„The Weary Blues”

A) The poem has a sad and melancholic atmosphere. The repetition of onomatopoeic words
such as “thump” as well as repetition of whole lines “He did a lazy sway…” makes the poem
appear to slow down. The rhymes in the poem make it appear as if it itself was a blues song.
B) Poem itself refers to blues which is a form of African American popular music. Blues songs
often reflected the suffering and problems of black people living in a racist society. He also
mentions Raggy – ragtime which is another genre of African American pop music. Finally, the
speaker refers to Lenox Avenue which was an African American neighborhood in New York
where the author lived.
C) The poem shows sorrows of life of a black person living in racist America dealing with
constant segregation and inequality. The poem has some cathartic value but it shows the
pain behind black art of the times.

„I, too”

1. The speaker is a Black Man

2. “They” refers to the white society of America
3. America is described as a collection of many diverse people, it’s a part of the speaker and
everyone who lives in the country.
4. The kitchen may symbolize the inequality in rules and treatment which many black people
faced in America. The table is the opposite, it’s the equal treatment and respect.
5. It’s casual and sounds like a part of a daily conversation.
6. The speaker isn’t faced by the discrimination and tries to live their life to the fullest “But I
laugh, And eat well, And grow strong.”
7. It puts forth the idea of black people being proud of their identity, not being afraid, as well as
feeling that they are a part of the country.