Theme for English B analysis

Theme for English B

1 The instructor said,

      Go home and write

      a page tonight.
      And let that page come out of you—
5      Then, it will be true.

I wonder if it’s that simple?

I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem.   
I went to school there, then Durham, then here   
to this college on the hill above Harlem.   
10 I am the only colored student in my class.   
The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,   
through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,   
Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,   
the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator   
15 up to my room, sit down, and write this page:

I It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me   

at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what
feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you.
hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page.   
20( I hear New York, too.) Me—who?

Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.    

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.   
2 I I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach.
25 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?   
Being me, it will not be white.
But it will be
30 a part of you, instructor.
You are white—
yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.
That’s American.
Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me.   
35 Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that’s true!
As I learn from you,
 I guess you learn from me—
although you’re older—and white—
40 and somewhat more free.

This is my page for English B.

Introduction
Langston Hughes, a black American, was a pivotal figure during the Harlem Renaissance. With
his literary skills in creating poems and novels combined with his racial pride, Hughes created
various literary works that helped develop the crucial issue of racism throughout the time. In one
of Hughes’ works, “Theme for English B”, he depicts the perspective of a black individual
struggling on seeking his true identity in America. The poem starts out with a white instructor
giving out a task where the black speaker must write a page that is true to himself, seen in lines
2-5. However, the speaker contemplates himself to thinking how the assignment isn’t as simple
as thought seen in the rhetorical question in line 6. In the next following lines, the speaker mulls
over his feelings and explores his character and heritage, throughout lines 7-26. In the rest of the
lines, the speaker confidently discusses a major difference between him and his white instructor,
where the speaker feels that the white community including his instructor is “somewhat more
free” in America. Therefore the context of the poem suggests 2 guiding questions that I will be
answering which are... How does Hughes present a perspective of race and for what purpose?
And How does Hughes portray an issue of identity crisis for the black speaker? With a thesis
statement stating... In “Theme for English B”, Hughes uses rhetorical questions, repetition, tone,
and symbol to depict and express the perspective of how the black community continuously
struggles in seeking their true identities during that time in America.  

Analysis
Starting off, Hughes uses rhetorical questions throughout the poem to put emphasis on the
speaker’s genuine curiosity about his lost identity which caused the given assignment to be not
as simple for the speaker. This is first seen after the instructor introduces the assignment in lines
1 to 5 when Hughes followed it with a rhetorical question, I wonder if it’s that simple? The
question highlights the difficult nature of the assignment where the speaker ponders the ease of
what he is asked to do. The second question is seen in line 20, stating, me – who? Here, the
speaker’s confusion on who he really is is clearly highlighted by the rhetorical question. The last
question is seen in line 27, stating, So will my page be colored that I write? Here, the speaker
expresses his curiosity about whether his heritage and identity, which is being black, has caused
the assignment to be difficult. Thus, the speaker’s curiosity about his lost identity of being a
black individual highlighted by the rhetorical questions unveils why he figures the assignment to
be difficult. With the use of rhetorical questions, Hughes portrays the perspective of a black
individual during that time to be consistently curious about his identity where even simply
writing a page about themselves may be difficult. 

Following the use of rhetorical questions, Hughes uses the repetition of “I” to exhibit the black
speaker’s identity crisis throughout the poem, especially in lines 21-25. Beginning with the word
“well” in line 25 and following it with the speaker stating his hobbies and likings, with the
repetition of “I”, Hughes indicates that the speaker is still trying to search for who he truly is.
The use of repetition of the word “I” distinctly shows how the speaker is consistently thinking
about himself, and in this case, trying to recognize and think about his likings and hobbies in
order to ultimately rediscover himself to solve the identity crisis he has. Hughes clearly
displayed the continuing identity crisis the black speaker has with the use of the repetition of “I”
where he is consistently thinking about himself.
In terms of the tone of the poem, Hughes firstly uses a questioning and reflective tone throughout
the first 27 lines. As the poem progresses, the tone gradually shifts to being more assertive. In the
first 27 lines, the questioning tone is seen to allude to, as mentioned before, the confusion and
curiosity in trying to accomplish the assignment. The reflective tone additionally reveals the
speaker’s continuous identity crisis of being a black man which causes the assignment to be
difficult to work on. However, a key shift in the tone arises in line 28 where the tone is now more
assertive and certain. For example, “So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will
not be white. But it will be a part of you, instructor.” After the rhetorical question in line 27, the
speaker abruptly answered the question himself like he was certain it was the answer. Following
that, throughout the rest of the lines, the speaker continued on confidently expressing his opinion
on what he thinks is right towards his instructor, such as “You are white—yet a part of me, as I
am a part of you. That’s American. Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me. Nor do
I often want to be a part of you. But we are, that’s true!” With the additional use of an
exclamation mark in line 36, further shows how the tone has completely changed into confidence
and certainty. The use of the assertive tone nearing the end of the poem highlights how the black
speaker feels unfairness between him and his white instructor, which also refers to the difference
between the black and white community. The confident tone further displays the perspective of
the speaker and the whole black community where during the time, in the Harlem Renaissance,
more and more black individuals are starting to feel more assertive in their heritage. Hughes
presented the shift of the assertive tone near the end to show the confidence and willingness of
the black community hoping to fight for a change during the Harlem Renaissance. Conclusively,
with the use of the shift to an assertive tone in the poem, Hughes is trying to inspire more black
individuals to be more confident in their race, as during the time, a revolution for the black
community is occurring.

Lastly, Hughes uses symbols seen on the title and ending of the poem itself, which is “English
B”. The word “English” indicates America where English is the dominant language of the
country. The word “B” signifies a secondary level or inferior-like compared to the alphabet “A”.
This symbol implies the perspective of black Americans where they had a major history of being
inferior and the “secondary level” towards the white citizens in America. Hughes used the word
combination of “English B” to disclose the black community’s position and perspective during
that time.

Conclusion
To conclude, Hughes is seen as a leader throughout the Harlem Renaissance. This is recognized
through the numerous works he created with the aim of spreading awareness of the issue of
racism and inequality among the black community so that more black individuals are inspired to
stand up for themselves. Such as the poem “Theme for English B” and other influential poems
like “I, too” or “Night funeral in Harlem” Hughes created, it is intended to embolden the black
community to react to the movement of the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes’ works are momentous
in the black community in America where it expresses the struggles and perspectives of the black
community during the time. Therefore, in “Theme for English B”, Hughes uses rhetorical
questions, repetition, tone, and symbol to depict and express the perspective of how the black
community continuously struggles in seeking their true identities during that time in America.