18 pages • 36 minutes read
Langston HughesI look at the world
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2008A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Symbolic Meaning of Eyes
Technically speaking, eyes are organs in the head that help a being—person, animal, or otherwise—see the world around them. A creature can navigate the world and discern where they’re going with their eyes. In “I look at the world,” eyes have a symbolic meaning. The speaker’s eyes allow them to grasp the racist components of the society they’re in; they represent perceptions about America.
Eyes symbolize consciousness, as the speaker has “awakening eyes” (Line 2) or “eyes no longer blind” (Line 12). The speaker wasn’t asleep or blind. Rather, sight represents insight or revelations. By looking at the world, the speaker learns about their place in it. They see how racism has “[a]ssigned” (Line 5) them an unfair place in society. They envision how they can make a just world. Eyes symbolize knowledge. Through sight, the speaker gains wisdom, and, as the poem ends, they’re prepared to use their intelligence to remake the world.
The Symbolism of the Walls
In the poem, “walls” are a product of “oppression” (Line 9). The speaker explores a specific kind of oppression: Racism. Symbolically, walls separate people and confine them. In the poem, the speaker is in a “fenced-off narrow space” (Line 4). Walls symbolize the lack of freedom “[a]ssigned” (Line 5) the speaker. They represent the obstacles facing the speaker and the Black community. In the simplest terms, the walls symbolize racism.
Moreover, the walls symbolize the folly of racism. There is no sound basis to discriminate against Black people; the walls are “silly” (Line 6). They aren’t the product of keen reasoning but of thoughtlessness. As racism is mindless, mindful people shouldn’t tolerate it—it “[w]ill have to go!” (Line 10). The walls also symbolize racism’s Achilles heel. Racism isn’t as strong or sturdy as might it appear since it’s possible to make it go away.
The Meaning Behind “The Road”
The “road” (Line 16) is a key symbol in Hughes's poem. It’s unlikely the speaker is talking about a literal road, like the kind made for cars. Instead, it represents the way to a just world—the path out of a racist society and into a fairer place without walls or confining fences.
The road also represents the speaker’s openness to ideas. They don’t have all of the answers. They don't know the exact road that will lead the way out of racism. Yet after looking at the world, the speaker is sure that it's possible to take what's in their mind and put it into practice. There is a road out there, and with help from allies—“comrades” (Line 16)—people in America can locate the path and pull away from oppression that negatively impacts Black people.
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By Langston Hughes
