Let America Be America Again

Throughout ''Let America Be America Again,'' Langston Hughes uses repetitive phrasing like _____ to illustrate his thoughts.

• America, the beautiful.

• America never was America to me.

• I am the ....

• This land is your land, this land is my land.

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How does Langston Hughes personalize the poem, ''Let America Be America Again?''

• By repeating the phrase ''I am,'' when speaking about different types of people.

• By excluding certain categories of people like the poor and the destitute.

• By talking only about immigrants and their plight in the American dream.

• By mentioning different men and women by name.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

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What is the author saying about the American Dream?

• the dream is available for everyone

• the dream is not available for minorities

• its a nightmare

• America and "the dream" is a lie

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Whose voices are expressed in this poem?

• voices of people who are in power

• voices of people who are oppressed

• voices of white people

• voices of black people

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

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How does the poet’s use of phrases in parentheses in the first six stanzas of “Let America Be America Again” impact the tone at the beginning of the poem?

• The phrases echo what is expressed about America in the stanzas, creating condescending tone.

• The phrases express hopefulness for America, reinforcing an optimistic tone.

• The phrases represent the voice of ideal America, developing a poignant tone.

• The phrases assert a contrast of experiences in America, crafting a resentful tone.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.10

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Read these lines from “Let America Be America Again.

” Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark? And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?

What effect does the author create through the way he structures these lines in the poem?

• By italicizing these two lines, the author creates an outside voice who elicits an identity-defining response from the speaker.

• By italicizing these two lines, the author crafts a satirical voice to mock the speaker and the plight of the under-achiever in America.

• By separating these lines from the rest of the stanza, the author creates a voice of reflection that echoes the sentiments expressed in the first stanzas of the poem.

• By separating these lines from the rest of the stanza, the author crafts a suppliant voice that warns of the destruction of the American Dream.

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

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Read this stanza from “Let America Be America Again."

I am the young man, full of strength and hope, Tangled in that ancient endless chain Of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed!

What effect does the author create by the way he portrays the interactions between profit, greed, and power?

• It criticizes the American values of ownership and accumulation as well as the cultural norms of profiting from the working man.

• It contrasts the hope of future Americans with the past that robbed them of their pay, indicating that in the future the working man will be the one grabbing for gold.

• It highlights the inherent greed of the American dream and the eagerness of the speaker to partake in the power struggle that exists in the nation.

• It applauds the work ethic of the youth of America and their place in the “chain” of American entrepreneurial success.

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Read these lines from “Let America Be America Again.”

The free?

Who said the free? Not me? Surely not me? The millions on relief today? The millions shot down when we strike? The millions who have nothing for our pay? For all the dreams we’ve dreamed And all the songs we’ve sung And all the hopes we’ve held And all the flags we’ve hung, The millions who have nothing for our pay— Except the dream that’s almost dead today.

What aspect of these lines conveys a somewhat sarcastic tone?

• The repetition of “millions” emphasizes the alienation of people who do not take part in the American Dream.

• The rhyming couplets reinforce the ideals of the past while underscoring Hughes’s message.

• The heavy use of question marks conveys the irony of “homeland of the free” in the face of reality.

• The parallel structure mocks the traditional views of “the dream” and encourages those on the outside to reject the idea.

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What is Hughes' purpose for writing this poem?

• To remind the general population of America's values

• to bring to light the injustices of minorities in the US and to encourage the American dream to become a reality for all

• to entertain the people during a protest

• to persuade the people to free the slaves

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

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Which rhetorical devices does Hughes use to communicate the theme?

• parallelism, repetition, irony, and rhetorical questions

• repetition, allusions, metaphor and rhetorical questions

• allusions, irony, and rhetorical questions

• allusions, metaphor and hyperbole

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CCSS.RL.11-12.8

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