Context of the poem

The poem “Theme for English B” written by Langston Hughes portrays a day in the life of a young African-American man in the midst of racial tension. The setting of this poem is located in the city of Harlem and two specific places are mentioned. The first place mentioned is the college that the narrator attends. The college described in the poem is the City College of New York, which Hughes did not personally attend (Rampersand 42). The second place mentioned is the Harlem Branch YMCA which is also called the Y. The area in which the speaker lives is perceived to be the poorer side of Harlem and sets the tone of the poem. The narrator represents a class of African-American people that have been oppressed for being the minority and for being different.

We are all influenced by the culture in which we grow up and learn. The speaker in “Theme for English B” carries with him the history of Winston-Salem, Durham, and the Harlem Branch Y. He’s been an underdog of sorts, but now he attends a college “on the hill above Harlem” (10), removed from his childhood and all the life he knew. Now he is faced with an instructor who is older, whiter, freer than he is, who presents him with the assignment to write a page from his heart, “Let that page come out of you,” the instructor says, “then it will be true” (4-5). All of a sudden, the speaker realizes he doesn’t know who he is or what will show up on paper. “I wonder if it’s that simple?” he asks (6).

A tantalizing question – Is it that simple? Is it simply a matter of writing out what you feel and relying on that to reveal truth, as the instructor seems to think? The speaker doesn’t know, because he’s caught between two different worlds. A pressing dilemma lies before him: which world is true? He is torn between Harlem and college. He grew up in Harlem, but his instructor is infiltrating his world. He even writes his page for English B in the Harlem setting. Both worlds mold his reality, and if he writes about simply one or the other he can’t be true to himself. He wants to be black and identify with his Harlem heritage, but he is bound by the fact that he studies in a predominantly white setting which has made an impact on him.

All of these elements impact how the reader understands the poem. The biggest factor is the setting for the poem, as well as the heavy emphasis on racial tension. Hughes wrote these poems to give a voice to his people that were silenced. He articulated important issues through the use of poetry, Theme for English B is an exemplary example of this.