FLQ Crisis Essay -- essays research papers

On October 5, 1970, British trade commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in his Westmount home by members of the terrorist group Front de liberation du Quebec. The FLQ Manifesto called for non-democratic separation to be brought about by acts of terror. From 1963 to 1967, the FLQ planted 35 bombs; from 1968 to 1970 they planted over 50 bombs. By the fall of 1970 the terrorist acts of the FLQ cells had claimed 6 lives. The kidnappers' demands included the release of a number of convicted or detained FLQ members and the broadcasting of the FLQ Manifesto. The Manifesto was read on Radio-Canada. Then, on October 10th, the Quebec minister of justice guaranteed safe passage to anywhere in the world for the kidnappers in exchange for the safe release of Cross. That same day Pierre Laporte, a famed Quebec reporter, author of The True Face of Duplessis, and the minister of immigration and labour in the Quebec government, was kidnapped by a different FLQ cell on the lawn of his suburban home. Laporte's kidnapping triggered a phone call from Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa asking Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to prepare the Canadian Armed Forces for action in Quebec and to declare War Measures. Two days later, October 12, Trudeau summoned armed troops to guard potential targets in Ottawa and Montreal such as cabinet ministers, John Diefenbaker, who was on the FLQ hit list, and federal buildings. On the following day, October 13, Peter Reilly of CJOH and I were at the west door of the Centre Block of the House of Commons. Reilly was asking Trudeau some basic questions in a laconic, unemotional style about the army and tanks being in Ottawa. Suddenly we were joined by CBC reporter Tim Ralfe who asked Trudeau a very emotional question about his decision to invoke the War Measures Act. Pierre Trudeau interview An angry Trudeau replied: "There's a lot of bleeding hearts around who just don't like to see people with helmets and guns. All I can say is go on and bleed." "How far are you going to go?" Ralfe insisted."Just watch me!" said Trudeau. And Canadians across the country watched as, at 3 o'clock in the morning, Friday, October 16, Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act. The Press Gallery was packed. Trudeau was careful, cold, analytic - and brilliant. The invocation of the War Measures Act meant the suspension of traditional Canadian civil l... ...erre LaPorte, the Quebec Minister of Labour, and James Cross, The British Trade Commissioner to Canada, were kidnapped by the FLQ. Prime Minister Trudeau put into effect the War Measures Act for the first time in Canadian history during peace time. He did this without consulting parliament. However, parliament voted three days later to approve the use of the act. The civil liberties of the citizens of Canada were suspended while the act was in force. In a few cities, officials used the WMA to clean up the streets, picking up "undesirables" and throwing them into jail. More than 450 people were jailed in Quebec for suspected connections to the FLQ. Most were later released without any charges being laid. After the War Measures Act was put into effect, no other public figures in Canada were kidnapped. Eventually Pierre Laporte was murdered by his captors and Cross was released unharmed after his kidnappers were flown to exile in Cuba. But for many in Quebec, the question was raised : what might the federal government do if Quebec ever did decide to leave Canada... the use of the army in the streets and t he loss of civil liberties left a bad taste in many people's mouths.

