My Colored Page

 

 “Theme for English B” is a poem written by the rebellious American writer, Langston Hughes, whose works made him “a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s” (Biography). The speaker in the poem is a black student given an assignment that demands authenticity; thus, it arises a lot of emotions and struggles stirring in him as a person of color living in America. By tracing the striking language of the speaker, his conveyed message can be understood from the race theory approach.

Within the lines of the poem, there are many messages denoting that “racism is socially constructed, not biologically natural” (Britannica). Throughout ages of oppression, black people have suffered from being stereotyped as inferior, simple-minded, and criminals. The speaker stresses the idea that he does what every human being is capable of doing, regardless of their race: “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love” (Hughes). By stating the obvious, the poet clarifies how racism dehumanizes the black people to the extent that he needs to remind the readers of his basic human needs. Furthermore, the poet’s emphasis on describing his life as an ordinary person who is equal to other people from other races is not futile: “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races” (Hughes). Once more, he is insinuating that having equal human needs allegedly leads to having equal human rights, and that the race-based discrimination should be eliminated since black people must not lack any of the rights other races have.

The speaker in the poem specified, by mentioning places and cities, his experience as a black student living in America, giving the impression that “racism in the United States is an everyday encounter, not aberrational” (Britannica). It is a fact that America was one of the countries that held black people as slaves for centuries, and even after giving them the very basic human rights, blacks still suffer from many forms of inequality. The speaker indicates that blacks and whites have interrelated history, yet they sometimes do not accept each other due to the past centuries of racism and oppression that still affect their present. This state of mutual hostility is shown when he says, “Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to be a part of me. Nor do I often want to be a part of you” (Hughes). It draws a picture of both sides in a conflict, presenting the everlasting struggle between the two races. 

The poem is an epitome of “voice of color” (Britannica), stemming from the poet’s belief that he is adequately qualified to speak up for the black people in America. He is challenging racism and stating that he has his own voice totally detached from the white point of view by saying, “So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white” (Hughes). He is expressing multiple times that he will hear, feel, and say what he really wants not what the whites want him to. Even if he is the only black student in the class, he will never give his stance up, boosting his proud and independent identity. The poet stands his ground affirming that he, as a black person, is fully capable of expressing the identity and struggles on behalf of his community.

In conclusion, “Theme for English B” is a call for justice. The poet does not indicate obvious physical violence or slavery labor, yet the sense of racism and systematic racial bias is seeping out of the lines. Hughes depicts the way he lives in America, as a person of color fighting against racism, even if it came as subtle behavior in the form of microaggressions. It is a cry out for the American society to be aware of the clandestine racism that threatens its unity.

 

Works cited

- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "critical race theory". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/topic/critical-race-theory. Accessed 8 December 2021.

- Biography.com Editors. “Langston Hughes Biography.” The Biography.com website, Biography.com Editors, January 29, 2021, https://www.biography.com/writer/langston-hughes .  

- Hughes, Langston. “Theme for English B.” POETRY FOUNDATION, 8 December 2021, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47880/theme-for-english-b .