The contradiction of being both black and American was a great one for Hughes. Although this disparity was troublesome, his situation as such granted him an almost begged status; due to his place as a "black American" poet, his work was all the more accessible. Hughes' black experience was sensationalized. Using his "black experience" as a facade, however, Hughes was able to obscure his own torments and insecurities regarding his ambiguous sexuality, his parents and their relationship, and his status as a public figure.

One of Hughes' most distinctive styles stemmed from urban nightclubs in which black artists performed for a white audience. Hughes' great appreciation for the black urban music style is obvious throughout the various rhythms, patterns, and unp

This poem, brimming with sudden and broken rhythms, is characteristic of jazz riffs popular in the 1920s. In "Subway Rush Hour," Hughes uses the musicality of his poetry and incorporates it with an important social statement regarding the relation status between blacks and whites.

Equality is an ever-present theme throughout Hughes' poetry. In "Theme for English B," Hughes presents us with musical and effective language, an intense social statement, and a very important sense of equality, shocking us into reality.

Both "Subway Rush Hour" and "Theme for English B" were printed in Hughes' 1951 publication titled "Montage of A Dream Deferred." This entire collection of poems shows Hughes' perception of Harlem's deterioration. In "Montage of a Dream Deferred," Hughes contrasts the drastically altered conditions of the 1950's Harlem to the Harlem he had known growing up in the 1920's. The energetic nightclub life and vitality of Harlem's cultural renaissance had given way to an urban ghetto full of poverty, ignorance, and crime. This image of Harlem and its inhabitants is noticeable in "Children's Rhymes," a poem also from the "Montage of a Dream Deferred" collection.

Although "Theme for English B" was published in 1949, it has

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Approximate Word count = 839
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)