Alexander's RR2

Theme for English B, one of Mister Langston Hughes’ many contributions to the category of poems that I frequently refer to as “What the hell just happened?”, is less dense than most thing existing in that prior domain. I can understand the first layer of meaning easily. It discusses Hughes’ life as a colored student, and reflects on the differences between his views, and those of his peers. But I had a thought, as I read. I thought, that perhaps Mr. Hughes wasn’t actually talking about racism, and that he simply left some ambiguity in the poem as a subtle jibe for the folks who saw past it. I think, perhaps, Hughes is reflecting on perception and reality. His lines, 27 to 40, discuss the interactions of his words with the reader, and I’m forced to wonder if race is brought up only to set the stage for Hughes’ perceptions- his writing will mean something different for him than it will for his readers because he is black, and has lived a different life then those surrounding him. He and his teacher, through this paper, are a part of each other, ‘struth, because they each interact with the other’s perceptions through this poem. Yet, it ends with a claim the teacher is white, and more free. Is he white (a fact) and free (an unrelated fact), or free because of his whiteness? I think, if I am wrong, I would rather not know. But, I do think too much.