Analysis of Theme For English B Essay

Theme For English B (1951)

The poem, Theme For English B, written by Langston Hughes is greatly unique. The way that Langston Hughes expresses himself through writing is like nothing I have seen before. His style of writing is very smooth and precise but sometimes written in metaphoric slang. The main ideas that I will focus on when composing the explication of this poem are, the true meaning of this poem, the authors personal attachment to this particular poem, and also the imagery and word use of the author.

In the poem Theme For English B, by Langston Hughes, Hughes talks about the African American struggle for equality. The struggle for equality for blacks was a common subject for Hughes in his writing. The poem starts off with an instructor giving his students a paper to write, the instructor says to the student, "let that page come out of you/Then, it will be true" (Langston Hughes). The poem is continued as the paper that Hughes is writing. In the paper, he explains everything in his heart, just as his instructor had told him to. His paper illustrates exactly how an African-American man feels, acts and what he does in everyday life. The point that Hughes tries to get across to his teacher is clear, that he, the black man, likes and does the same things as the white man. The difference being, how the world views the two races. Hughes wonders if his paper will be graded differently because he is black. In the poem he depicts this by stating, "I guess being colored doesn't make me NOT/like/the same things other folks like who are/other races/So will my page be colored that I write?" (Hughes)

The author has a very strong attachment to the poem; its about his own life and struggles involved in it. Back when this poem was written, it was very difficult to be a black man in what was then known as a white mans world. In the poem, Hughes describes how he was treated unequal to white Americans. Hughes was not asking for sympathy, or for an apology, just understanding. He knows that even that will be difficult, considering that he and his professor come from two completely different worlds. He explains that a black man will always have an impact on a white man's life, and vice versa; he explains this by stating, You are white/yet a part of me, as I am part of you/Thats American. But Hughes knows that the white man wants no part of the black man's life. Hughes' only wish is to be accepted-not as a black man, but as an American.

Langston Hughes paints a perfect picture with his word use and imagery when he writes. His audience for this particular poem does not include a certain group of individuals. The poem was meant to reach out to everyone and to help inform them as to what kind of up-hill battle that Hughes and every other African American from this time had to fight through. Langston Hughes did not have an angry tone when writing this poem, it was more of an enlightening tone as to help open the eyes of the reader to this subject. Although Hughes uses an abundance of slang in his writing, it helps show his roots and how he was raised. In order to fully understand what Langston Hughes conveys in his poem Theme for English B one must understand who the author is and where he is coming from historically. In the poem he states that he lives in Harlem in a time and place that was extremely hard for African-Americans to feel equal to the white Americans. Reading on-line, I found that Hughes was actually forty-seven when he wrote this poem. So, I am guessing that he wrote this poem to reflect on his youth and the struggle of him being African-American. In my words, Langston Hughes is one of the great writers of our time based on his uniquely smooth writing style and his exceptional word use.

The poem Theme For English B, written by Langston Hughes is one of his best pieces of art in the form of poetry. I believe that this poem has changed a number of individuals views on the subject of racial profiling. Hughes spoke directly to the audience, trying to explain that the color of your skin does not change who you are as a person. This was one of the reasons why Langston Hughes was such an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance, speaking nothing but the truth to the people. This particular poem is one of great importance on account of his message to the readers; which is to not judge a person based on any physical attributes.