Question 1: a black college student
Question 2: Serious and reflective
Question 3: People can learn from one another even if they are very different
Question 4: "You are white -- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American." (Lines 31-33).
Question 5: The poem is free verse, making it sound as though the speaker is talking directly to the reader.
answer these questions
Themes for English B by Langston Hughes
The instructor said,
Go home and write
a page tonight.
And let that page come out of you—
Then, it will be true.
I wonder if it's that simple?
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.
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:
It's not easy to know what is true for you or me
at twenty-two, my age. But I guess I'm what
I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you.
hear you, hear me—we two—you, me, talk on this page.
(I hear New York, too.) Me—who?
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.
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.
Sometimes perhaps you don't want to be a part of me.
Nor do I often want to be a part of you.
But we are, that's true!
As I learn from you,
I guess you learn from me—
although you're older—and white—
and somewhat more free.
This is my page for English B.
Question 1 (1 point)
Saved
The speaker can best be described as --
Question 1 options:
a black college student
a high school student whose race is not specified
a white college professor
a single mother
Question 2 (1 point)
The mood of the poem is best described as --
Question 2 options:
Serious and reflective
Whimsical and cheery
Bitter and resentful
Melancholic and pessimistic
Question 3 (1 point)
A theme of the poem is --
Question 3 options:
People are resentful of their upbringings
People avoid confronting their differences
People are not able to overcome their differences
People can learn from one another even if they are very different
Question 4 (1 point)
Which evidence from the text BEST supports the answer to Question 3?
Question 4 options:
"I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life." (Lines 21-22).
"Go home and write a page tonight, and let that page come out of you" (Lines 2-3).
"I wonder if it's that simple?/I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem" (Lines 6-7).
"You are white -- yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That's American." (Lines 31-33).
Question 5 (1 point)
How does the structure of the poem impact its meaning?
Question 5 options:
The poem' structure is very rigid, illustrating the speaker's dislike for his instructor.
The poem's structure is very rigid, illustrating the speaker's serious attitude
The poem is free verse, making the speaker's thoughts disorganized.
The poem is free verse, making it sound as though the speaker is talking directly to the reader.
1 answer