Analysis of "Theme for English B" and "Cross" by Langston Hughes

Analysis of "Theme for English B" and "Cross" by Langston Hughes

One of the most notable figures of the Harlem Renaissance was the poet Langston Hughes (1902-1967).  Hughes, whose poetry was influenced by the styles of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman, addressed such aspects of African-American life as racial segregation and identity.  Although he focused on the experiences of African-Americans, people of all races can identify with many themes contained in his writing.  Two such poems are “Theme for English B” and “Cross.”  This essay will begin with an analysis of "Theme for English B," before analyzing "Cross" and comparing it to "Theme for English B," and will end by drawing conclusions about Hughes based on the two poems in question.

Langston Hughes (1902-1967).  Photo Courtesy of http://thefrontporch.org/2014/02/what-langston-hughes-lie-can-mean-for-churches/.

Analysis of "Theme for English B"

The speaker in “Theme for English B”—an African-American college student—attempts to fulfill an assignment given by his white professor, in which he is expected to write about himself as openly as possible.  The assignment causes him to contemplate his identity as a college student, as a resident of Harlem, and as a human being.  After fulfilling the assignment, the speaker discusses his relationship with his professor, describing it as both symbiotic and strained because of the cultural differences between the two.  At the beginning of the poem, the speaker is critical of his instructor’s assumption that a page that comes “out of you / …will be true” (ll. 3-4) because his professor is “…older and white / And somewhat more free,” (ll. 39-40) than him.  Because of the racial and generational disparities that exist between the two, the speaker and the professor likely have different beliefs.  This difference in viewpoints deters the speaker from writing about himself in a completely honest manner.  The tension that exists between the two also prevents the speaker from completely fulfilling his professor’s assignment, as a page that “[came] out of [him]” (l. 3) would contain the hostility that he often feels towards his professor.  It is worth noting that the speaker includes age as a factor that alienates the speaker and the professor from each other.  This mention of age indicates that the race is not the sole factor preventing the speaker from fulfilling the professor’s assignment, and that the speaker’s white peers might also be reluctant to do so.  Indeed, people of all races may occasionally be disinclined to share their beliefs and experiences with another person, especially an authority figure with different beliefs and experiences.  By mentioning that factors other than race alienate him and his professor from each other, the speaker relates his experiences as an African-American to those of members of other races.

Although the speaker in “Theme for English B” relates his experiences to those of members of other races, he also clarifies his identity as a resident of the African-American neighborhood of Harlem.  His mentions of both his college class and his commute help to establish this identity:

“I am the only colored student in my class.

The steps from the hill lead down into Harlem,

through a park, then I cross St. Nicholas,

Eighth Avenue, Seventh, and I come to the Y,

the Harlem Branch Y, where I take the elevator

up to my room, sit down, and write this page,” (ll. 10-15).

After briefly mentioning that he is the only African-American student in his class, the speaker describes his commute home, listing specific points along his route.  The comparative lengths of the speaker’s mentions of his mostly white class and his African-American neighborhood indicate that he primarily identifies himself as an African-American.  Although the speaker identifies with African-American culture, he does not let his racial identity completely estrange him from members of other races.  This is demonstrated when he describes himself as having attributes similar to those of any other person:

“Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love.

I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.

I like a pipe for a Christmas present.

or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach.

I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like

the same things other folks like who are other races,” (ll. 21-26).

The speaker begins his response by listing physiological needs common to all human beings.  It is likely that he does this in order to remind his audience of the fundamental similarities that exist between all of them.  He then discusses his interests, maintaining the relatable nature of his self-description by listing various genres of music.  Through his self-description, the speaker conveys that he shares many similarities with members of other races, even if the color of his skin and his loyalty to his African-American neighborhood indicate otherwise.

Although the speaker in “Theme for English B” appears to write for his professor, he is in fact addressing Americans of all races.  This is demonstrated by the speaker’s efforts to relate to members of other races.  The fact that the speaker addresses all Americans is also supported by the fact that, toward the end of the poem, the speaker discusses the disadvantages of segregation to racial groups other than his own.  One way in which he does this is by appealing to patriotic sentiments.  When the speaker wonders about the nature of his assignment, he concludes that it will contain contributions from both him and his professor, and describes this amalgamation as American:

“So will my page be colored that I write?

Being me, it will not be white.

But it will be

a part of you, instructor.

You are white—

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That’s American,” (ll. 27-33).

