Theme for English B

1. Theme for English B By “Langston Hughes”

2. Type of poem • This is a free verse, stream of consciousness convo • There is no set form, meter or rhyme scheme in this poem. • Through out the poem there's hints that its written in stream of consciousness • Stream of consciousness means writing down the first thing that comes to mind, and just rolling with it • Example : in line 6 he asks a question “ I wonder if its that simple” which seems like its coming straight from the readers head.

3. setting • This poem is specially set in Harlem which is in new York city, that doesn't necessarily mean it was meant to stay there • Instead the setting expands to several different places reminding us of issues people and him had to deal with all around America an perhaps even he world • It was published in 1949 which adds to the setting , we know how it was during that time espiaclly for African Americans

4. Summary • It starts out with a writing assignment , the instructor pretty much says “go home and write a page and let that page come out of you” • What follows is the speakers take on the assignment he starts by questioning the simplicty of the assignment • Then we learn a little of the speakers life like that his race , age , place • of birth • Then throughout the poem the he just talks about himself on things he likes and does and it goes to show that he likes same things as folks from other races • He concludes by saying that the professor is “somewhat more free”

5. Imagery and word play • Through out the poem there is a lot of black and white imagery • In line 7 he uses the word colored, it might seem like just a simple word but during the time this poem was published “colored” was a much more prominent way of describing someone • In line 10 he uses the word colored again instead of black and that paints a vivid of what one black student looks like in a room of white students. • In line 27 there's some world play , he asks if the page that he writes will be colored, he's asking if the page will be different because a black person wrote it, but also saying the idea that the page is a white and once he writes on it with black ink and it will no longer be white

6. Theme • the theme primarily deals with the difference between white and black people and that it shouldn’t be an issue , that white and black people are the same • As the speaker goes on his assignment he speaks the “truth” or at least tries to • Deeper in the poem once he talks about how him and the instructor are in common • Whether the instructor likes it or not at the end of the day there both the same “American”

7. Overall meaning • Overall we believe the writer was trying to say that two people may learn from each other no matter what ethnicity • in the last stanza he shows it • “As I learn from you • I guess you learn from me • although you're older – and white – • and somewhat more free “ • There goes to show that even though the instructor is white and the student is black that there no difference and they can both learn from each other

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