Question

(Ch 5-7): In the poem “Theme for English B,” Langston Hughes explores the nature of the relationship between a minority student and white professor. How do you think race impacts education? Why was it important for Justyce to have a teacher like Doc? Include references to the text.

Answer 1

Answer:

One of the main points in the poem is that race doesn't mean that we are inherently different from one another. As people, we have many things (feelings, experiences) in common. However, in the cruel world we live in, race does make a difference. In a racist world that Hughes lived in (and that we still live in), people of color have had less access to education, social status, and social mobility.

Explanation:

The poem reads: "I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like  // the same things other folks like who are other races." That is the point of intersection, where all people are alike. Then, he goes on to say to his white teacher: "As I learn from you,  // I guess you learn from me—  // although you’re older—and white—  // and somewhat more free." This white, old, male (and presumably rich) teacher is a part of his young colored student and vice versa. It's a kind of a universal feedback loop, a cycle that connects all humans without erasing their mutual differences.

However, when someone belongs to a minority, the experience of having a minority role model can be very important, even formative. That is why Justyce (a character from Nic Stone's novel "Dear Martin") finds it so invigorating to have a black teacher. Doc shows Justyce that it is possible to overcome all the obstacles that the society imposes on people of color. Doc fully understands what being a colored teenager means; that is why he doesn't reprimand Justyce when he finds him drunk. Instead, he talks to him.