The instructor said,
Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you–
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.
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
up to my room, sit down, and write this page:
It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I’m what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you:
hear you, hear me–we two–you, me, talk on this page.
(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.
I like a pipe for a Christmas present,
or records–Bessie, bop, or Bach.
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
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.
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–
and somewhat more free.
This is my page for English B.
When normal white people saw a colored boy in their classroom, they must have thought the poet was an alien, another species. But on the contrary, Hughes is just as human as them. He goes through same emotional stages and has goals for his life. He just wants everyone to acknowledge the fact that he is a human, a fellow American.
In this poem, Hughes approaches the topic of a young man trying to figure out his place in society as the only African American student in his college class. The narrator has a history, a home, an assignment, hobbies, and things he likes just like any other “normal” white citizen. He decides that what he is is what he sees and feels, and the color of his skin should not play a large role. In the end, it does; there will always be differences between the Caucasian and African American citizens in America because of prejudicial issues stemming from slavery and persisting racial bias. Despite this, the narrator acknowledges that they are a part of each other and America is only America with all the different people in the cultural melting pot.
In this poem, the narrator seems to question himself as an African American male. He acknowledges that he likes the same basic things many individuals enjoy by listing things he likes. Also, he recognizes differences in race, but overall everyone shares the same qualities that makes them Americans.
Hughes in this poem shows a lot about the life of a young colored man. He has deal with the racism and issues of society yet he is still a person just like a what man. He likes the same things a white man would like but he knows that no matter what there are differences that cannot change between races.
The poem seems to be about how Hughes feels being African American in a country made up of more whites than blacks. He points out that both whites and blacks are American, and that differences makes up America as a country. He says that he has the same likes as other races do but continues to return to thinking that he will always be seen as different.
am johannesburg universuty student, am currently writing assignment of this poem and I love this poem. the speaker reveal more about his identity. he discribe his race throuhg by mentioning the word”colored” in line two of first stanza, place in form/term of time and writing. hope enjoy the little that I have discussed.
this is an awsome poem here it is so touching and inspiring
The “theme for English B” diagnoses the internal relationship between the poet and the land of his society (America). The double conciseness that affiliated with the poet’s psychological point of view (piece of mind) gives poem readers (African Americans) a connection between their roots (Africa) and their country (America). The influence of these two elements (race and class) on the poet’s pedagogy drives his thoughts toward a positive critical thinking. The poet prescribes that psychological manner, which consists of diversity, ethnicity, and race in this country.
the literary techniques: plot, character, setting, tone, point of view, symbols, and themes. i love this poem. its very powerful, and it speaks to everyone in the world–not just americans. the round protagonist in this poem is conveyed as the voice of reason- but it is not himself Hughes is conveying, its his race. the way the teacher talks is in a rhyme scheme, which seems to bring the seed that the teacher planted into his head about being poetic and abstract. this poem shows that the white man has more freedoms than himself, but in america, it is more than just black and white. he has the chance to explain to his white professor about his african american background. although, when you have less rights than the person you are trying to explain to, it makes the explanation more difficult.
the protagonist seems to question why specific races think they are superior-he says they all make up america. and even more than that, they all make up our world.
his “assignment” shows the angle at which he is trying to explain. he needed a solution to the problem that his being conveyed. his outcome leads to a revelation of truth…everyone is the same. that all people have a symbiotic relationship-all rely and gain from each other… and this relationship is inevitable.
the climax of this comes when the protagonist opens the readers eyes to views of racism, social status,and political equality in america.
i found three themes:
1. people are more alike than different.
2. ethnicity doesnt alter interests
3. race doesnt define who you are.
hope this helps.
This is a wonderful poem, as Langston Hughes is a wonderful poet. I have read many of the reviews and see that many people feel as though the speaker in this poem is being segregated against in his life. I do not see that to be the case. I believe the speaker in this poem (btw, the speaker is not Hughes, as Hughes was a middle aged man when he wrote this poem) is segregating himself from a white society. I just wrote a 5 page paper arguing this idea. Many things the speaker says in the poem show that the instructor and other students are not the ones making a big deal about the fact that he is colored, but it is him who consistently is stating that he is colored and does not wish to be a part of the white society.
powerful poem
I am a Moroccan student and i happened to study this poem in my modern poetry class . Langston hughes ‘ s poem reasons the issue of racial segregation. There are more reasons than feelings and also a lot of implicit arguments. This poem is factual and there is an argument that builds up little by little that there is no ground for racial discrimination.”part of u, instructor” here the speaker means that they share the same culture and that they are equal. In this poem, there is a symbiotic relationship, as the pupil relies on his instructor and vice versa.