Woodstock 1969 :: essays research papers

When the word "Woodstock" is mentioned, what do you think of? Perhaps you think of the little yellow bird from the Peanuts cartoons, or maybe you think of a small town in New York. However, you also might know that Woodstock was the largest and most famous of all rock festivals. The Woodstock Music & Art Festival took place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 15th, 16th, and 17th, 1969. As you can imagine, a concert like Woodstock would have had to be planned very carefully. It didn’t just happen. Four young partners Michael Lang, the manager of a rock band, Artie Kornfeld, and executive of Capital Records, and two venture capitalists, John Roberts and Joel Rosenman, created Woodstock. Their original plan had been to build a recording studio in Woodstock, a small town in the Catskill Mountains, which had become a rock center. To promote the idea of the studio, the four partners decided to stage a concert, which they called Woodstock. Naming it after the town in which it was originally going to take place in. It started out as a moneymaking venture a rock concert, pure and simple. An attempt to duplicate or maybe even surpass the success of Monterey Pop, which attracted 50,000 people two years earlier. The Woodstock Festival was expected to attract 50,000 to 100,000 people. In the town of Woodstock, local residents became fearful about the possibility of a hippie invasion. The location was changed from the village of Woodstock, to the town of Wallkill, then finally to a farm at White Lake in the town of Bethel. The name was retained. They rented a 70 acre field from a prominent local dairy farmer, Max Yasgur, who owned land about 48 miles from Woodstock, in Bethel. Days before the festival, Upstate New York was ready. The city, county and state officials knew what to expect, and felt confident in their abilities to handle traffic, crowd control, sanitation, medical emergencies, and any unexpected problems. Finally, the day before the official opening, traffic jams up to 20 miles long blocked most roads leading to the area. On August 15th, the first day, the management was unable to monitor the estimated 400,000 or more people, and decided to abandon attempts at ticket taking because hundreds of thousands of people simply climbed over fences. For three days, the small town of Bethel, was the state’s third-largest city, with an estimated population range between 300,000 and 400,000 people.

Illusion in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay -- essays p

Illusion in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Before writing The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald must have done thoughtful and extensive research. This is apparent because, to explore the novel's main theme, 'The American Dream', he chose to place it in the 1920s. This was, indeed, a perfect time slot because the 20s were notorious for the numerous ways in which they influenced the public. These years served as a defining point for many aspects of everyday life such as wealth, social status, and general 'success'. The American population during this time became obsessed with the term 'success' and exactly what it meant to be 'successful'. That was the common goal for just about everyone who lived during this time. Life was all about the 'American Dream'. Everyone wanted 'it all', and often times would go to great lengths to have it. Jay Gatsby, one of the main character in Fitzgerald's novel, was not unlike the rest of the people who lived during this time. Tragically, his own, personal obsession with wanting to have e verything eventually became his downfall. This was Fitzgerald's intention in writing this novel: to warn his readers that the 'American dream' can turn tragic if reality becomes too obscured by the overwhelming lust for money and material possessions. Jay Gatsby was born James Gatz; a man who was very ashamed of his heritage. He was a poor man whose family did not posses a name in society. His parents were "shiftless and unsuccessful farm people (pg. 104)". Gatsby's pathetic family situation was somewhat tolerable for him, for a little while. It was not until he met a girl named Daisy that he realized he was less than content with what little he possessed. Gatsby was very much in love with ... ...ove with more than one person. He reluctantly let her go back to Tom while he pondered over the waste he had made out of his life. He spent five years earning so much money and climbing all the way to the top that he forgot to secure the prize to be won. Gatsby died before he got to really achieve the happiness that he craved. His fate simply would not allow a poor man like him to go on living a lie. Gatsby's illusion became his ultimate downfall. Being rich, reputable, and on the arm of his true love had finally become a reality, until he realized it was not really HIM. He could not go on living a fantasy forever. It took Jay Gatsby a whole life of hardship to figure out that illusion and desire would always remain in his mind, and happiness was not money and pleasing others, it meant pleasing yourself through goodness: something he probably knew all along.

