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.

Summary

At the start of the poem, the persona suggests that he is the only African American or black student in this class. He is concerned with the assignment that his teacher gives. He is expected to write a page that is true or that comes from deep thinking. He is twenty-two and lives in Harlem. He struggles to understand what constitutes “true’ for any person and so he questions who is. The idea of truth is strange for the persona who is black and who must write this paper for a white instructor. So, he relates his own tastes, and the reader sees a mixture of things liked by different people of different races. Now the persona has mixed reaction to these ideas because of the uncertainty between race and identity. He accepts that his race does not define his tastes. He assesses whether his race has an impact on his identity and if it will affect the identity of truth he writes on his page.

The persona notes that he and his instructor have a deep connection because of their history and American societal bonds. He knows now that his race does not define his identity and that it is not an intimate factor of who he is. Instead, he believes that race is a burden, and he knows that his instructor may not want to be a part of him or his race. Still, this connection that encompasses age, race and gender is indisputable. The persona feels alienated because he is the only black person in his class. Despite this, he is adamant that they are all connected by history, and that they can learn from each other. The persona knows that his race is problematic, and this adds to his limitations. But the professor is white and therefore he is free. This shows the underlying message of the poem where race and the uneven division of privilege on race does not define them. It simply disguises the deep bonds between them.

Themes – race and identity.

Tone – reflective

Mood – thoughtful or pensive.

Analysis

“The instructor said,/ Go home and write a page tonight. And let that page come out of you— Then, it will be true.”

The poem begins with a unswerving quote from the professor who gives instructions for this assignment. He says that the page that the speaker writes must ‘come out’ from within and then it would be ‘true.’ This brings forward the concept of truth, and how this truth relates to the persona as an individual.

“I wonder if it’s that simple?”

The persona’s challenges start at this point, and he uses rhetorical questions to draw the reader’s attention to the problem that he faces. He wonders if his page will be true simply because he writes directly from his heart. He now contemplates the complexity of the assignment.

“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.”

This is a brief look at the persona’s history. He is 22 and coloured (black) and has moved between places and schools throughout his life. He is in college now and this college is located above the town of Harlem. This location hints at the prestige of the college.

“I am the only colored student in my class.”

The persona gives more details about the racial composition of his class. He wants the reader to have a clear understanding of the challenges that he will face when writing this paper. At the time that the poem was written, racial segregation was a common factor in society and those who were in the minority were likely alienated.

 “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:”

On his way home, he travels through this complex set of directions and comes to the Harlem Y, or the Harlem YMCA which is a community center that houses young people. The reader learns a little about the low income of the speaker. He begins the page as soon as he gets to his room. The stanza ends with a colon which suggests that there is more to come.

“It’s not easy to know what is true for you or me at twenty-two, my age.”

This line goes back to the instruction: ‘Let that page come out of you, then it will be true.’ The persona struggles with the idea of what is true. He finds it hard to determine the truth, especially at his age. Even though he is an adult, he understands that he is still young and has more to learn and therefore, he cannot be sure of what is true even though he writes from his heart.

“But I guess I’m what I feel and see and hear, Harlem, I hear you. I hear you, hear me – we two – you, me, talk on this page. (I hear New York, too.) Me – who?”

He continues to voice his uncertainty because he believes that he is a product of what he is seeing, hearing, and feeling. He lives in Harlem, so it must be a part of his identity. He personifies Harlem by saying that he talks with it on his page. He hears Harlem, and he hears its people, as if they are a part of him. Still, he also hears the bustling of New York. The stanza ends with the speaker asking ‘me-who?’ as if he is questioning his own identity, and what is true for him.

“Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life.”

He lists the things that he likes. These are like the tastes of his white counterparts. They are also simple things which suggest that despite his colour he is human. The reader sees that he is also a thinker because the speaker say that he also likes to work, read, and learn, and this helps him to understand life.

“I like a pipe for a Christmas present, or records—Bessie, bop, or Bach.”

The speaker likes simple gifts such as a pipe which was popular and classy when the the poem was written. The poet uses alliteration with “Bessie, Bop or Bach” to show the persona’s taste in music. Bessie is an allusion to the blues singer Bessie Smith and Bop, a genre of music which was common in the African American community. On the other hand, Johann Sebastian Bach, the classical composer, was more popular in the white community. So, the persona musical taste varied.

“I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like who are other races.”

The persona knows that his race does not affect his identity or his personality. Being coloured does not define him as a person; he can share likes and dislikes with others despite race.

“So will my page be colored that I write? Being me, it will not be white.”

The persona knows that his race does not impact his tastes. He now has a new dilemma: will what he writes be clearly ‘coloured’ or black? The point of the assignment is to find and express an inner truth. The persona does not know if there is a distinction between his inner truth as a black person of if there is a difference for the white person. He concludes that because he is black, then the page that he writes cannot truly express the views of a white person or their experiences. This line also suggests that being himself, he would complete the assignment, so his page would not be white (blank). But it also introduces the idea of the page being him because the page comes from within him.

“But it will be part of you, instructor.”

The speaker notes that his thoughts will reflect aspects of his instructor’s life because his instructor can relate to his thoughts because they would have shared the same views and experiences despite their different races.

“You are white – yet a part of me, as I am a part of you. That’s American.”

The instructor is white, and he is black, but they are bonded by the diverse racial composition in America.

“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!”

The persona knows that being a black person in that era could be a challenge. Racial discrimination did not allow for equality and so he accepts that the instructor may not always like the idea of them being connected. So, he says ‘sometimes perhaps.’

“As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me”

As the persona learns from the instructor, he says that the professor learns from him as well. This supports the idea of interconnection even in a classroom setting.

“although you’re older – and white – and somewhat more free. This is my page for English B.”

The claim that they are learning from each other comes after the persona hints at the innate prejudices and difference in privilege between them. The instructor is older and has more freedom than the persona because he is white. The final declaration of the poem is ‘this is my page for English B,’ gives the final indication of the truth of the persona because it comes from within himself, and what, therefore, must be true.

Literary Devices

Rhetorical Questions

Line 6: Here the persona wonders if it would be easy to complete the task that his professor assigns.

Line 24: This question stresses the confusion of the persona as he thinks about who he is. There is doubt in his questions.

Line 32: The persona wonders if his race will impact the content of his paper. Still, he concludes that race does not stop people from liking or doing things that they like to do.

Repetition

The use of repetition stresses the deep impact that Harlem, New York, had on the personality of the speaker.

THEMES:

Racism,

Places,

Powerlessness and power,

Identity

Education and learning

Alienation

Contemplation and Memory