Hello. I'll be very grateful if you help me to understand a line from a poem.
And yet
I am my one sole self,
America seeking the stars.
(Langston Hughes "America")
I mean the second line. I translated it word for word but it is still very ambiguous to me. Will you please paraphrase it for me to get it?
Thank you for your help.
You have to understand the entire poem in order to understand these last three lines.
http://www.twcnet.edu/lib/file/manager/faculty/cschutz/US_Btw_Wars/Langston-Hughes-poems.html
In this poem, Hughes, an African-American, has claimed identity with many other American ethnic groups. Yet in his final lines, he tells us that he after all just one person, an idealistic American.
Of course! I'd be happy to help you understand the second line of Langston Hughes' poem, "America." The line in question is "I am my one sole self."
In this line, Langston Hughes is expressing his individuality and sense of self. By saying "I am," he is emphasizing his own existence and unique identity. The term "sole" means only or solitary, so he is conveying that he is his own distinct person, separate from others.
In the broader context of the poem, this line represents the poet's personal perspective and his search for something greater. He is asserting his individuality while also expressing his desire for something beyond himself, which is symbolized by the phrase "America seeking the stars." The stars can be seen as a metaphor for dreams, ambitions, or success.
So, a possible paraphrase of the line could be: "I am my own individual identity, separate from others."