Philosophy Trinity Essay

Many philosophers have addressed and questioned the subject regarding the unity and trinity of God. Yahya Ibn Adi was a philosopher and a Monophysite scholar of the Arab Classical Period who has firmly given treatises of his own interpretation on this subject. This has caused manygfjkfgmngcccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccb scholars and other philosophers to critique his understandings and express their own viewpoints of Yahyah Ibn Adi’s philosophy on the unity and trinity of God. Emilio Platti in his article Yahya B. Adi And His Refutation Of Al-Warraq’s Treatise On The Trinity In Relation To His Other Works and Sidney H. Griffith in her article Commending Virtue And A Humane Polity In 10th Century Baghdad The Vision of Yahya Ibn Adi are two scholars who explored Yahya’s refutations. In their articles they discuss b a good indication to what Yahya’s belief was on the subject of unity of God. Many philosophers challenged his standpoints on the unity as well as the trinity resulting in Yahya to refute the situation. Two philosophers in particular who attributed Yahya’s treatises were Al-Kindi and and Al-Warraq. One of Al-Kindi’s reasoning for attributing Yahya’s treatise on the unity and trinity of vb the unity of God. Griffith explains how Yahya firmly asserts that â€Å" God is said to be ‘one’ in number in reference to his ‘substance, while in reference to his ‘quiddity’ or whatness’, which, according to Yahya, is essentially described as being ‘generous/good, ‘wise’, and ‘powereful’, he is ‘three’†4 In comparison with Griffith’s article, Emilio Pratti critiques how Yahya refutes to Al-Kindi’s attribution on treatise on the unity. Pratti believed that â€Å"To al Kindi, he underlies that the Christians say on the one hand, that the Creator is one, and that his quiddity is one, but they also say, on the other hand, that He is three, as far as He is good, wise and powerful.. †5 Pratti stresses that this is not a contradiction because we can use â€Å"one† in the sense of one in subject and many in definition. In Pratti’s conclusion, he raises the questions â€Å"b in different ways, based on what the Scriptures are saying to them? Why should God not be present in a human being, as we understand it from the Gospels? † Pratti closes his argument insisting that there is no indication that this would be impossible, he believes there are many indications that God can certainly expose himself as such Emilio Platti’s argued that when it came to Yahya’s refutations, he found his ideas to be offered in an unorganized and sometimes contradictory way. Platti also scolds how certain arguments by Yahya Ibn Adi’s may be given in a particular reply. In regards to how Yahya Ibn Adi responds to those who challenge his treatise, Pratti states that â€Å"†¦most of his apologetical works are written in the form of a rebuttal; he quotes, most probably in extensor, an already existing refutation of the Christians by a Muslim-or a refutation of the Jacobites by a Nesotrian – and replies paragraph by paragraph† (173) Pratti argues that this way of responding has several consequences. vcghaks about how Yahya replies to the philosopher Al-Kindi’s treatise on the unity. To al Kindi, he underlies that the Christians say on the one hand, that the Creator is one, and that his quiddity is one, but they also say, on the other hand, that He is three, as far as He is good, wise and powerful†¦.. Pratti asserts that this is not a contradiction for we Pratti raises the questions â€Å"Why should God not reveal Himself under the three aspects of his hypostases, designated by the Christians in different ways, based on what the Scriptures are saying to them? Why should God not be present in a human being, as we understand it from the Gospels? † Pratti concludes that there is no indication that this would be impossible, he believes there are many indications that God can certainly expose himself as such. Sidney H. Griffith discusses how Yahya refutes back to Al-Kindi†¦Griffith says â€Å"yahya ibn adi’s habit of quoting large portions of the texts of those with whose ideas he disagrees in his refutations of them that a significant portion of the lost work of an important comparative religionist in the early Islamic period, Abu Isa al-Warraq has survived, allowing a modern editor to bring out an edition of what he considers to be the major part of Abu Isa’s anti-Christian work. Griffith describes Yahya Ibn Adi’s unity of God to be.. Griffith describes how Yahyah Ibn Adi wrote a handful of apologetic texts of his own in the Kalam style defending the doctrine of Trinity. Griffith describes . yahya argues Al-Kindi challenged Yahyah Ibn Adi’s treatise as well. Yahya’s rebuttle was that â€Å"given the Muslim philosopher’s own description of God as simultaneously God as ‘one’ and as ‘substance, al-Kindi too faced a logical conundrum involving the notions of ‘one and ‘three’. †(89) Yahya further claims that Al-Kindi misused technical terms When it came to Yahya’s discussion of the Christian doctrinal formulae, he found that Al-Kindi misinterpreted and misused technical terms that were comprised in it. Yahya also clarifies that God