Theme for English B Langston Hughes, 1951 (Long ago, writing assignments were called themes.)

Overview Speaker: 22-year-old black student English assignment: Write a page, and “let that page come out of you – / Then, it will be true” (4-5) Skepticism: Will an old, white professor accept a young, black man’s truth as the truth?

Themes Truth - Whose truth counts? Whose doesn’t? - Link to “Ballad of the Landlord” - H. Renaissance = validation of black truth Identity - Who am I? Do I belong? Integration - White and black = America

Free verse An open form of poetry that follows the form of natural speech Does not follow a rigid and consistent pattern or rhyme scheme (unrestrained by traditional boundaries) Gives the poet total control over the development of the poem Allows for poetic license

Free verse: Poetic license Poetic license = the poet’s freedom to experiment with writing: - omitting parts of a word - altering word order in a line - ignoring grammar rules The result is a more spontaneous and individualized product (like jazz music!)

Section 1: Lines 1-5 The instructor’s assignment Introduction to theme of truth A black man following a white man’s orders (power structure)

Section 2: Lines 6-15 Basic biographical facts Abundance of locations - Winston-Salem, North Carolina (South) - Durham, North Caroline (South) - college on the hill (The City College of New York) (North) - Harlem (North)

Section 2: Lines 6-15 Abundance of locations - Harlem (North) - a park - St. Nicholas Ave - Eighth Ave - Seventh Ave - Harlem YMCA

Section 2: Lines 6-15 Abundance of locations - Harlem YMCA = community center and youth hostel - elevator - room

Section 2: Lines 6-15 Geography motif Motif = a recurring element that adds symbolic significance to a story or poem (Rain is a popular motif in many films.) Geography + movement = change Change  progress Suggestive of the Great Migration Is the speaker a New Negro?

Section 2: Lines 6-15 Commitment to education - “I am the only colored student in my class” (10) - “ . . . and write this page:” (15)

Section 2: Lines 6-15 End-stopped line vs. enjambment End-stopped = a line that has end punctuation, providing a neat and complete “package” of ideas Enjambment = a line that does not have end punctuation, forcing an idea to “run over” into the next line  delays closure, increases anticipation

Section 3: Lines 16-27 opposites 1st-person I + 3rd-person you - “I” makes the reader feel like the speaker - “you” makes the reader feel like the instructor Likeness (vs. divergence) - “you and me” (16) - student and instructor - black and white - speaker and audience opposites

Section 3: Lines 16-27 Stream of Consciousness = open, unrestricted writing that captures all the thoughts and feelings passing through a person’s mind. Characterized by: - abrupt starts and stops - leaps from one idea to another - lines that don’t make sense to the reader

Section 3: Lines 16-27 Hypophora Universal qualities - eat, sleep, drink, be in love - work, read, learn, understand life - Christmas, pipe, records Assertion of likeness = assertion of identity - I am American like you.

Section 3: Lines 16-27 Double entendre = a word or phrase that can be interpreted in two ways - “colored” (27) = black skin or black ink - “white” (28) = white skin or blank paper - Clearly, the speaker is clever and very aware of his lowly place in society –– and he’s willing to confront it

Section 4: Lines 28-41 Conjunctions that show contrast or change - But, yet, Nor, although Integration Mutual rejection of the other Assertion of truth

Section 4: Lines 28-41 Volta = the turn; a sudden, dramatic change in thought or emotion - Impact on audience? Link between whiteness and freedom - Impact on tone?

Section 4: Lines 28-41 Understatement = an expression of lesser strength than is expected; used to emphasize an idea or highlight irony - “somewhat more free” (40) - “This is my page for English B.” (41) This is far more than just an assignment.

Tone Doubtful = feeling uncertain or skeptical about something Provocative = deliberately causing anger or another strong emotion; inflaming Sarcastic = using irony to show bitterness or contempt Scornful = expressing contempt for someone or something that is considered unworthy