Langston Hughes - Theme for English B

Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B,” is based on an assignment given to him by his english instructor at his college. He only has to write a page of whatever he wants and whatever he writes his true. Hughes takes it to a new level of intimacy by letting us get a glimpse of how he perceives life or what he believes to be true about life.

He starts by talking about how he grew up in North Carolina and now he attends a prestigious school in New York. He talks about how he is the only colored student in his class. It’s kind of interesting the way he describes it. He describes his daily walk to and from Harlem on his way to Columbia everyday for class. I think when he talks about the different streets he crosses everyday to go to school, they streets almost become borders. These borders separate Harlem from the prestigious Columbia University.

He goes on to say he’s what he feels, sees, and hears. He identifies himself with Harlem, where he lives. He says that he and his English instructor are connected because he hears him and vice versa. He goes on to describe what he appreciates in life. He then gets to a hot topic of that time which was race. He describes everyday things he enjoys and goes on to say that he likes everything a white person would like too, even though he is colored. The poem has been building up to this racial distinction. He is finally able to come out and say that he likes the same thing white people do.

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