Themes for English B by Langston Hughes
POEM SUMMARY
In “Theme for English B,” a young Black student at Columbia University responds to a writing assignment from his white professor: “Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you—Then, it will be true.” The speaker reflects on his identity, his experience as a Black man, and the complexity of truth in a racially divided America.
The poem blends personal details—his age, where he lives, what he likes—with reflections on race, power, and authenticity. Though he and his instructor are “you” and “me,” they are also connected: “You are white—yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.” The speaker ends by questioning what truth means when it must be written for someone who may not understand it—and whose position of authority complicates the idea of equality.
LITERARY ANALYSIS
Form and Voice
• Free Verse and Conversational Tone: The poem uses an informal, conversational style and lacks regular rhyme or meter. This mirrors the authenticity and spontaneity the assignment requests— and also reflects the speaker’s internal dialogue as he tries to define his own “truth.”
• Dramatic Monologue: The poem functions as a monologue directed both at the professor and at the reader, creating a dialogue across racial and generational divides. The speaker’s voice is introspective, sincere, and questioning.
Themes
• Identity and Intersectionality: Hughes explores the speaker’s racial, cultural, and educational identity, all of which interact in complex ways. Being the only Black student in a white classroom, he must navigate expectations that don’t reflect his experience.
• Truth and Subjectivity: The poem questions whether truth is personal, universal, or shaped by power. The idea that “truth” can be written by simply expressing oneself is complicated by racial difference and social inequality.
• Race and Shared Humanity: Despite pointing out racial disparities, the speaker also emphasizes commonality: “I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love…” This insistence on shared human desires challenges stereotypes and underscores Black individuality within a common American experience.
• Education and Power: The teacher-student dynamic echoes the broader power imbalance between white institutions and Black individuals. The poem critiques how this imbalance affects both communication and self-expression.
Tone and Style
• Reflective and Honest: The speaker shares his thoughts with honesty and vulnerability, but also with quiet confidence. The tone is not accusatory, but probing and sincere—inviting the listener to think critically.
• Layered Irony: While the assignment asks for something “true,” the poem reveals that truth is not easily accessible when cultural and racial divides distort perception and understanding.
Key Excerpts
• “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who
are other races.”—Challenges the notion of racial essentialism; emphasizes common humanity.
• “You are white—yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.”—A powerful assertion of interconnectedness, even in an unequal society.
• “This is my page for English B.”—A quiet but confident assertion of voice and identity; the final product of both introspection and resistance.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. How does the speaker’s identity influence the way he approaches the writing assignment?
2. In what ways does Hughes suggest that truth is shaped by race and power?
3. How does the poem blur the line between personal experience and political commentary?
4. What does the speaker mean when he says he is both “different from” and “a part of” the white instructor?
5. How does the poem reflect Hughes’s larger role in the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement?
FINAL NOTE
“Theme for English B” is more than a response to a classroom prompt— it is a meditation on identity, language, and belonging in a divided society. Through its deceptively simple structure, Hughes invites readers to confront the uneasy intersections of race, truth, and power, offering a voice that is both individual and representative, personal and political.