ipl-logo

Analyzing Langston Hughes 'Poem Theme For English B'

987 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem Essay

Kiara Rolle Professor Theodore Worozbyt English 2130 28 February 2017 Being Colored. The poem “Theme For English B” written by Langston Hughes starts off with the instructor giving the student a writing assignment, but it is a very vague assignment. The instructor tells the student to “Go home and write a page tonight” (Hughes 710) but he doesn’t say what that page should be about. One of the many definitions of the word “theme” is “An exercise written on a given subject, esp. a school essay; an exercise in translation” (OED). In this case, it does not match with what the instructor says because the student was not given a subject to write about at all. The instructor then goes on to say, “And let that page come out of you-- Then, it will be …show more content…

The word “colored” is the speaker’s way of describing his or her race, which would be African American. One definition of the word “colored” is “Of or belonging to any group of dark-skinned people, esp. African-Americans. Also, during the era of racial segregation in the United States: intended for or restricted to African-Americans” (OED). At the time the poem was written, as well as published, the word was used in a derogatory way. In addition, another definition of the word is “Having a colour or colours; that is or has been coloured. Also as the second element in compounds” (OED). Thus, saying that in order to be “colored” someone had colored the student, which is another way of saying the student was marked. To add, the word “colored” also means “Denoting a member of any dark-skinned group of peoples, esp. a person of sub-Saharan African or (in Britain) South Asian origin or descent; in earliest use with reference to South America. Now usu. considered offensive” (OED). The word appears again in the tenth line stating, “I am the only colored student in my class” (Hughes 710). It gives the reader an image as well as how alone the speaker is being the only African American in his class. Thus, going back to one of the definitions of the word “colored” and how during those times, “colored” people were separated from white people. They had separate water …show more content…

Nicholas” (Hughes 710) he is not only talking about crossing a street, but he’s talking about crossing Santa Claus. One of the many definitions of “cross” is “To cheat or double-cross; to act dishonestly in or towards” (OED). When someone crosses St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus, it would mean that that person did something evil or bad, which would lead to coal in his or her stocking for Christmas. As a result of someone touching the coal, they are marked with black. This refers to one of the definitions of “colored” as in, to be colored, and as being of darker complexion, which was seen as a bad thing. Moving on to line sixteen, the speaker says, “It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me” (Hughes 710). At the end of the line, the word “you” is being used, which would have the audience, us, to think that the speaker is talking to us personally. Since the poem is directed towards the instructor, the “you” the speaker is referring to towards the instructor, who then, also becomes a reader. In lines twenty-one to twenty-four, the reader is then introduced into the theme of the paper that the student is writing. The speaker

Show More
Related
1102 Words | 5 Pages

In McBride’s The Color of Water, James McBride the narrator tells a story of his own past and his mother, Ruth McBride’s past. Throughout the book James was conflicted with his racial identity due to being half African-American and half Jewish and the environment and society in the 1960s. On the other hand, James’s mother Ruth was also conflicted in finding her own racial identity, family and religion.

Read More
124 Words | 1 Pages

Many people believe that having a lot of money gives you a happier life, one where you have less problems, so we look up to idols who always look like they are having a great time when they go out to expensive restaurants or shops and wear their most expensive clothing. In the short story, "Why, You Reckon?", Langston Hughes shows that just because people have lots of money and can easily get stylish clothing or go out to the fanciest restaurant, it does not always mean that the person is having the time of their life. Money is just a piece of paper but in this time, it makes it clear as day that you need that flimsy paper to buy your

Read More
1329 Words | 6 Pages

Christena Cleveland’s article, “Why Jesus’ Skin Color Matters”, makes it a point to analyze who Jesus was historically and its connections to his, for lack of a better term, white washing throughout history. Firstly, it targets the main perception Americans and Europeans would have of Jesus, and that is his appearance. Jesus’ face can be found anywhere, from medieval depictions in art, in artwork hung up in Church, and even in the candle section of stores at times. Implictaclly, when thinking of Jesus you will think about a white man with his hair parted in the middle. However, Cleveland brings up this was not always in the case.

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

For Luis, school continued this way as colored students were not as privileged or treated as well as whites. Because of this education system and society, whites usually felt superior to their colored

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

Before the westward movement, the concept of race was essentially black and white. Literally. No one thought of what was in between, what was gray. It wasn’t til people began moving towards the west when other races started to add to the equation more adequately. As the packet says, “The diversity of the West put a strain on the simpler varieties of racism.”

