Hughes Poetry Analysis

As a curtain-raiser, the poet points out that he has colored skin pigmentation in line 7, “I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem”. The literal interpretation of the word “colored” can be lightly taken but not in the context of this poem. Delving into the history, at and around the time the poem was published, the term coloured was a slang used widely to describe citizens who were of an African- American descent or African, altogether. It was so severe and widespread that its writing would be inscribed in signs to show washrooms or other facilities designated for use by white people and their differentiation from those used by coloured people. He argues that even though it is hard to know what is true for him or Harlem at his age, he believes that what he sees, feels and hears defines him (Hughes, 1951-16, 17).

He asks, “So will my paper be colored that I write?” A paper is known to be white, what will make it coloured when written on by a coloured person? The poet is however sentimental about it and closes that thought by saying that being written by him, the paper won't be white. The paradigm that follows is interesting. The poet is seen addressing the instructor and establishes a connection with him (Hughes, 1951-30, 31, 32). He picks it from the paper he concluded wouldn’t have been white since he wrote on it, yet it was part of the instructor. He goes further to identify another connection; American citizenship. Reference Hughes, L. Theme for English B.  The collected poems of Langston Hughes, 409-10.