"Democracy"- Langston Hughes Essay

“Democracy” – Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes, one of the most prominent poets during the Harlem Renaissance, grew up and lived in a racial discriminated United States were African Americans were still feeling the effects of discrimination and oppression. I read and analyzed many of Hughes poems, but I was only able to compare my personal perspective with one of them. “Democracy”, a poem about the lack of freedom the black population has in the United States, can be interpreted today with the status of Puerto Rico and the rights and we have not yet gained after more than one hundred years of colonialism with the United States.
First of all, a brief analysis of the poem “Democracy” by Langston Hughes. It discusses the erroneous methods that were being used to achieve freedom and a democracy. He criticizes the fear and tactics used to attain democracy by stating, “Democracy will not come… through compromise and fear”. Blacks have had to sacrifice themselves in order to build the United States through the travesty of slavery. Still, as they built the United States into a powerful nation they did not gain any freedom and rights. The speaker also “tire of hearing people say, “Let things take their course… Tomorrow is another day”” Essentially, he is condemning those who take a passive approach towards equality and freedom. The speaker obviously does not enjoy the same freedom as others saying: “I want freedom. Just as you. ”
After reading the poem and analyzing it, I was able to compare it with the Puerto Rican Independence movement which is a movement towards democracy and freedom from the United States imposing their laws in our territory. “Democracy will not come…Through compromise and fear.”   This quote from the poem explains exactly what has happened with the Puerto Rican people, political parties, and Puerto Rican Government in the last century. Throughout the years, the citizens of Puerto Rico have been forced to conform to a colonial status that limits...