The speaker contends that his writing is influenced not only by his own experience as an African-American, but also by the instruction of his white professor, who in turn is influenced by him.  He describes this collaboration as American, echoing the idea of America as a medley of different cultures and implying that segregation is inherently un-American.  This appeal to patriotism indicates that the speaker is addressing the American populace.  The speaker also decries segregation through his description of his professor as “…older and white / And somewhat more free,” (ll. 39-40).  His description of the professor as merely “somewhat” freer than him indicates that members of other races are constrained by the system of segregation that favors them; the professor would probably be chastised by his peers if he were more amiable to the speaker.  The fact that the speaker in “Theme for English B” attempts to make himself relatable to members of other races while clarifying his identity with his own race, his appeal to patriotism, and his mention of the disadvantages of segregation to ethnic groups other than his own indicate that his audience includes all Americans.

Analysis of "Cross" and Comparison to "Theme for English B"

“Cross” focuses on the racial tension that abounded in the speaker’s biracial family.  The speaker recalls having become enraged with his parents as a child, and apologizes to them.  Although he has reconciled with his parents, the reason for his anger persists: his lack of racial identity.  The speaker establishes the tension that existed in his family at the beginning of the poem:

“My old man’s a white old man

And my old mother’s black.

If ever I cursed my white old man

I take my curses back.

If ever I cursed my black old mother

And wished she were in hell,

I’m sorry for that evil wish

And now I wish her well,” (ll. 1-8).

The speaker recalls having become angry with his parents, and apologizes to them.  As in “Theme For English B,” the speaker expresses regret over the dysfunctional nature of his relationships with authority figures.  However, whereas the tension between the speaker in “Theme for English B” and his professor is motivated by the fact that the two are of different races, the familial tension in “Cross” is due to the fact that the speaker has no race with which to identify.  The speaker conveys this at the end of the poem, after mentioning the conditions in which his parents died:

“My old man died in a fine big house.

My ma died in a shack.

I wonder where I’m going to die,

Being neither white nor black?” (ll. 9-12).

After mentioning the conditions in which his parents died, the speaker expresses uncertainty regarding where he will die.  As the conditions in which the speaker’s parents died reflect the circumstances of their respective races, the speaker’s concern regarding where he will die indicates concern over his lack of racial identity.  His description of himself as “neither white nor black”—as opposed to both white and black—is worth noting, as it reinforces his lack of racial identity.  It is likely that this lack of identity caused the speaker to become angry with his parents (although it is quite possible that he was also angry at his father for betraying his mother).  As is the case with “Theme for English B,” people of all races can identify with many aspects of “Cross”: people of all races grow up in dysfunctional households, and most people feel a profound sense of regret or a burdensome fear similar to those expressed by the speaker.  Although “Theme for English B” and “Cross” share many similarities, several differences exist between the two poems.  The speaker in “Theme for English B” acknowledges that he has been lucky enough to attend college, unlike his peers.  He also expresses a sense of attachment to African-American culture, but believes that racial boundaries are arbitrary.  The speaker in “Cross,” on the other hand, is tormented by the fact that he does not belong to any racial group.  Although he apologizes to his parents, his apologies are meaningless, as both of his parents are dead.  The manners in which the speaker’s parents died—the white father in luxury, the black mother in poverty, both parents separate from each other—indicate that racial boundaries are everlasting.

Conclusion

Based on both “Theme for English B” and “Cross,” it is likely that Langston Hughes considered writing an inward journey.  The stream-of-consciousness writing style in “Theme for English B” gives the impression of the speaker relating his thoughts as they occur.  This reflects the fact that the speaker in the poem attempts to fulfill an assignment in which he has to “let that page come out of you,” (l. 3).  Although the speaker in “Cross” does not explicitly depict his thought processes, he indicates that he has felt many profound emotions.  When he apologizes to his parents, for example, it can be inferred that his apologies are a means of assuaging guilt that he may feel over never having reconciled with them.  Similarly, when he wonders where he will die, he indicates that he is greatly troubled by his lack of identity, even though he does not explicitly mention this pathos.  Based on the introspective nature of “Theme for English B” and the intense emotions alluded to in “Cross,” it is likely that Langston Hughes considered writing not only a means of release, but an inward journey.

Many similarities exist between Langston Hughes’ poems “Theme for English B” and “Cross.”  The speakers in both poems reflect on their strained relationships with authority figures and try to reconcile with these people.  They also discuss their identities, conveying the desire for others to see them differently.  However, several differences exist between the two poems.  In “Theme for English B”, the speaker expresses a sense of belonging to his African-American community, but also a belief that segregation is arbitrary.  In “Cross,” the speaker laments his lack of identity, and, by relating the different manners in which his parents died, a belief that segregation is eternal.  In spite of the differences that exist between the two poems, both “Theme for English B” and “Cross” portray the experiences of African-Americans in such a manner that members of all races can relate to those experiences.