The Langston Hughes Review

Carefully read “Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, and also my essay on the
poem.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47880/theme-for-english-b
Respond to my questions in paragraph form in the assignment labeled #4 Hughes.
Please note that you may find the essay a bit difficult to follow, since it is an academic essay
slated for publication in The Langston Hughes Review, as opposed to lecture notes. Read also
my Notes on Coloring the Character, which further explains and breaks down the ideas in the
longer article. I present the article to you because it contains most of my thinking about this
challenging and deeply rewarding poem, and it also introduces you to the world of reading
academic criticism, which is a skill in and of itself. If you find some passages incomprehensible,
you can ask me questions or just move along. One important aspect of Hughes’ achievement
in this poem is his inquiry into the nature of reading and writing, and since that is precisely what
we are doing in this course, it seems a fitting choice to really focus hard on. Refer to the three documents that I’ve given you.
(DO NOT CREATE A HEADING PAGE)