I look at the world

“I look at the world” by Langston Hughes belongs to the lyric genre of poetry; it’s relatively short and expresses the personal views of the poet and speaker. In “I look at the world,” the speaker is a Black person conveying their individual perceptions about the United States and racism. Although the problems the speaker witnesses are personal and seen through their lens, the issues are universal within the Black community.

While the primary theme of the poem is racism, the speaker doesn’t lack confidence. Racism hasn't made them meek. Their tone is confident: “I look at the world,” declares the speaker (Line 1). They possess the poise to confront the world and evaluate it. They address race by describing how they look at the world through “awakening eyes in a black face” (Line 2). Continuing the declarative tone, the speaker tells the reader what they see.

The speaker reveals their observations: “This fenced-off narrow space / Assigned to me” (Lines 4-5). The last line—“Assigned to me”—reveals further details about the speaker. They didn’t choose to occupy this marginalized space. Rather, someone placed them in a restricted area due to their skin color.