18 pages • 36 minutes read
Langston HughesA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
“I look at the world” by Langston Hughes belongs to the lyric genre of poetry; it’s relatively short and expresses the personal views of the poet and speaker. In “I look at the world,” the speaker is a Black person conveying their individual perceptions about the United States and racism. Although the problems the speaker witnesses are personal and seen through their lens, the issues are universal within the Black community.
While the primary theme of the poem is racism, the speaker doesn’t lack confidence. Racism hasn't made them meek. Their tone is confident: “I look at the world,” declares the speaker (Line 1). They possess the poise to confront the world and evaluate it. They address race by describing how they look at the world through “awakening eyes in a black face” (Line 2). Continuing the declarative tone, the speaker tells the reader what they see.
The speaker reveals their observations: “This fenced-off narrow space / Assigned to me” (Lines 4-5). The last line—“Assigned to me”—reveals further details about the speaker. They didn’t choose to occupy this marginalized space. Rather, someone placed them in a restricted area due to their skin color.
By Langston Hughes
Children’s Rhymes
Langston Hughes
Cora Unashamed
Langston Hughes
Dreams
Langston Hughes
Harlem
Langston Hughes
I, Too
Langston Hughes
Let America Be America Again
Langston Hughes
Me and the Mule
Langston Hughes
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Mulatto
Langston Hughes
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston
Not Without Laughter
Langston Hughes
Slave on the Block
Langston Hughes
Thank You, M'am
Langston Hughes
The Big Sea
Langston Hughes
Theme for English B
Langston Hughes
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
Langston Hughes
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes
The Ways of White Folks
Langston Hughes
The Weary Blues
Langston Hughes
Tired
Langston Hughes