Going home and writing an essay is what every teenager looks forward to after the bell. The thrill of the pen on the paper, the excitement of the clicking keys. I bet you are having a flashback to one of your essay memories at this very minute. The poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes is about Hughes getting assigned to write a paper that “comes out of you”. Hughes proceeds to go to his house, write his paper, and portray what he feels on the separation and segregation of different cultures and races. Through his wide arsenal of literary devices, Hughes provides us with a clear theme. There is no valid reason for human beings to be divided, yet society pulls us apart. All throughout the poem repetition is present which gives a meaningful
Langston Hughes- Pessimism Thesis Statement: In the poems “Weary Blues”, “Song for a Dark Girl” and “Harlem” the author Langston Hughes uses the theme of pessimism through the loss of faith, dreams and hope. First, one can look at the theme of pessimism and the correlation to the loss of faith. One can see that in “Song for a Dark Girl” an African American girl is sadden by the loss of her love. For this young and innocent girl to have to lose someone she loved so young.
Langston Hughes “Theme for English B” and Gerald Graff’s essay “Hidden Intellectualism” portray racial separation and intellectual isolation, respectively. Hughes’ essay is poetic justice, and Graff’s is a call to arms. Hughes’ is short and to the point and is simply what it is, no arguing or convincing, just raw thought. Graff’s is highly intellectual; offering examples and reasoning, and it could even be seen as a not-quite-finished plea to the nation to reevaluate our education system. But the many differences in these articles are not what they seem. These so-called “differences” are really just distractions we choose to see on the surface, but in fact, the essays work together quite well. When examined closely, looking past the obvious surface differences, Hughes and Graff are essentially speaking about the same thing: social separation.
Langston Hughes paint a picture of himself, as he goes on to thirteen in church but finds himself directly reflecting on mans own instinctive behavior for obedience. A congregation who wants him to go up and get saved, gives into obedience and goes to the altar as if he has seen the light of the Holy Spirit itself. "won't you come? Wont you come to jesus? Young lambs, wont you come?" As the preacher stilling there with open arms, girls crying, kids standing that they have felt the power force of the holy spirit through there body. There, Langston, sits not feeling anything but himself sitting in a hot church waiting for this unknown pheumona to come and touch his inner soul only to find out that the Holy Spirit isn't coming for him at all.
This week reading were really interesting, all of them had a strong message behind their words. However, the one that really caught my attention was “Open Letter to the South” by Langston Hughes. In this poem, the author emphasizes in the idea of unity between all races, He also suggests that working in unity will lead to achieving great things, as he said, “We did not know that we were strong. Now we see in union lies our strength.” (Hughes 663)
Langston Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?"
Because of that, his writing seems to manifest a greater meaning. He is part of the African-American race that is expressed in his writing. He writes about how he is currently oppressed, but this does not diminish his hope and will to become the equal man. Because he speaks from the point of view of an oppressed African-American, the poem’s struggles and future changes seem to be of greater importance than they ordinarily would. The point of view of being the oppressed African American is clearly evident in Langston Hughes’s writing.
“Theme for English B” and “Let American be American again” share some similar elements. These poems both written by Langston Hughes both explain about inequality. Theme for English B revolves around the separation of the black and white man; the differences within each race were segregation was at a high point. Let America be America again revolves around the concept that America is supposed to be the land of the free, but to another race or background; it’s a total opposite. (I guess that being colored doesn’t make me not like the other folks who are other races. - Theme for English B). ...
who rises above these facts and has a perception that shows the man to have
“Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words.” –Edgar Allan Poe. Poetry is one of the world’s greatest wonders. It is a way to tell a story, raise awareness of a social or political issue, an expression of emotions, an outlet, and last but not least it is an art. Famous poet Langston Hughes uses his poetry as a musical art form to raise awareness of social injustices towards African-Americans during the time of the Harlem Renaissance. Although many poets share similarities with one another, Hughes creatively crafted his poetry in a way that was only unique to him during the 1920’s. He implemented different techniques and styles in his poetry that not only helped him excel during the 1920’s, but has also kept him relative in modern times. Famous poems of his such as a “Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too, Sing America” are still being studied and discussed today. Due to the cultural and historical events occurring during the 1920’s Langston Hughes was able to implement unique writing characteristics such as such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues that is demonstrative of his writing style. Langston Hughes use of distinct characteristics such as irregular use of form, cultural and historical referenced themes and musical influences such as Jazz and the blues helped highlight the plights of African-Americans during the Harlem Renaissance Era.
When reading the literature of Langston Hughes, I cant help but feel energetically charged and inspired. Equality, freedom, empowerment, renaissance, justice and perseverance, are just a few of the subject matter Hughes offers. He amplifies his voice and beliefs through his works, which are firmly rooted in race pride and race feeling. Hughes committed himself both to writing and to writing mainly about African Americans. His early love for the “wonderful world of books” was sparked by loneliness and parental neglect.
Although “Theme for English B” was published in 1949, it has many of the characteristics that his earlier works from the Harlem Renaissance possessed. The rhythmic rhyming adds to the musicality of the poem. The language is simple, yet effective in making a very important social statement. An especially intense aura of American separatism is present throughout the poem. A sense of egalitarianism is also present throughout the poem: the instructor is just as much student as the student is professor, young and old each have much to offer the other, and black and white partake of each other.
... They focus more on the cultural aspects of identity that Hughes is very proud of, while poems “Democracy” and “Theme for English B” touch on some of the social concerns that created a struggle for dignity as a black person in the early/mid twentieth century. The “Democracy” is a slightly stern and direct request to take action and fight for civil rights. The “Theme for English B” is a compassionate and low-key personal anecdote that reiterates the unpracticed concept that “all men are created equal”. Despite the difference in tone and subject, all four poems relate to the central theme that dignity is something that white men may take for granted, but Langston Hughes, as a black man and a writer, sees and feels dignity as a fight and a struggle that he faces and that the black community as a whole faces every day.
... In conclusion, race is an aspect of dominant culture and is a social barrier that can be broken through the use of education. In the narrative poem, “The Theme of English B” by Langston Hughes, it talks about the social barriers in education systems like colleges. Race can bring people together and also keep groups apart as cultures, as another culture is seen to be more superior to the other. To stop segregation and splitting between groups, education can be used to build one dominant culture that includes everyone for what they are made of and not by a person’s race.
The civil rights movement may have technically ended in the nineteen sixties, but America is still feeling the adverse effects of this dark time in history today. African Americans were the group of people most affected by the Civil Rights Act and continue to be today. Great pain and suffering, though, usually amounts to great literature. This period in American history was no exception. Langston Hughes was a prolific writer before, during, and after the Civil Rights Act and produced many classic poems for African American literature. Hughes uses theme, point of view, and historical context in his poems “I, Too” and “Theme for English B” to expand the views on African American culture to his audience members.
As far as history can remember, African-Americans faced oppression and racial segregation. They had to give up their dreams and hopes, sacrifice their lives, and live a poor, unhappy life. August Wilson, Maya Angelou, and Langston Hughes have written pieces which well-portray the oppression and segregation faced, sacrifices made, and hopes given up by African-Americans. Three prominent themes in Fences - Individual versus society, American Dream, and American Identity - are expressed in “Still I Rise,” “A Dream Deferred,” and “I, Too.”