Langston Hughes English B

Langston Hughes was a Black poet who wrote poems during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. One of his poems, “Theme for English B”, was written to compare a young, black man to his older, white teacher and peers during the 1930s. In this poem, Hughes uses punctuation, words, and phrases to help the reader understand how the narrator struggled with his identity during segregation in America. In comparison, I wrote my poem, “Theme for English 102”, to analyze my identity in America today. In the poem, Hughes and I use punctuation to emphasize the certainties and uncertainties we face in our lives. The author adds a question mark in the first stanza to show how the narrator feels uncertain about being the only black student in class during

A few words he uses to describe where he is from are, “Durham”, “Harlem”, and “New York”. The words that I used to tell where I am from are “Sampit” and “Georgetown”. Both Hughes and I use locations in our poems to emphasize the importance of community and what impact it has had on our identities. The narrator focused on his locations to show how he has moved from Durham, a southern, white community, to Harlem, a northern, diverse community, because of his race. I put my locations in my poem to show how we have overcome the segregation and racism that was once in America, especially in the South. I have lived in Sampit my whole life, and the traditions that we have, such as Christmas parades and food events like Taste of Sampit, have formed my character and what others in my community view me as. I also mention Georgetown, because although this is the city where I live, it is not where my home is. I only go to school there, just like the narrator. He lives in Harlem and goes to school in the city of New York. Using locations in our poems emphasizes how where we lived has shaped our

Hughes also mentions some things that he likes for a Christmas present. Hughes says, “I like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records-Bessie, bop, or Bach” (Hughes 24-25). Hughes wrote these items to show that the narrator likes everyday items just like any other person would. In my poem, I wrote, “I like Nike shoes for a Christmas present, or clothes- graphic tees, crewnecks, or jeans”. The narrator and I both like everyday items that make us no different from our peers. Hughes and I used the word “guess” in lines 25 and 39 to show our uncertainty. In line 25, Hughes expresses his uncertainty about being black compared to his white classmates and professor. I express my uncertainty about being younger and being seen as naïve. In line 39, Hughes and I are hesitant, because even though we are learning from his professors, we are unsure if our professor is willing to learn from us as well. Hughes uses the word “wonder” in line 6, while I use the word “know”. Hughes uses “wonder” to show his skepticism about his character. In contrast, I use “know” to show that I am confident in my identity. Towards the end of stanza three, the narrator says, “That’s American” (Hughes 33) to show that although there were differences due to race, there were still factors that made everyone American. In my poem, I said “That’s Human” to similarly explain that even though everyone has