The American Dream is a dream that everyone hopes to achieve one day. It's what keeps the country going and develops many workers. Langston Hughes' "I, Too" and Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" are the epitome of that dream, both poems demonstrate a certain air of aspiration for America's future and both speakers want a change for the better . The speakers in the poem are both men and belong to the working class. Even though their work may not be desirable and in Hughes' “I, Too” the speaker may be working against his will, he is still working and they both stick to them because of that feeling of hope. After all, the working class strata are the people with the strongest appetite for that dream because the reason they work is to finally achieve that American dream. In Walt Whitman's "I Hear America Singing" the speaker is the more restrained of the two poems. His tone doesn't sound sad nor does it sound like he's unhappy with what he encounters. Even though he doesn't like what his life consists of, Whitman writes, "By day what belongs to day - by night the young, sturdy, friendly band" (Kennedy 1096). At the end of the day, whether he had a good day or a bad day, he gets to let loose with the other hard working men and all his hard work pays off in the end because this time he gets to have fun with himself. So instead of fearing his life, he is okay with what he has to do for work and looks forward to what is yet to come. It may be that this man is satisfied with his life because he is not actually held back working against his will. He has the choice to do what he wants. When one is held against one's will, it usually takes away one's security. In “I, Too” by Langston Hughes the spe...... middle of paper ......es, But I laugh” (Kennedy 976). The two poems are very ambitious. They both feel like if they're working hard, one day all that hard work will pay off. Although their jobs may seem similar, being Walt Whitman's speaker is easier than being Langston Hughes' speaker; because this speaker is a slave. Although it is easier for the speaker to achieve that dream, Whitman has hope, but he seems much less confident in what the future may bring. In their lives it seems like there is nothing else to do but work and have hope for the future. Their hope is mainly surrounded because their life does not consist of much because they belong to the working class. When you are part of the working class there is not much financial freedom to achieve the experiences you desire. It shows the impression that the more difficulty a person has in life, the more hope that person has.