"Theme for English B" by Langston Hughes is a powerful poem. Hughes is a prolific African-American literary writer from the early 1900's. "Theme for English B" is a poem about a young freshman student asked to write a theme for class. This poem makes a powerful statement. It touches on the racial differences of that time. The student wanted to know if the assignment is as simple as the professor says. Below you will see just a few of the things he talks about in the poem.
The student writing the theme expresses that even though he is just twenty-two, he differs from no other twenty-two year old. He is talking about just because he is colored he acts and thinks just like any other male at that age. He mentions that he likes to eat, sleep, drink and be in love. He says his likes coincide with all races. He wants the professor to not see the theme as just a colored personality it. The student mentions that he and the professor are apart of each other. Here he is trying to say that they are both men living under the same notion. They follow the same guidelines for life, or do they? He mentions that professor is somewhat freer than he his. He is talking about the segregation of blacks and whites during that time. Whites had certain rights that black didn't have.
The student in this poem uses his assignment to touch loosely about the situations around him. This form of ventilation shows you the concern the student feels. He wants to be viewed as a student in the classroom. He doesn't want to be just seen as the colored person. To him they are all just young men studying English. .