is said to be ‘one’ in number in reference to his ‘substance’. Griffith goes forth to say that Yahya goes to considerable lengths to dispose of what he considers to be logically faulty definitions of the ‘one’. Yahya describes God of having three attributes which are goodness/generosity, wisdom, and power. When Yahya responds to other philosophers challenging his treatise, he speaks of the three divine attributes One philosopher in particular who challenged Yahya’s philosophy on the unity and trinity of God was al-Kindi. Al-Kindi’s reasoning for this was that he wanted to â€Å"challenge Christians for the unreasonableness of their al-talit on the foundation of â€Å"logic and philosophy, and more specifically on the grounds that their Trinitarian confession necessarlily involved the repulsive idea of introducing â€Å"composition (al-tarkib) into the God head† To sum up Al-Kindi’s response, he believed that the God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were not eternal. Griffith then describes Yahya’s reaction to this by stating that â€Å"Yahya argues that given the Muslim philosopher’s own description of God as simultaneously God as ‘one’ and as ‘substance’, al –Kindi too faced a logical conundrum involving the notions of ‘one and three. ;† Griffith also affirms that Yahya further found that al-Kindi misinterpreted and misused technical terms that were comprised in his argument about the unity of God. Griffith explains that Yahya asserts that â€Å" God is said to be ‘one’ in number in reference to his ‘substance, while in reference to his ‘quiddity’ or whatness’, which, according to Yahya, is essentially described as being ‘generous/good, ‘wise’, and ‘powereful’, he is ‘three’† This paper will demonstrate how two critics have formed and expressed their own understandings of Yahya’s treatise on unity and trinity of God. How yahya responds to other scholars attributes on his treatise. Many philosophers challenged Yahya Ibn Adi on his treatise on the unity and trinity of God. In Emilio Platti’s article, he critques how Yahya refutes to others about their attributions to his own works. This paper will demonstrate how two critics have formed and expressed their own understandings of Yahya’s treatise on unity and trinity of God. How yahya responds to other scholars attributes on his treatise. Many philosophers challenged Yahya Ibn Adi on his treatise on the unity and trinity of God. In Emilio Platti’s article, he critques how Yahya refutes to others about their attributions to his own works. In conclusion, it is evident that there are many ways to interpret Yahya Ibn Adi’s treatises on the unity and trinity of God. There are also numerous ways one can interpret how Yahya refuted back to his own critiques. Griffith and Pratti are two critics who certainly had similar interpretations of Yahya’s refutations.

Belonging: Birmingham Royal Ballet and Billy Elliot

An individual had chance to choose to belong to community/ place/ culture which can helps a person gain an idea of belonging or not belonging to themselves because belonging is a part of our life. â€Å"Immigrant Chronicle† of Peter Skzynecki, Billy Elliot of Stephen Daldry and the Lottery by Shirley Jackson are 3 properly evidence shows an idea of belong within an individual feeling to connect to community or place or culture. The acceptance and understanding of big father can make a strong relationship within no bad mood reason such as Billy Elliot. The full shot of Billy’s Father try to push Billy back to the Health Check Room in the Royal Ballet School while he had changed his mind and want to come home emphasises Billy’s Father realised that Billy need to prove his talent in the good situation like Royal Ballet School. Furthermore, a sense of belonging can emerge from experiences through the family because the family is a perfect situation which helps an individual identifies themself in love, in relationship. Moreover, the poem called Feliks Skzynecki in the collection of poem called Immigrant Chronicle by Peter Skzynecki is convey the idea of family – specific the relationship between father and son. The poem opens with the uses of first person singular – â€Å"My Gentle Father† suggests ownership and recognition of a familiar bond, the persona belong to his father. The use of word â€Å"Gentle† establishes Feliks as a calm and mild man and also demonstrate the relationship between the persona and his father is completely strong. Therefore, family is the first place which teaches you about the understanding and acceptance to identify the sense of belonging in your life. An individual can fit in a group and can feel the sense of belonging while they can notions their identity, relationships connection in that group. This can be seen in the story called â€Å"The Lottery† telling the audience about the story of a small village where all the people come to do the traditional draw every year and from there, the relationship between people, neighbour, family are made. It is shown by the descriptive language of the paragraph – â€Å"The children assembled first, of course. School was †¦ †¦ †¦ their older brothers or sisters. † can properly emphasise that the connection