Theme For English B Essay

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In the poem "Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes the speaker, a black college student, emphasizes the fact that he is a black young man. The speaker dramatizes that he is like other races. Being American means that he is apart of other people and they are apart of him, despite their differences in color. One major conflict in this poem is the speaker asking, "So will my page be colored that I write?"(Hughes 27). This line seems angry, and also a little sarcastic. In the next line the speaker says, "Being me, it will not be white." (28). The poem is said like this because the student is trying to explain that whites and blacks are similar in ways, but treated so differently. The audience is the professor of this class and mostly the whole…show more content…
As the speaker writes in his room, at a time when America was still somewhat segregated, he tries to write about the truth. The student wonders if writing the truth is so "simple" (6). He then goes on to state facts about who he is and where he is from. After, the student explains what he enjoys and explains just because he is black doesn’t mean he doesn’t like what other races enjoy. He compares himself to the white professor and explains why they are apart of each other. He then says that they can learn from each other, in a positive tone. Lastly he states, "although you are older- and white-/ and somewhat more free." (39-40). The speaker changes his tone in this line from positive, to a more bitter sound. He sounds helpless, because the speaker cannot change his situation at the college. He will always be black, but the others can change the way they think. He feels compelled to speak on this subject because the assignment is to write the truth. The student questions how he will be able to tell the truth. By the end, his honesty makes the reader feel frustrated and somewhat understanding of how he feels, even if you haven't experienced what he

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