Theme For English B By Langston Hughes

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Theme for English B is an enlightening poem written by Langston Hughes about racism in Harlem, New York, during the 1950s. In the 1950s, racism was still rampant in all parts of the United States. Although slavery was no longer an issue, equal rights were. The colored student in Hughes’ poem was given an assignment to “go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you--- Then, it will be true.” While completing this vague assignment for his college english class, the pupil contemplates the “truth” about people of differing races in a creative and indirect way. Theme for English B is written from the point of view of a young black scholar, who knows that the odds are stacked against him, not only as “the only colored student…show more content…
The colored student’s diction is chatty yet scholarly. The combination of these two styles results in a casually profound piece. While the scholar’s vocabulary is not complex, the way he combines words is second to none. At certain places throughout the poem, he adds a sarcastic tone to make his main audience, his teacher, take a second look. As the professor is “older---and white---and somewhat more free,” the student knows that the professor’s thoughts on his version of truth will be incorrect. By separating himself from the caucasian race, he acknowledges the difference in mindsets of the two nationalities, but links them together. As his classmates and his professor read this theme, he knows that they “are white---yet a part of [him], as [he is] a part of [them].” The sharp scholar knows that what he sees, hears, and reads will become a part of him. In another way, the poem creates a similarity between the two races by saying that he “like[s] to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love” just as white people…show more content…
He receives the assignment in one section, travels home in the next, and writes his paper in another. By breaking it up in this way, the narrator creates an informal and spontaneous feel which immediately draws the reader in by giving a glimpse into his mind. However, at some points, the reader gets disconnected because of confusing language and placement of words. Only by reading multiple times can the reader understand that “hear you, hear me---we two---you, me, talk on this page” means more than we hear each other and therefore are a part of one another. It could signify that Harlem and the colored student are apart of each other, that black and white people are apart of each other, or that the professor and he are apart of each other. Introducing this double standard for the lines of his poem at an early point helps the reader to understand that the entity is a metaphor— he is a whole race while his instructor is another. Another key way that this poem is structured is by ending lines in the middle of a thought or sentence. After reading one line, the reader may expect the next line to contain certain details when it actually changes gears. For instance, when the student says “as [he] learn[s] from [his professor],” the reader’s mind will demand something specifically that the colored student has learned; however, he simply states that “[he] guess[es that his professor] learn[s] from [him].” This requires the
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