Read More
1173 Words | 5 Pages

The color black is associated with death, evil, and mystery. Although some may argue that black isn't a color and that it's a shade, authors like to use it because it can bring out deep emotions. The book says that the streets were filled with black smoke. Yes, they were indeed filled with black smoke but, there is much more meaning than that. The streets were filled with tragedy.

Read More
940 Words | 4 Pages

Colors in life can represent many things feelings, happiness, good, and evil. Hyatt Howe Waggoner’s review of “The Scarlet Letter” in his scholarly journal says that Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the colors of pure, mixed, and drained in “The Scarlet Letter” to contribute as an additional character in “The Scarlet Letter”. Hyatt Howe Waggoner’s review of the colors being used as a character is very correct, the colors of pure symbolize the good during the puritan era, as well as mixed being the good conflicting with bad and drained as the evil during the puritan era. Together using the colors in “The Scarlet Letter” Nathaniel Hawthorne creates an additional character that contributes to the plot of the story greatly. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses pure

Read More
1052 Words | 5 Pages

Rothman broke it down by Black, not entirely black, rusty black and tolerable black to name a few. As for the white race , he described them as bright mulatto very white for a slave, yellow not mulatto , and two thirds white to name a few. It is evident that blacks and whites were not treated equally during this

Read More
752 Words | 4 Pages

In the poem “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes many Literary elements are being used and there is a meaning behind the poem. within the poem. One of the elements is allusion. Hughes uses many allusions throughout the poem such as, Durham, Harlem, New York, Eighth Avenue, Bessie, and Bach. These allusions reference the schools Hughes went to and where he lives.

Read More
1552 Words | 7 Pages

Biography/Context: Langston Hughes (1902-1967) is widely considered as one of the most successful African-American poets of all time. He was also a columnist, playwright, novelist, and social activist for African-American rights. Consequently, Hughes wrote all sorts of literature about 20th century African-Americans living in Harlem--a major black residential within the Manhattan borough of New York City--and soon became an extremely influential figure in the Harlem Renaissance, which was the rebirth movement of African-American culture in the arts during the 1920s. Hughes also had great admiration for music, and was inspired by a variety of genres/musicians such as boogie, Bach, jazz, and blues. His special love for blues music caused

Read More
1089 Words | 5 Pages

Meanwhile, the readers can learn something for each of the poems and apply it to their life. They can also noticed how Langston Hughes’s poems often contains hope and noted the possibility that both white and black people can live together in peace and harmony. And the poems also represent the average person of colors’ life and their struggles and frustrations towards the white community throughout the twentieth century. “Theme for English B” was written in 1949 by Hughes, which showcases the

Read More
761 Words | 4 Pages

Langston Hughes is an African American Poet who is very closely connected to his culture and expresses his feelings very thoroughly through his poetry in a jazz style. Langston Hughes is a modern poet who ignore the classical style of writing poetry and instead, in favor of oral and improve traditions of the Black culture. In majority of Langston’s poetry, many of his audience seems to take away a very strong message that many can apply to themselves or to others or his poems gives you an educational background of what’s going on in the African American community right now. For example, Langston Hughes writes a poetry piece called Afro American Fragment, which gives you a great breakdown of what an everyday African American person goes through considering that their whole history is basically taken away from them. Langston seems to show his audience that in books we never hear much about what contributions a African American person has done except for being brought to America and being a slave.

Read More
858 Words | 4 Pages

In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society. Frist, Hughes utilizes the shift of tones to indicate the thrive of African American power. In the first stanza, the speaker shows the sense of nation pride through the use of patriotic tone. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” states the speaker’s state of mind.

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is held by the people. The definition of democracy is viewed differently or similar based on your perspective. In both poems “Democracy” by Langston Hughes and,”Democracy” by Sara Holbrook, both used strategies to describe their perspective. On how democracy is defined to them, which had the different and similar perspective on democracy 's meaning.

Read More
238 Words | 1 Pages

In his poem “Still Here,” Langston Hughes uses “black English,” or dialect, to make the poem more realistic and help the reader feel like the poet has been through these experiences. This poem is about growing up in tough times. Even though people weren’t nice to him or gave him a hard time, he doesn’t care because what people say about him doesn’t make him who he is. It sounds like Langston Hughes might have grown up in the ghetto because in a lot of his poems he talks about getting respect and pushing through. In the last stanza of the poem, Hughes leaves off the g’s in one line to create dialect.

Read More

More about Analyzing Langston Hughes 'Poem Theme For English B'

Open Document