18 pages 36 minutes read

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2008

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

I, Too” by Langston Hughes (1926)

Both “I, Too” and “I look at the world” feature an “I” in the title and the first line. The poems center around Black speakers unafraid to voice their truth. In “I, Too,” self-love is more explicit: The male speaker looks forward to a day when others will “see how beautiful” (Line 16) he is and “be ashamed” (Line 17) of their racist behavior. Indeed, both poems are rather optimistic about the future. “I look at the world” says there’s a way to knock down oppressive walls and build a nonracist world, while “I, Too” imagines a time when a Black man can eat at the same table as white people. “I, Too” is much more well-known than “I look at the world.”

Goodbye Christ” by Langston Hughes (1932)

In this poem, Hughes doesn’t use allusion to address the theme and promise of communism. Instead, Hughes uses jaunty rhythm and the lyric form to directly express the idea of replacing Christ, a figure of capitalism, with individuals linked to communism, including Karl Marx and Joseph Stalin, the dictator of the communist Soviet Union.

Phenomenal Woman” by Maya Angelou (1978)

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary

logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide

logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary

logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE

logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide

logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes