Question

Explain the extended metaphor used in the poem “I, Too, Sing America.” Think about the message the speaker is trying to get across.

Answer 1

In Langston Hughes' "I, Too", he speaks of how segregation existed in his present times and how he had to show tolerance towards those who shun him, but how that would not always be the case. His metaphor begins when he states that people "... send me to eat in the kitchen." while everyone else eats at the table. So he's set aside and left behind by society while everyone else carries a normal life. However, he doesn't fall for self pity but "laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.", waiting for the day when he will sit at the table and no one will dare to send him away as they will be able to see his value.

This is an extended metaphor as it is not confined to a phrase or sentence, but rather used throughout the whole text.

Answer 2

Hughes uses the extended metaphor of "eating in the kitchen" to show racial inequality and segregation. At a time in the future, the speaker believes all men will be treated equally and the people who treated African Americans badly will be ashamed of their actions.