between student, children, and peoples. In addition, the sense of belonging can discover if an individual can find out and gain the happiness with their notions of identity, relationships. This statement is further emphasised in the movie called â€Å"Billy Elliot†. Billy – a main character had hoose Ballet to identify his dream in the future, Ballet’s community group is where he can identify his identity. It is shows by the costume of his boxing gear – the white singlet can allow him to connect to Ballet’s class easier because the dancing girls are also dressed white. So, a sense of belonging can be finding out when an individual notice their identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding in a group. However, som etimes the understanding and acceptance are occurs but the sense of belonging is still silent. This can be finds in the â€Å"The Lottery†, the traditional is force to separate the family by doing the unfair and weird gaming festival. The dialogue of â€Å"It isn’t fair, It isn’t right† and the descriptive action after the dialogue which is a stone hit her on the side of the head depict the barrier’s wall between people with the tradition’s gaming which you have to take your life into the dangerous mood. No acceptance, no relationships, no understanding, there will be no sense of belonging. Immigrant Chronicles† – the book of poems which Peter Skzynecki convey the idea of barrier of belonging. Specially, â€Å"Migrant Hostel† highlights the barrier of belonging. Sustained imagery of bird projects the perspective of feeling uncertain about the future and reflects the transitionary stage of the composer’s life. So, while the acceptance and understanding are occur, there is also have a barrier of belonging from an individual. In conclusion, a sense of belonging can emerge from experiences and notions of identity, relationships, acceptance and understanding.

80s Music History Essay

MTV galloped through the ’80s as a factor of musical taste, style and fashion. During the early ’80s, the network helped introduce an entire stable of new music stars. For almost the entirety of the decade of the ’80s, MTV was a force to be reckoned with, serving as the music video headquarters for the pop music world. As such, monster ’80s artists like the Police, Michael Jackson and Bon Jovi gained great exposure to audiences through their constant appearances in the MTV rotation of videos. As the network gained popularity, it began to diversify programming, introducing a stable of music-themed shows. As the decade drew to a close, MTV began a gradual move away from music programming in favor of content geared toward reality TV and celebrity/pop culture. AIDS The history of HIV and AIDS in the USA began in 1981, when the United States of America became the first country to officially recognise a strange new illness among a small number of gay men. Today, it is generally accepted that the origin of AIDS probably lies in Africa. However, the USA was the first country to bring AIDS into the public consciousness and the American reaction undoubtedly contributed to the establishment of AIDS as one of the most politicised, feared and controversial diseases in the history of modern medicine – a reputation that stands today. Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, actor and businessman. Often referred to as the â€Å"King of Pop†, or by his initials MJ,[2] Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records. His release of 1982 album â€Å"Thriller,† is still the best sold album of all time., See more:  The 3 Types of Satire Essay Madonna When you think about clothes in the 1980s the most popular style that comes to mind is Madonna. She wore layers of coats, skirts, and shirts, but best known for her accessories, such as hair bows and religious symbols in her jewelry, gloves, and necklaces. Although much of her success was derived from her image, many of her songs from the 80’s, such as â€Å"Holiday,† and â€Å"Lucky Star,† weaved their way into the fabric of 80s pop music turning her into a legend within her time. Prince Prince Rodgers Nelson, born June 7th, 1958, known by his stage name Prince was a pioneer of 80s glam and a champion for male heels. Valley Girls Started in the Sanfernando Valley a fluent teenage girls who ultimately defined 80s slang. Phrases that uniquely marked the 80s way of speaking such as â€Å"Barf me out,†, â€Å"gag me with a spoon,† â€Å"totally tubular,† â€Å"narly,† and â€Å"eat my shorts,†. Rubics Cube Invented by Hungarian scientist, Eron Rubic, it seemed like such a simple puzzle, yet the rubics cube mesmorized millions of people with its complexity. The rubics cube began one of the most popular toys of the 20th century and an icon of the 80s. Pac-man Arcade game developed by Namo, distributed in the US, beginning in 1980. Considered a classic in video games and is virtually synomonas in 1980s pop culture. Reguared as one of the most influential video games of all time John Lennon On December 12th, 1980 english musician and one of the founders of the Beatles, John lennon was assinated by Mark David Chapman in front of his new york apartment home. His message was one of unity, peace, and a better future for all, a message which many youth from the 1980s responded to. Berlin Wall â€Å"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!