“Democracy” is a poem by the American writer Langston Hughes. First published in 1949, the poem explores the Black American experience at a time of extreme segregation, inequality, and state-sponsored racism. The speaker argues that the United States cannot truly be a democracy until everyone has equal rights, and that equality and freedom are as necessary as food when it comes to survival. The speaker further suggests that democracy will only come about through a powerful social movement for change. Hughes included “Democracy” in his collection One-Way Ticket, which was illustrated by the American painter Jacob Lawrence.
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The Full Text of “Democracy”
The Full Text of “Democracy”
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“Democracy” Summary
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“Democracy” Themes
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Racial Justice, Freedom, and Democracy
Where this theme appears in the poem:- Lines 1-21
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Democracy”
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Lines 1-4
Democracy will not ...
... compromise and fear. -
Lines 5-9
I have as ...
... own the land. -
Lines 10-12
I tire so ...
... is another day. -
Lines 13-14
I do not ...
... on tomorrow's bread. -
Lines 15-18
Freedom ...
... a great need. -
Lines 19-21
I live here, ...
... Just as you.
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“Democracy” Symbols
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The Land
Where this symbol appears in the poem:- Line 9: “the land”
- Lines 15-18: “Freedom / Is a strong seed / Planted / In a great need.”
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“Democracy” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Repetition
Where repetition appears in the poem:- Line 12: “Tomorrow”
- Line 13: “need,” “freedom”
- Line 14: “tomorrow's”
- Line 15: “Freedom”
- Line 18: “need”
- Line 20: “freedom”
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Anaphora
Where anaphora appears in the poem:- Line 5: “I have”
- Line 10: “I tire”
- Line 13: “I do not need”
- Line 14: “I cannot live”
- Line 19: “I live”
- Line 20: “I want”
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Metaphor
Where metaphor appears in the poem:- Line 14: “I cannot live on tomorrow's bread.”
- Lines 15-18: “Freedom / Is a strong seed / Planted / In a great need.”
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Enjambment
Where enjambment appears in the poem:- Lines 1-2: “come / Today”
- Lines 5-6: “right / As”
- Lines 6-7: “has / To”
- Lines 7-8: “stand / On”
- Lines 15-16: “Freedom / Is”
- Lines 16-17: “seed / Planted”
- Line 18: “In”
- Lines 20-21: “freedom / Just”
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Consonance
Where consonance appears in the poem:- Line 1: “Democracy,” “come”
- Line 2: “year”
- Line 3: “Nor ever”
- Line 4: “Through compromise,” “fear”
- Line 5: “right”
- Line 6: “other”
- Line 7: “To stand”
- Line 8: “two feet”
- Line 9: “And own,” “land”
- Line 10: “tire,” “hearing”
- Line 11: “take,” “course”
- Line 12: “Tomorrow,” “day”
- Line 13: “do,” “not need,” “freedom,” “dead”
- Line 14: “tomorrow's bread”
- Line 15: “Freedom”
- Line 16: “strong seed”
- Line 17: “Planted”
- Line 18: “need”
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Assonance
Where assonance appears in the poem:- Line 5: “have as”
- Line 6: “has”
- Line 9: “own”
- Line 10: “so,” “say”
- Line 11: “take”
- Line 12: “day”
- Line 13: “need,” “freedom”
- Line 15: “Freedom”
- Line 16: “seed”
- Line 18: “need”
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“Democracy” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Democracy
- Compromise
- Tire
- Bread
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(Location in poem: Line 1: “Democracy”)
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Democracy”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Democracy” Speaker
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“Democracy” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Democracy”
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More “Democracy” Resources
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External Resources
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Biography of Langston Hughes — Learn more about Langston Hughes’s life and poetry in this biographical article from the Poetry Foundation.
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Senators and Congresswomen Read the Poem — Hear U.S. Senators and Congresswomen—including Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Vice President Kamala Harris, among others—read “Democracy” aloud in this 2018 video made by Moveon.org.
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Jacob Lawrence’s Illustrations — Hughes solicited the Harlem painter Jacob Lawrence to illustrate One-Way Ticket, the collection in which he included “Democracy.” View one of Lawrence’s illustrations for the collection at the Museum of Modern Art's website.
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World War II and the Civil Rights Movement — Read more about how World War II brought into sharp relief the difference between American ideals abroad and the reality of American inequality at home—and how this fueled the Civil Rights Movement.
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Article about the Harlem Renaissance — Learn more about the Harlem Renaissance, the movement of Black art and literature that Langston Hughes greatly influenced.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Langston Hughes
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