what is the theme in theme for english b

Themes

• Education. The first major theme of Langston Hughes's "Theme for English B" is education. ...
• Identity. Several different aspects of identity supply key themes of the poem. ...
• Writing. ...

Full Answer

What is theme for English B by Langston Hughes about?

A LitCharts expert can help. “Theme for English B” was published the American poet Langston Hughes in 1951, toward the end of Hughes’s career. The poem is a dramatic monologue written in the voice of a twenty-two-year-old black college student at Columbia University in New York City.

What type of poem is theme for English B?

“Theme for English B” is a dramatic monologue, written in the voice of a 22-year-old black college student. The poem has 41 lines, divided into five stanzas with very different lengths.

What is the setting of theme for English B?

Although it seems to be set in the 1950s, “Theme for English B” seems to reflect this earlier time in Hughes’s life. He was himself a student at Columbia University during the 1920s—an experience Hughes found deeply alienating and uncomfortable.

How many pages is a theme for English B?

One page. In other words, a short paper or essay for a college course. “Theme for English B” is a dramatic monologue, written in the voice of a 22-year-old black college student. The poem has 41 lines, divided into five stanzas with very different lengths.

What is the main Theme of Theme for English B?

Major Themes in “Theme for English B”: Identity, creativity, and racism are major themes of this poem. Right from the beginning, the black speaker struggles to come up to the expectations of his white professor.

Why is it called Theme for English B?

As we know from his mention of Bessie Smith and Bach in line 24, the speaker of this poem likes music. So, perhaps, the speaker is relating his page to themes in literature, and themes in music. After all, the two are similar.

What is the tone of Theme of English B?

At the beginning of "Theme for English B," the speaker uses an uncertain, questioning tone to describe the teacher's assignment to write a page about himself, asking if he can really produce something "true" since he's so different from the other students.

What is the Theme for English B quizlet?

Also, he writes that his assignment will not fully represent him. Willingly or unwillingly, they both influence each other. In this way, all of his doubts, questions, and hesitations become his page for English B. Identity, creativity, and racism are major themes of this poem.

Is there a metaphor in Theme for English B?

The speaker comes to understand in the last lines of 'Theme for English B'that there are different parts of himself that are all important in their own way. The page he writes, a metaphor for the life he is going to live, will be influenced by “you, instructor”.

What are the main themes of Langston Hughes poems?

Langston Hughes' Poems: Major ThemesBlack Pride.Deportation and Cultural Heritage.Social Injustice and Fight for Equality.The American Dream.Racial Discrimination.Struggle and Suffering of Blacks.Dreams of African Americans in Hughes's Poems.The Importance of Music, Particularly Jazz and Blues.More items...•

What is the narrator struggling with in Theme for English B?

''Theme for English B'' by Langston Hughes In the poem, the narrator struggles with what it is like to be African-American in a world where African-Americans were seen as minorities and second-class citizens. Although it is a fictional piece, it could very much be about Hughes' own life.

How does the speaker define himself in Theme for English B?

The speaker of “Theme for English B” self-identifies as a black person, “the only colored student in my class.” For the first half of the poem, the speaker emphasizes the ways in which his ethnicity separates him, physically and figuratively, from his white classmates and professor.

Where is the shift in Theme for English B?

Hughes attitude shifts slightly from the beginning of the poem towards the end. At first, he seems frustrated about how small the colored population is with higher education, but in the end, he becomes open-minded towards both races connecting.

What literary techniques does Hughes use in order to characterize the speaker?

Sometimes, when the speaker's thoughts seem to run together, Hughes uses enjambment. However, when the speaker thinks in short little bursts, Hughes uses end-stopped lines. By using these poetic devices, Hughes makes his readers feel as if they are actually in the speaker's mind as he writes his assignment.

What is the metaphor in from the Dark Tower?

In 'From the Dark Tower,' Cullen uses the metaphor of the night sky and the growth of flowers too sensitive for the sun. What is the theme in 'From the Dark Tower?

When did Hughes write English B Theme?

1951''Theme for English B'' is one of the most famous poems written by Harlem Renaissance era author Langston Hughes in 1951.

Who wrote Theme for English B?

Langston HughesLangston Hughes was a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance, the flowering of black intellectual, literary, and artistic life that took place in the 1920s in a number of American cities, particularly Harlem. A major poet, Hughes also wrote novels, short stories, essays, and plays....

