Theme of English B
The two authors, Langston Hughes and Sterling Brown, both have earned the right to be included in the same category as white poets. They were both very important members of the Harlem movements. This movement is defined as a style that compares the similarities of the two different races, back and white. Both poets are considered dominant black poets and their works consist of day-to-day life of a typical African American man. These two poets discuss in very different ways the differences between white men and black men of their time.
In “Theme for English B”, the writer (Langston Hughes) is assigned to write a page about himself. The instructor wanted him to do this because he thought whatever the student chose to write about would be the true self of that student. Hughes writes ‘Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn and understand life. I’d like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records- Bessie, bop, or Bach.’ (Hughes, 2036). This list consist of normal everyday things that people appreciate in life no matter what race or culture they are from. By listing these things he is trying to show the instructor that he is not much different than any white man who would be writing this paper but also he is pointing out that there are some recognizable small differences between the white student and black student. The first stanza discusses his routine for that day which includes going to college, walking through the streets of Harlem, and finally arriving at the Harlem Y, where he lives, to write this page. In this poem he starts out subtle and eventually eases into the comparison of the black man verses the white man. Hughes strategy to get his message across to his instructor is to first allow the instructor to learn a little bit about him. This helps the instructor to put a face with to work so that he will be able to see where Hughes is coming from and be more intrigued by the story of his life. This is a good description
In “Theme for English B”, the writer (Langston Hughes) is assigned to write a page about himself. The instructor wanted him to do this because he thought whatever the student chose to write about would be the true self of that student. Hughes writes ‘Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn and understand life. I’d like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records- Bessie, bop, or Bach.’ (Hughes, 2036). This list consist of normal everyday things that people appreciate in life no matter what race or culture they are from. By listing these things he is trying to show the instructor that he is not much different than any white man who would be writing this paper but also he is pointing out that there are some recognizable small differences between the white student and black student. The first stanza discusses his routine for that day which includes going to college, walking through the streets of Harlem, and finally arriving at the Harlem Y, where he lives, to write this page. In this poem he starts out subtle and eventually eases into the comparison of the black man verses the white man. Hughes strategy to get his message across to his instructor is to first allow the instructor to learn a little bit about him. This helps the instructor to put a face with to work so that he will be able to see where Hughes is coming from and be more intrigued by the story of his life. This is a good description
Cited: Brown, Sterling. "Mister Samuel and Sam". The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. D. . Nina Baym. 7th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. 2021-2022. Hughes, Langston. "Theme for English B". The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. D. . Nina Baym. 7th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. 2036.