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Theme For English B Literary Devices

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Langston Hughes was an African American poet whose poetry was influential during the Harlem Renaissance. He often wrote about the struggles that were facing African Americans. His poem “Theme for English B” is about a twenty-two year old African American’s response to his white instructor’s writing assignment. He is told to, “Go home and write / a page tonight / And let that page come out of you / Then, it will be true,” (2-6). Since his instructor is white, and the speaker is his only black student, the speaker uses the assignment as an opportunity to write freely about how he feels about the two races. In this poem, Hughes communicates that people with two different experiences can come together because of the same interests and beliefs, much like the instructor and the speaker can, through the use of allusion, tone, and free verse. Throughout the entire poem, the speaker alludes to many places in New York, as well as a few pop-culture references. One thing he is alluding to is the YMCA, or as he calls it, “the Harlem Branch Y,” (14). This is intriguing since the YMCA is a type of …show more content…

Throughout the poem, there is no structure, making the poem more laid back and nonchalant. In addition to not having any meter to the poem, only select portions of the poem rhyme. Most prominently, the instructor’s assignment rhymes perfectly: “Go home and write / a page tonight / And let that page come out of you / Then, it will be true,” (2-6). Similarly to Shakespearian language, the more intelligent and higher ranked person speaks in rhyme. As the poem progresses however, the speaker begins to use end rhyme more often: “I guess you learn from me— / although you’re older—and white— / and somewhat more free / This is my page for English B” (------). His increase in structure contributes to how throughout his assignment, he becomes more confident, and therefore begins to write more like his

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When the poem is talking about the white community, it has a bit more rhythm and the punctuation allows for separation of thoughts and places to breath while reading it. There is no rhyme scheme to this poem, which allows the thoughts to be exactly as the speaker imagined it, and means that they don't have to alter their thoughts to fit into a rhyme

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The author Langston Hughes Wrote Theme for English

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Langston Hughes is one of the most well named writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Mr Hughes wrote for a variety of people from children books to plays but his most famous work are his poems. He moved to Harlem to attend college but he dropped out and began spending all his time in harlem writing and working to support himself. All of his writings reflected the African american culture because he believe it was just as important as the white culture. Some of his most famous pieces of work was “ Let America Be America Again” ,”One Way Ticket” and “Democracy”.

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In Langston Hughes poem “Theme for English B”, the instructor who is white, instructs the only black student in his class to “Go home and write a page tonight, and let that page come out of you, then it will be true” (Lines 1-5). Hughes looks at many aspects of poetry composition from the assignment. Hughes use of personification in this poem, shows human traits to non human things, as in when he was discussing the city. However, Hughes also use visual imagery as well as metaphor. This expands his imaginative and critical abilities as he uses his poem to reflect on racial relations in twentieth-century America.

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Langston Hughes and The Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was a defining moment in American cultural history, when Black writers, musicians, and artists emerged as prominent voices in the artistic and intellectual scene of the 1920s and 1930s. This movement was a response to the widespread racism and discrimination that African Americans faced in the U.S., particularly in the South. One of the most celebrated figures of the Harlem Renaissance was Langston Hughes, whose poetry captured the spirit and struggles of African American life. In this research paper, I will argue that Langston Hughes's poetry about African American identity changed over the course of the Harlem Renaissance from portraying Black pride to exploring the challenges

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The poem explains that the freedom and equality America is supposed to stand for only relates to rich white people. Langston Hughes was an African American writer. He wrote fiction, short stories, and poetry. He was also a key member in Harlem Renaissance and the African American literary movement during the 1920s and 1930s. He often times wrote about the racial injustices he and many other faced daily.

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As stated earlier one of his main themes is “his concern with race, mainly in an urban setting . . .” A good example is Hughes poem “Mother to Son” the poem follows the story of a older African woman, she is recounting the days she has faced and the hardships she has gone through. In the story life is compared to stairs. At the top is a easier life; The lady has a son and she encourages him to not turn back and keep going. Langston Hughes has not had an easy life whatsoever.

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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.

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In addition, Hughes’ writing spoke to more than just other African Americans as he “[used] languages… themes, attitudes and ideas familiar to anyone who [could] read,” (Historical Background). His writing inspired others like him to strive for their “American

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Langston Hughes was known for being one of the most favored, if not the most favored, African-American poet and short story writers of the twentieth century. He was commemorated for being a people’s poet, “his life’s work was about bringing people together socially, politically, and artistically” (Shawn Alexander, 42). Hughes was influential for writing about the everyday struggles, racial injustices, and dreams of the African-American men and women during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. This period in history was a time of vast changes and explorations for African-Americans.

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A acknowledgement of the diversity in the poem “Theme For English B” Langston Hughes stated, “I am the only colored student in my class,” and this shows how there wasn’t equality in any sense of their lives. They had to fight and struggle to have the same chances that white people did. This set them apart and made them different. Beyond the social aspect of people being “forced” to be different the blacks celebrated their differences and didn’t necessarily want to be the same. Black people and white people had to accept that no matter their differences that they would have to collaborate and be a part of each other, “Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me./ Nor do I often want to be a part of you./

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Langston Hughes was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance who evinced the dignity of blacks in America. In the poems “I, Too,” and “Theme for English B,” Hughes describes two different instances of discrimination a black man in America encounters. In each poem, Hughes expounds on the similarities and differences between himself and white individuals in America. Uniquely, Hughes asserts his individualism while also embodying how black people are forced to persevere through racial inequalities in America. Together these two poems signify the ways in which Hughes embraces his blackness in the face of discrimination.

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The most prominent part of Hughes’ writing is his concern with the African American condition and place in America. Langston Hughes utilizes simple wording to “capture the reality of the American language” and to convey his message simply (“Langston Hughes…”). Through this style of writing, he seeks to “explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America” (“Hughes, Langston”). To Hughes, this means capturing all aspects of African Americans’ lives resulting in both joyfulness and sadness in his writing.

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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.

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