What is English A and English B?

English A is generally referred to as American English ,whereas,English B is all about British English. The basic differences or the point of distinguishing these two different branches of English lies in it's vocabulary.

What is the theme of English B?

Theme for English B by Langston Hughes. ‘Theme for English B’ is one of Langston Hughes’ best-known poems. It delves into themes of identity and race through the depiction of a black man’s writing assignment. Within ‘Theme for English B,’ Hughes creates a young, twenty-two-year-old narrator who speaks about his own experience as a black man in ...

How many lines are there in the theme for English B?

Structure of Theme for English B. ‘Theme for English B’ by Langston Hughes is a thirty-six line poem that is divided into stanzas of varying lengths. The shortest is only one line long and the longest is twenty lines. There is not a single pattern of rhyme that Hughes used to structure the entire poem, although the poem does contain rhyme.

What poetic techniques are used in theme for English B?

Hughes makes use of several poetic techniques in ‘Theme for English B’. These include but are not limited to personification, anaphora, and alliteration. The latter, alliteration, occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together, and begin with the same sound.

How old is the narrator in theme for English B?

Within ‘Theme for English B,’ Hughes creates a young, twenty-two-year-old narrator who speaks about his own experience as a black man in a primarily white community. Despite having been written decades ago, this poem, like many others Hughes wrote, is still applicable to today’s society.

What does the speaker come to understand in the last lines of ‘Theme for English B’?

The page he writes, a metaphor for the life he is going to live, will be influenced by “you, instructor”. This person is white, so it will have their influence as well as that of New York and Harlem.

Does Hughes' poem have rhymes?

There is not a single pattern of rhyme that Hughes used to structure the entire poem, although the poem does contain rhyme. For example, the second stanza rhymes AABB. Other examples include “me,” “free,” and “B” at the end of the poem and “you” and “who” at the end of lines thirteen and fifteen.

What is the theme of English B?

A major theme in "Theme for English B" is Hughes 's race and how it impacts him as a person and writer. That the speaker is the only person of color in his class is significant: it affects how he approaches the assignment. Unlike the other students, the speaker must consider extra dimensions to his identity; for instance, whether being African American determines the things he likes to do. He concludes his race doesn't necessarily affect what he likes, but the words "I guess" suggest he isn't certain. Those two words also suggest his race may impact things as basic as what he wants for a Christmas present or what music he enjoys. He also questions whether his race affects his writing, and if what he writes will be fundamentally different from what his white classmates turn in.

What is the theme of Langston Hughes' poem?

One of the central themes of the poem is the hierarchy central to higher education, particularly at Columbia University, where Langston Hughes was a student. The hierarchy that exists between the speaker and his instructor is three-fold. Not only is there the ordinary power structure between student and teacher, but there is also the hierarchy of old over young and that between white and black people in America.

How does Hughes subvert the hierarchy of education?

However, Hughes subverts this hierarchy within the poem by confronting his instructor with a central truth of education: that it is a two-way flow of information. Even though the instructor is "older—and white— / and somewhat more free" than the speaker, the speaker points out that even as he learns from his instructor, the instructor is also learning from him. If he turns in this poem, his "page for English B," the speaker will be imparting to the instructor some insight into his mind and identity that the instructor wouldn't have otherwise known, thus making the instructor the student, in a sense.

What does the speaker say in line 33?

In line 33 the speaker says "That's American," in reference to how he is part of his instructor and his instructor is part of him. With this statement the speaker is arguing that despite their differences, both he and his instructor share some common identity as Americans.

What is the theme of English B?

Langston Hughes's "Theme for English B" is about a young Black student struggling to write a paper for "English B," a class at a "college on the hill above Harlem.". At first, a reader might mistake it for an autobiographical work simply recounting Hughes's own experiences as a student. However, several details suggest that ...

What is the key image in the poem "The College on the Hill Above Harlem"?

A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." It can be read as a clarion call to speak out, as it exhorts readers to "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works." The poem itself, represented as a product of the college, is a light of education and of Black self-understanding shining forth .

What is the name of the area where the poet takes his room?

The poet evokes the details of the path he takes between the college and his room at the "Harlem Branch Y" in a simple list of streets.