "America never was America to me. It never was America to me. There's never been equality for me, Nor freedom in this "homeland of the free." As you can see from the portion of the poem I shared, he loved America, but it did not always live up to people like him.
The author of the poem was Langston Hughes, a Black man who lived 1902-1967 in Joplin Missouri. Both of his great grandmothers were enslaved, and both great grandfathers were their owners. Hughes himself was a famous, successful man, although not without challenges of his own.
When I came across this poem, I could not but wonder if people today sometimes feel as Hughes felt, loving America but feeling left out. I am not talking about those who love America so much that they enter illegally. I am talking about those yanked from their car because their skin is the wrong color. I am talking about those going through the legal requirements to become citizens and being jailed I am talking about Americans abused or killed because they exorcised their constitutional right to demonstrate.
I am a conservative person when it comes to abiding by the law. Our founding fathers employed checks and balances to protect that our laws work, but they only work when elected officials honor the responsibilities, they are elected to perform. They are not honoring their responsibilities when getting reelected is more important than serving the purpose for which the people elected them. Serving a political party, as Washington warned, is not what the Constitution intended. They were geniuses but their intelligence in crafting our Constitution only works when each person in the checks and balances honor their responsibility. Greed and personal selfishness are the only things the Founding Fathers could not entirely protect against, unless enough of us are willing to protect and defend the Constitution.
Thanks, Lyn. I know some of Hughes's work but wasn't aware of this poem. It fits with a couple I once taught to high school and university students. One is the classic "When the Negro Speaks of Rivers," with its warm refrain "My soul has grown deep like the rivers." To me this poem seems completely positive, aware of cultural progress and looking forward. He wrote it at age 17! I also like "I, Too," a poem from 1926 that affirms his Americanness, even his full humanity, while also acknowledging poor treatment due to race. Then there's the poem from 1936 you write about, part nostalgia for a better past but also (especially in the part you left out) even more aware of racial prejudice and unequal treatment. I'm saddened at the progression over time at the growth of his feelings about the effects of racial prejudice and the sense that things have gotten worse. We're challenged to keep working on these troublesome matters.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lyn. You brought back good memories of when I taught some of Hughes's poems to high school and university students. A favorite was "When the Negro Speaks of Rivers," which I think expresses a message progress over time and place. He wrote it at age 17!! I also liked his 1926 poem "I, Too," which looks to the future and includes acknowledgement of poor treatment though this aspect is understated. Then there's your 1936 Hughes poem, which is nostalgic about the past and, in the section you left out, even more aware of prejudice and unequal treatment. I understand but regret that over 3 decades, Hughes's awareness of racial conflict and unequal treatment seemed to become more pointed. I'm saddened but also grateful such an eloquent but accessible voice expressed what was true for many. I hope we still work for a better world.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lyn. Your post brought back good memories of teaching some of Langston Hughes's poems to high school and university students. A favorite was "When the Negro Speaks of Rivers," written in 1917, a mostly positive poem celebrating the progress of African Americans. I love the refrain, "My soul has grown deep like the rivers." Hughes was 17 when he wrote this poem, which was published a year later!! I also taught "I, Too," from 1926, more of an assertion of belonging with acknowledgement of poor treatment although it's somewhat understated. I was not familiar with "Let America Be America Again," which you note is from 1936. It more concerned with decline, celebrating what "used to be" rather than what is now. The part you explain that you didn't quote seems even more aware of prejudice and unequal treatment. I'm struck by the movement in Hughes's attitudes from 1917 to 1936. I'm saddened that his perceptions and experiences have become more negative. May we all work to turn around this trend.
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