Elizabeth Peña
ENG102.0840
10/30/07
Midterm
In the poem “Quinceañera” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the poet explains the transformation
from girlhood to womanhood from the perspective of a fifteen year old girl. In the poem “The
Theme for English B” by Langston Hughes, the speaker talks about the African American
struggle of forming an African American identity. Both poems illustrate a quest for identity
because in the poem “Quinceañera” the speaker does not feel ready to become a woman and in
“The Theme for English B” the speaker feels confused since society views him as being different
due to the fact that he is an African American.
Quinceañera means sweet fifteen in Spanish and on that special day a girl transforms
from a child into a young woman. The first three lines of the poem give me the impression that
the speaker of the poem is not ready to be a woman. She says “my dolls have been put away like
dead children in a chest” (l 1-2). Dead children is a negative image. She is not ready to give up
her “children”. The dolls represent the speaker’s childhood, and she is not ready to give up her
childhood. Lines three through five indicate that she is still young and innocent. The reference to
the slip suggests she feels like playing dress up.
Throughout the poem, the speaker shows lack of enthusiasm for becoming a woman. She
gives the reader various negative images and words. For example “My hair has been nailed back
with my mother’s black hairpins to my skull” (l 6-8). Nailed back and black hairpins are harsh
words. These images convey to darkness and unhappiness. The speaker explains to the reader the
changes she must go through at the age of fifteen. For instance, changes such as simply giving up
her possessions to actually doing things in preparation for getting married. In lines eleven
through sixteen the speaker finds she is poisonous. She finds herself poisonous because she is at
the age of puberty, and as days go by her body is forming into a new womanly body. The
Elizabeth Peña
ENG102.0840
10/30/07
speaker is still young and just doesn’t understand certain things about womanhood such as
having to do chores and getting married. She doesn’t sound too happy and feels confused.
The poem, “The Theme for English B” starts off with an instructor giving his students an
English assignment. The guidelines state “Go home and write/ a page tonight. / And let that page
come out of you-/ Then, it will be true” (l 2-5). The speaker of the poem is a twenty-two year
old, African American who was born in Harlem-Salem (l 7). Further-more, he is the only colored
person in his class (l 10). He expresses himself just as the instructor tells him to do so for the
assignment but is afraid of how the instructor and others will judge him. He explains that an
African American man likes and does the same things as a white man, for instance when he says
“Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. I like to work, read, learn, and understand life” (l
21-22). Society doesn’t view the truth that African Americans are the same as everyone else. The
speaker states “I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like the same things other folks like
who are other races” (L 25-26). He explains how he feels about other races in society viewing
him as being different just because he is African American (l 34-36). The speaker is simply
asking for an understanding and wishes to be accepted not as a black man but as an American.
Moreover, he feels confused and wants to express himself but doesn’t know how. The
speaker says “As I learn from you, I guess you learn from me” (l 37-38). Lines thirty-six and
thirty-seven show that the speaker is expressing that he and his instructor can learn from each
other, even though they have different skin colors and backgrounds. In the end they are equal.
This poem employs a lot of imagery. He gives good images of Harlem. For example “…then
here to this college on the hill above Harlem” (l 8-9) and “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”(l 11-14). These images of Harlem go together with the theme of a quest
Elizabeth Peña
ENG102.0840
10/30/07
for identity because it gives the reader an understanding of where the speaker comes from.
Harlem represents the speaker’s identity and roots.
In these poems both speakers are confused. They give their point of view of a particular
stage of life and both show us that they have a bit of fear regarding how the world views them.
The speakers of both poems express themselves and give us a clearer understanding about their
truth. In “Quinceañera” the speaker is getting older and growing up. This can be one of the
hardest times in a girl’s life, but society views it as a rite of passage all must experience. This is
the age of confusion in a girl’s life. The speaker knows that she must go through these changes
but she does not feel ready. The speaker in “The Theme for English B” simply wants society to
understand him. What he is going through is very hard for him. In society, blacks face injustices
by whites, therefore, it is very hard for him to express himself. Both speakers feel puzzled and
are having trouble trying to find their own identity.