Comparing 'Quincea単era And The Theme For English B'

In the poem “Quinceañera” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the poet explains the transformation from girlhood to womanhood from the perspective of a fifteen year old girl. In the poem “The Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, the speaker talks about the African American struggle of forming an African American identity. Both poems illustrate a quest for identity because in the poem “Quinceañera” the speaker does not feel ready to become a woman and in “The Theme for English B” the speaker feels confused since society views him as being different due to the fact that he is an African American. Quinceañera means sweet fifteen in Spanish and on that special day a girl transforms from a child into a young woman. The first three lines of the poem give

The guidelines state “Go home and write/ a page tonight. / And let that page come out of you-/ Then, it will be true” (l 2-5). The speaker of the poem is a twenty-two year old, African American who was born in Harlem-Salem (l 7). Further-more, he is the only colored person in his class (l 10). He expresses himself just as the instructor tells him to do so for the assignment but is afraid of how the instructor and others will judge him. He explains that an African American man likes and does the same things as a white man, for instance when he says “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life” (l 21-22). Society doesn’t view the truth that African Americans are the same as everyone else. The speaker states “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races” (L 25-26). He explains how he feels about other races in society viewing him as being different just because he is African American (l 34-36). The speaker is simply asking for an understanding and wishes to be accepted not as a black man but as an

They give their point of view of a particular stage of life and both show us that they have a bit of fear regarding how the world views them. The speakers of both poems express themselves and give us a clearer understanding about their truth. In “Quinceañera” the speaker is getting older and growing up. This can be one of the hardest times in a girl’s life, but society views it as a rite of passage all must experience. This is the age of confusion in a girl’s life. The speaker knows that she must go through these changes but she does not feel ready. The speaker in “The Theme for English B” simply wants society to understand him. What he is going through is very hard for him. In society, blacks face injustices by whites, therefore, it is very hard for him to express himself. Both speakers feel puzzled and are having trouble trying to find their own