† n June 12, 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke the people of West Berlin at the base of the Brandenburg Gate, near the Berlin wall. Due to the amplification system being used, the President’s words could also be heard on the Eastern (Communist-controlled) side of the wall. The address Reagan delivered that day is considered by many to have affirmed the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the fall of communism. On Nov. 9-11, 1989, the people of a free Berlin tore down that wall. The tearing of the wall represting the reuniting of Germany. Cell Phones In the early 1980’s it became more popular to have a car phone. The costs were high. A car phone could cost between $200 and $1000 dollars plus installation. The phone plans in the 1980’s were not like they are today. You could get a 30 minute plan for $49 per month. Roaming was extra and long distance was through your long distance carrier. You would receive two bills per month.In the early 1980’s the first real â€Å"bag phones† started getting popular. It would cost about $250 for a cheap one and $800 for a really good one. The battery life was limited to about 1 hour and the bags were about the size of a midsized pocket book. The plans were the same as the car phones.The first â€Å"cell phones† were really large with a long antenna. In the mid 1980’s they were about $400. There were no discounts for signing up for a 1 or 2 year plan. CD Rom Audio CDs and audio CD players have been commercially available since October 1982. standard CDs have a diameter of 120 millimetres (4.7 in) and can hold up to 80 minutes of uncompressed audio or 700 MiB (actually about 703 MiB or 737 MB) of data. The Mini CD has various diameters ranging from 60 to 80 millimetres (2.4 to 3.1 in); they are sometimes used for CD singles, storing up to 24 minutes of audio or delivering device drivers.

Literary Analysis

Langston Hughes’ â€Å"Theme for English B† is an interesting piece of perspective from an author who is obviously struggling to come up with an answer to what a teacher had thought to be a fairly straight forward question. When Hughes’ instructor asks him to go home and simply put down truth on a single page, it opens his eyes up to all of the things that he has done in his life. In addition to that, it opens his eyes to who he really is, what things drive and motivate him, and how other people have helped to shape him. He touches on certain racially charged issues, though he never really gets into them in detail. For the most part, his writing is a compilation of that several aspects that have made up his life and turned him into the relatively young man that he is. Hughes begins his writing by simply wondering out loud to himself. His first words serve as something of a critique of the assignment itself. The teacher has indicated that this would be something that should not take long and it should be relatively simple for the students to complete. Hughes realizes right away that it is not that easy, at all, to come up with a real picture of the things that make a person who they are. At the beginning, the majority of Hughes’ doubts have to do with the fact that he was brought up in some different places and that he has always been something of an outlier when compared to his contemporaries. Hughes writes, â€Å"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.† (Hughes). In this, the reader gets a clear picture of the road that has led Hughes to the university and how those things have had a seemingly profound impact on his life. Hughes also takes the time to touch on some racially charged themes in his life in the later part of his opening dialogue. He does not look like a lot of the students around him, which obviously presents some problems for him and it also makes him appreciate his background. He learns to appreciate the reasons why he was able to come as far as he has come. Jane Alice of American Studies had some interesting thoughts on the main themes behind this particularly piece of poetry. In her analysis, she writes, â€Å"The instructor of his class is then implying that everyone here in his college class has something in common or has some what of the same life† (Alice). This serves to address the big problem of perception that can often time separate people in academia. For the teacher, everything was simple and everyone in the class had a similar upbringing. After all, they were there in a good college, so they had to come from the same type of background. Little does she know that it was much more of a struggle for some people than it was for other people. For the poet, getting to college was no simple task. Instead, it was something that required the ability to overcome many hurdles along the way. Hughes is an interesting case when it comes to his perspective. He is no small player in the African American community, having ascended to the position of poet laureate and having produced some of the most well recognized work of his time. It is absolutely essential to understand these things if