I agree with most all the comments posted about this poem and Hughes. I like the poem a lot and I found Hughes expressed about the commonalities we all share.
But what I haven’t read is this:
This poem is not an autobigrphical. The young speaker is a character invented by Hughes when he a middle-aged man/author. Just FYI, because this was not a true assignment for him at the time he wrote this poem, but I do believe it reflects back to many events/assignments he had when he was in his early twenties.
I respect this poem, and the man.
-K.
This poem talks about the racism in America. The world need to know that racism still exist in this country. Regardless of advances at this particular time,still racism is the diet of this country. Why did people such as Stokley Carmmichael,ect., left this country to go to another country? Because of the propaganda that this country established since 1555. When you expose the hand, you are considered a threat to Natoinal Security. Remember, in Washington, D.C. they call the Oval Office the White House.
i am a Chinese student and happened to learn this poem in our literature class.i like Hughes’s way of picturing what was happening to him in his daily life.may be he’s being taught that he’s just the same as others yet the reality told him things were not for being black. i think it’s not about the racialism. he just wanted to express his confusion and asked for more equality from people around him. He had made the point very clearly that whatever we accept or not, we are part of each other.
I am in a deep pit of dispair over this poem. I have to analyze it and write a 4 page essay on the central idea of this poem and am having way too hard of a time doing it. It seems pointless to me to write 1000 words on something that can be summed up in 100. It’s an alright poem, but then again I never really liked poetry in t he first place, I’d rather listen to a song, it’s more entertaining.
I like this poem very much.
An earlier comment was that the teacher in Hughes’ “Theme” was “robotic.” I’m not so sure I agree. For example, the speaker of the poem doesn’t say that this professor merely espoused “truths” that he/she expected his/her students to quietly accept, status quo “truths” at that, but that he/she confirmed that whatever the students’ wrote that night would be accepted as “true.” What’s more, the “truths” that they found were not to be empirical in nature, but come from their hearts. Therefore, the instructor is essentially saying that whatever they felt was as “true” as fact, and the fact that the instructor gives them this assignment at all tells me he/she is willing to accept such a notion. True, the professor is used to white truths; the speaker is the only black person in the class. I think, however, the speaker takes advantage of the freedom of the assignment to assert his freedom with what I have always felt is such pride and dignity. I think he is hoping, and for good reason, that the professor will be open to accepting the truths that he sets down on the page in order to fulfill the assignment. Personally, I have always felt too that the professor was thrilled to have received “Theme.” Given the premise for the poem, I think the instructor would be thrilled that this speaker/student hit the “voice” nail right on the head.
I actually live in Bermuda.
Hughes does precisely as instructed. He writes from his heart whatever comes to his mind. It’s almost like brainstorming except that he provides a journey, leading the reader to his exact location physically, mentally and perhaps emotionally. Through this process, he introduces himself.
What appeals to me are the comparisons. He identifies himself with others outside his race when he says he likes the same things. It’s almost as though he questions why others see themselves as different or superior. His reference to his teacher possibly learning from him suggests equality in the sense that everyone has something to contribute that’s worthy of recognition or consideration.
While I think rhyme would have raised the appeal of the poem, I appreciate the candor. There’s evidence that Langston started his homework immediately. This fact suggests that the assignment not only motivated him to write, but it caused him to think. The outcome is a path of reflection and perceptions, which leads to a revelation of truth — that everyone is the same.
people keep saying that this poem is not about racism and that it is about equality, but the argument of racism is in fact that races are not equal. so hughes is talking about equality although he doesnt like equality as in being an equal and identical person to a white, he wants equality in being seen as a person and getting the same rights and recognitions for his work. hughes embraces being a black poet and emphasizes pride, and that his pride should be recognized.