Theme For English B And The Weary Blues By Zora Neale Hurst

After taking American Literature II, my understanding of minority voices improved significantly regarding African American authors. Before taking this course, I took a class in high school called Multicultural Literature. It was a great class and I learned much about different minority groups. However, I felt the main focus was on Asian Americans and the LGBTQ+ community, and the African American culture was glanced over. Multicultural Literature made me more aware of how minorities are treated, and American Literature II strengthened my previous understanding. The pieces discussed throughout American Literature II that expanded my empathy toward African American authors include “Theme for English B” and “The Weary Blues” by Langston Hughes

Furthermore, it is difficult for people of different races to accept each other. This poem accurately reflects the canon at the time since segregation was still present, and white people tended to be hostile toward African American individuals. In comparison to the present life, some aspects remain true. For instance, public area schools are populated with a majority of white students, and the cliques that develop within the schools are commonly divided by different racial groups. This reflects the theme of the poem where multiple races can share interests and coexist, but there will always be a predisposition involving the need to associate with people sharing a similar

Hurston does not let the unfortunate past of slavery slow her down. She describes, “Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves. It fails to register depression with me. Slavery is sixty years in the past… I am off to a flying start and I must not halt in the stretch to look behind and weep” (Hurston 558). Hurston was an independent and confident woman with a strong sense of identity. She learned to accept her past and embrace her future. Furthermore, Hurston mentioned how white people do not experience things the same way African American individuals do. For example, when Hurston attended a nightclub with her white friend, she discussed how the music impacted her and how she could feel all the colors and emotions associated with the song. On the other hand, her white friend simply confined Hurston’s experience to ‘good music.’ Hurston explains, “Music. The great blobs of purple and red emotion have not touched him. He has only heard what I felt” (559). I feel that this analogy can be related to the idea that white people can never truly understand how it feels to be African American. Although white people can empathize with African American individuals, they will never be able to experience life the same