one is going to understand what he is trying to say in â€Å"Theme for English B†. According to Mark Maier of AssociatedContent.com, this is the primary piece that readers have to grasp. Maier writes, â€Å"Hughes was a staple in the Harlem community, and a major player in the Harlem Renaissance—a coming-of-age for African American creativity in the throughout the 1920’s and ‘30’s. He is 47 by the time he writes this poem (not actually for the assignment’s due date) and it serves as both an educational and reflective vehicle—a voice that tells the how and why of not only what was happening during the time of his class but what was happening during the time he penned the piece† (Maier). This was a reflective piece, one that Maier had to think long and hard about before he put it down onto paper. Not everything is racially charged in the poem, though. Hughes spends a lot of time thinking about what it means to be an American and life in America is life. He comes to the conclusion that being American is all about having different people as a part of your life, regardless of their background and their upbringing. Hughes writes in the poem, â€Å"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† (Hughes). This is something that Chris Semansky speaks to, as well. There, he writes, â€Å"As ‘Theme for English B’ indicates, Hughes, from the beginning of his career, consistently explored the idea of an American voice, and he repeatedly insisted that what we define as â€Å"American† must include the experiences, language, and visions of both its black and white citizens† (Semansky). All in all, many themes are addressed in Langston Hughes’ poem. From the obvious racial issues to the idea of an educational gap, he uses the idea of a simple assignment to address some things that are very important to him. Tina Mazzula speaks to this on more than one occasion in her analysis of the poem. She writes, â€Å"Langston Hughes, in writing â€Å"Theme for English B,† creates a poem that addresses the â€Å"white† concern for traditional English syntax, while at the same time, acknowledges the distance between the â€Å"white† culture and his â€Å"colored† self† (Mazzula). One cannot truly understand what Hughes was trying to get across without addressing each of these things individually and as a whole. Though some have tried to suggest that one thing was more important than another to the poet, it is clear from his many writings that he took many different aspects of the educational process very seriously. Not only did he appreciate and understand the struggle that he and many other African American students had to go through, but he also understood how difficult it was for his white teacher to relate to him on that level. In a way, it was this understanding that helped Hughes become as successful as he was during the entirety of his career. Works Cited Alice, Jane. Critics and Builders: American Studies. Analysis: A Theme for English B. ;http://criticsandbuilders.typepad.com/amstudiesblog/2008/03/anaylsis-a-them.html; Hughes, Langston. Theme for English B. ;http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html; Maier, Mark. Deconstructing Langston B. Hughes’ Theme for English B. 21 October 2005. ;http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/11600/deconstructing_langston_b_hughes.html; Mazzulla, Tina. ‘It will be true’:   A Look into the Voice of Langston Hughes. ; http://titan.iwu.edu/~wchapman/americanpoetryweb/hughthem.html; Semansky, Chris. Poetry for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. ;http://www.answers.com/topic/theme-for-english-b-poem-6; ; ; ; ; Literary Analysis Langston Hughes’ â€Å"Theme for English B† is an interesting piece of perspective from an author who is obviously struggling to come up with an answer to what a teacher had thought to be a fairly straight forward question. When Hughes’ instructor asks him to go home and simply put down truth on a single page, it opens his eyes up to all of the things that he has done in his life. In addition to that, it opens his eyes to who he really is, what things drive and motivate him, and how other people have helped to shape him. He touches on certain racially charged issues, though he never really gets into them in detail. For the most part, his writing is a compilation of that several aspects that have made up his life and turned him into the relatively young man that he is. Hughes begins his writing by simply wondering out loud to himself. His first words serve as something of a critique of the assignment itself. The teacher has indicated that this would be something that should not take long and it should be relatively simple for the students to complete. Hughes realizes right away that it is not that easy, at all, to come up with a real picture of the things that make a person who they are. At the beginning, the majority of Hughes’ doubts have to do with the fact that he was brought up in some different places and that he has always been something of an outlier when compared to his contemporaries. Hughes writes, â€Å"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.