Theme for English B – a Colored’s Yearning for Equality

Theme for English B – A Colored’s Yearning for Equality In Langston Hughes poem â€Å"Theme for English B†, the setting begins as the student is instructed to â€Å"go home and write a page tonight†, which raises a question for him: who am I? In contrast to this ordinary assignment, the main character doubts â€Å"I wonder if it’s that simple?† which confuses the readers. Only when the detailed background information of the protagonist is provided does this confusion be removed, â€Å"I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem. I went to school there, then Durham, then here to this college on the hill above Harlem. I am the only colored student in my class.† This is also the rising action of the plot, by describing how a colored youth perceived the†¦show more content†¦In this poem, the student supposed that being an African-American would not make his likes differ from that of other races, however, â€Å"So will my page be colored that I write† shows that he was concerned if his white instructor could understand what he wrote, since he was black. Due to the whites’ bias against blacks, Hughes tried to smooth away this kind of discrimination by stating all races share the same human identity. â€Å"You are white – yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.† implies that people are actually influencing one another, in the aspects of culture, way of thinking and language, etc. The climax of the poem must count to â€Å"That’s American.† which infers the concept of ‘melting pot’, stating that America is a country of multi-colored people. It reveals the author’s advocacy to enhance blacks’ understanding of themselves as a people, the yearning for equality and the identity of being a dignified African-American. There are many factors to be considered when determining one’s own identity, including sex, age, language, nationality, ed ucation level, race, economy, etc. Unlike the main character of the poem, I study in a native university, being surrounded by familiar faces of my race. I feel comfortable when I am in the crowd. On the contrary, the protagonist feels awkward in a class of white students, since he’s