these tumultuous twenty years. Langston Hughes, an African-American writer, exposes the divisions between Caucasians and African Americans in the social construct of the educational system during this chaotic time period. In Hughes' poem, "Theme for English B," he discusses racism through the stage of a university in America, using narrative and poetic devices to express the feelings and emotions involved in the struggle for equality. The poem's structure divides into three main stanzas with a one-line
Langston Hughes was an African American poet and author who joined other black artists to break literary barriers during the civil rights movement. The poem entitled "Theme for English B" was written thirty years or so after the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, but still embodies why the Renaissance had originated in the first place. I believe this poem reflected on Hughes' life in general, but more importantly on the fight against the ignorance that created discrimination. James Mercer Langston
American culture and art" that took place in Harlem in the 1920s. The poem being analyzed is one of Langston Hughes's most prominent, and relatable poems. “Theme for English B”, is written in free verse with simple diction and depicts the racial issues and divide that existed at the time of its creation. Although “Theme for English B” was published three decades after the genesis of the Harlem Renaissance, it embodied
Comparison of Themes in “Incident” and “Theme for English B” The poem, "Incident" by Countee Cullen and Theme for English B by Langston Hughes, talk of racism. However, Theme for English B builds more on identity than in the Incident. The poem, Theme for English B, focuses on the complications of identity and the reality of understanding people. People are made aware of their role in life through the story of the young black student in America. Nonetheless, the poem introduces the reader to the
Analysis of Langston Hughes’ poem “Theme for English B” Mr. Langston Hughes poem is a struggle to define identity. It is the recognition that the makeup of what is truly American comes from an unavoidable mixing of cultural influences. Mr. Hughes did not want to reject or discount White culture; on the contrary, he wanted to learn from it. Langston Hughes also recognized that it was a two-way street, and that African-Americans also had productive contributions to present to America from which our
In 1951, Langston Hughes wrote “Theme for English B” using the persona of a 22-year old African American who had come to New York City as part of the post-World War II Great Migration. The set up for the poem is deceptively simple: the English professor has given the students an autobiographical assignment in jaunty rhyme, “Go home and write/ a page tonight” (2-3). Everybody has done assignments like this, and from a position of privilege, the teacher assumes that the students will easily be
Stephon Sailor Anderson English 1102 9 April 2017 Literary Essay II “Speaker” “Just as fiction depends on a narrator, poetry depends on a speaker” (500). In poetry, the speaker and the poet are not the same, poems by the same author can have different voices. A speaker is usually able to convey feeling, events, and possibly an idea or two, to the readers. The more information the reader knows about the speaker can help the readers to interpret the poem. This essay will identify the speaker and discuss
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. Looking at the historical context of each poem shows that the political movements of the time had a large effect on Hughes’s two poems. The timeline between the two poems is an interesting one to analyze. “I, Too” was written in nineteen twenty-six and “Theme for English B” was written in nineteen fifty-one (Rampersad). Many events relating
In the poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, the first concept that might come to mind when reading the title is an English/ Literature assignment/ lesson or a universal message. “Theme for English B” is about a twenty-two year old, colored, college student in the twentieth century writing a poem for his English assignment. This college student speaks to his/ her instructor and telling him/ her that himself/ herself and a white professor are connected. That they’re associated because they’re
There is a great poem about ethnicity. Theme for English B by Langston Hughes is about an African American writer who found it difficult to complete his writing assignments from his white professor. The writer always wonders if he will ever have the writing skills to please this white professor. There is another great poem about Culture is called On the Amtrak from Boston to New York, by Sherman Alexie. This poem is about where the author sees that some of the Native Americans don’t have a choice
Theme for English B is a free verse poem by Langston Hughes with no set rhyme scheme or meter. Despite this, the poem does tend to rhyme at certain parts, noticeably at the beginning and the end. The only time a rhyme scheme and meter can be establish is in lines 2-4 and the rhyming couplet at the end. The rhyme scheme for lines 2-4 is B B C C and the meter is iambic. The visual appearance of the poem reminds me of a short draft for an essay. It’s long and broken up into “paragraphs” with a concluding
Theme for English B is written by Langston Hughes. He is one of the greatest African American poets and the most recognizable poet in the 20th century. He has written during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1910s and 1920s. Most of his poetry challenges the idea of racism as well as American identity as a whole. One of Hughes’ greatest poems, “Theme for English B” was written in the period when racial discrimination had peaked. This poem reflects on Hughes himself as a black speaker in the poem. This
The poem “Theme for English B” tells a story of a man and his struggle to write to his instructor about deeper matters. The poem by Langston Hughes explains the situation of a colored man. Everyone sees that he is different but to himself he knows he is the same by heart. He writes from his heart and from his own perspective. He explains to his readers that everyone may seem him in a different light but he must know himself enough to make his own independent judgements. As the author writes about
When I first read Langston Hughes' poem "Theme for English B", I did not particularly like it. But after reading it a second time and discussing it in class, I came to appreciate the poem on several levels. The way Hughes describes the setting of Harlem/New York is brief, but evocative. He also gives us insight into the thoughts and emotions of the main character, the young "colored" student, and ends the piece with several thought provoking passages. In the first stanza we find the student,
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
In the poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes and “The White City” by Claude Mckay, there is a shared topic of race and the minorities’ experience. The authors of the poems use their speakers tone/personality. imagery, and setting to make a statement on the social disadvantage placed on minority races by the majority. The theme of these two pieces is holding on to your cultural identity even in an oppressive, white-washed society. The speakers of these two poems focus on the same topic,
and get that ideal person. People speak different language and are learning many more but people who don’t speak a different language often has a problem with the one that do. In the three work that are discuss are Bully, Immigrants, and Theme for English B, they all talk about the many different race. People want to be accepted in to this ideal situation and not be judge by coming from a different background. Many are judge on who they are and who they want to be. People hold them self-back because
Born in Joplin, Missouri Langston Hughes quickly became the most popular and versatile of the many writers who were within the Harlem Renaissance. Raised by his mother and grandmother, because his father moved to Mexico to get away from racism. Hughes finished high school and immediately started writing poetry. He chose to focus his work on modern, and urban black life. With influences from Walt Whitman Majority of Hughes’s poems portrayed similar themes such as racism, The American Dream, wisdom
Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B” is a rhetorical poem in which Hughes asks the question about his social and racial status in society. Growing up through the First World War and took part in the Civil Rights Era, Hughes experienced racial tensions while going to school at Columbia University in a time when higher education was still for the affluent and dominantly white. His poem is a reflection of his reaction from a teachers’ writing prompt which influenced him to write on his racial and
two poems by a famous writer by the name of Langston Hughes. A well-known writer that still gets credit today for pomes like “ Theme for English B” and “Let American be American Again.” “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