† (Hughes). In this, the reader gets a clear picture of the road that has led Hughes to the university and how those things have had a seemingly profound impact on his life. Hughes also takes the time to touch on some racially charged themes in his life in the later part of his opening dialogue. He does not look like a lot of the students around him, which obviously presents some problems for him and it also makes him appreciate his background. He learns to appreciate the reasons why he was able to come as far as he has come. Jane Alice of American Studies had some interesting thoughts on the main themes behind this particularly piece of poetry. In her analysis, she writes, â€Å"The instructor of his class is then implying that everyone here in his college class has something in common or has some what of the same life† (Alice). This serves to address the big problem of perception that can often time separate people in academia. For the teacher, everything was simple and everyone in the class had a similar upbringing. After all, they were there in a good college, so they had to come from the same type of background. Little does she know that it was much more of a struggle for some people than it was for other people. For the poet, getting to college was no simple task. Instead, it was something that required the ability to overcome many hurdles along the way. Hughes is an interesting case when it comes to his perspective. He is no small player in the African American community, having ascended to the position of poet laureate and having produced some of the most well recognized work of his time. It is absolutely essential to understand these things if one is going to understand what he is trying to say in â€Å"Theme for English B†. According to Mark Maier of AssociatedContent.com, this is the primary piece that readers have to grasp. Maier writes, â€Å"Hughes was a staple in the Harlem community, and a major player in the Harlem Renaissance—a coming-of-age for African American creativity in the throughout the 1920’s and ‘30’s. He is 47 by the time he writes this poem (not actually for the assignment’s due date) and it serves as both an educational and reflective vehicle—a voice that tells the how and why of not only what was happening during the time of his class but what was happening during the time he penned the piece† (Maier). This was a reflective piece, one that Maier had to think long and hard about before he put it down onto paper. Not everything is racially charged in the poem, though. Hughes spends a lot of time thinking about what it means to be an American and life in America is life. He comes to the conclusion that being American is all about having different people as a part of your life, regardless of their background and their upbringing. Hughes writes in the poem, â€Å"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† (Hughes). This is something that Chris Semansky speaks to, as well. There, he writes, â€Å"As ‘Theme for English B’ indicates, Hughes, from the beginning of his career, consistently explored the idea of an American voice, and he repeatedly insisted that what we define as â€Å"American† must include the experiences, language, and visions of both its black and white citizens† (Semansky). All in all, many themes are addressed in Langston Hughes’ poem. From the obvious racial issues to the idea of an educational gap, he uses the idea of a simple assignment to address some things that are very important to him. Tina Mazzula speaks to this on more than one occasion in her analysis of the poem. She writes, â€Å"Langston Hughes, in writing â€Å"Theme for English B,† creates a poem that addresses the â€Å"white† concern for traditional English syntax, while at the same time, acknowledges the distance between the â€Å"white† culture and his â€Å"colored† self† (Mazzula). One cannot truly understand what Hughes was trying to get across without addressing each of these things individually and as a whole. Though some have tried to suggest that one thing was more important than another to the poet, it is clear from his many writings that he took many different aspects of the educational process very seriously. Not only did he appreciate and understand the struggle that he and many other African American students had to go through, but he also understood how difficult it was for his white teacher to relate to him on that level. In a way, it was this understanding that helped Hughes become as successful as he was during the entirety of his career. Works Cited Alice, Jane. Critics and Builders: American Studies. Analysis: A Theme for English B. ;http://criticsandbuilders.typepad.com/amstudiesblog/2008/03/anaylsis-a-them.html; Hughes, Langston. Theme for English B. ;http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/English_B.html; Maier, Mark. Deconstructing Langston B. Hughes’ Theme for English B. 21 October 2005. ;http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/11600/deconstructing_langston_b_hughes.html; Mazzulla, Tina. ‘It will be true’:   A Look into the Voice of Langston Hughes. ; http://titan.iwu.edu/~wchapman/americanpoetryweb/hughthem.html; Semansky, Chris. Poetry for Students, The Gale Group, 1999. ;http://www.answers.com/topic/theme-for-english-b-poem-6; ; ; ; ;