Analysis of "English B" by: Langston Hughes (1902- 1967)
             Patrick Jake O'Rourke once said, "There's no such thing as a race and barely such a thing as an ethnic group. If we were dogs, we'd be the same breed...Trouble doesn't come from Slopes, Kikes, Niggers, Spics, or White capitalist pigs; it comes from the heart." O'Rourke perfectly captures the essence of Langston's message, and throughout the poem, as Langston takes us into his thoughts, a new understanding of ourselves as a society is gained. In "theme for English B," Langston addresses three cardinal issues: 1) people are more alike than different, 2) ethnicity does not alter your interests, and 3) race does not determine who you are.
             In the third stanza, Langston writes, "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." Clearly, the gist is that people have more in common than they realize. For instance, Americans all appear to be different; they look, dress, walk, and talk differently. However, all Americans have the same philosophy of life, which is why they have become or remained American citizens. Therefore, we are all connected in some of our beliefs, if not our color.
             Towards the end of the second stanza, Langston states, "I guess being colored doesn't make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races." These two lines tell in all exactness Langston's second point: Race does not change your beliefs or interests. If ethnical background was the sole influence on people's values, then America would not be the great "melting pot" society that it has grown to become today; it would instead be a lot of different individual countries. Thus, the existence of the United States of America is proof of this principle.
             In the beginning of the second stanza, Langdon wri...