18 pages 36 minutes read

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 2008

A 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.

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Harlem

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I, Too

Langston Hughes

I, Too

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide
logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Tired

Langston Hughes

Tired

Langston Hughes