According to W.E.B. Du Bois, Black Duality is defined as “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity. One ever feels his two-ness,—an American, a Negro… two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged (tenacity) strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder (apart).The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife (conflict), — this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self”

“I too” is a poem that depicts a black butler/maids journey to emancipate himself from the “kitchen”. The first line consists of a short patriotic phrase, “I, too, sing America”. This short phrase immediately establishes the intentions of the speaker, for society to recognise him as an America-loving citizen willing to embrace the values set forth in the constitution. This initial line already presents the idea of black duality where black people wish to unite their 2 consciousnesses into a package that will allow them to integrate into mainstream society and access more opportunities. The phrase, “I am the darker brother”, establishes the intimate yet distance relationship that black people usually take relative to mainstream society which is predominantly white. The “black sheep” of the family. The ostracization and discrimination of black people are represented in the line “they sent me to eat in the kitchen”. The kitchen represents the lower part of the economic spectrum, where black people were confined to menial labour such as agriculture and housework. It also conveys the sidelining of black effort and achievements, where the white people bask from the fruits of the black people’s labour. A volta leads the reader into the third stanza which has a more defiant and vindicated tone. Lines 9-10 has a distinctive volta of the black man wanting to “be at the table when company comes”. The use of enjambment builds a complex narrative by fleshing out thought instead of confining it to one line. Not only does the speaker want to attain credit for his contributions and gain positive recognition, but he also wants to make it clear to everybody that he is to be considered equal. While this may be in contradiction of Black duality which opposes people trying to “measure one by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity”. But the speaker may be trying to reform the contempt and pity into admiration and acceptance, to be seen as an American that does contribute to society in meaningful ways. This is highlighted in the line “They’ll see how beautiful I am”.

“As I grew older” is another poem that also depicts the obstacles that face a black man in his journey to achieve a dream. The poem begins with a sentimental reminiscence of a dream that was “Bright like a sun” but was “slowly” obstructed by a rising “wall” that “touched the sky” and stood “between me and my dream”. The obstacles represent the vast number of systemic racism that black people had to cope with such as bias, bigotry, police brutality, discrimination and lack of opportunities. Since Langston Hughes is an American writer, it could be possible that the dream is similar to that of the “American dream”. The American dream is the belief equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. This again references the idea of black duality, the warring ideals between an American, a person that attempts to achieve the most out of any situation and a Negro, who is confined in a cycle of poverty. Both identities are defined by society’s expectations. The speaker “lying in the shadow” could represent his numb acceptance of his circumstance which is being considered inferior by white people. There is a seamless tonal transition from lines 19 to 20 where the hopelessness turns into determination. He embraces and merges the value of hard work from the American dream and his “dogged strength” as a “Negro” to “break through the wall” and realise his dream. The combination of the benefits of both identities can be seen as the speaker “turns the darkness” into “a thousand lights of sun”. This represents how he turns a detriment into a tool to achieve his dream. Additionally, the shattering of the darkness which may not be a call for black people to strip themselves of their ethnicity but rather to be seen as an equal. The sun represents the warmth and comfort people can achieve through their tenacity and illustrates what they could achieve when they merge into a better self and tear down the walls of oppression.

Both poems have references to DuBois quote on black duality. Both poems are attempting to convey the message of reforming oneself into something better by embracing both sides of their identity, to get the best of both worlds. The poems underline the importance of resilience and defiance in achieving one’s dreams.