THEME FOR ENGLISH B

By Langston Hughes

Go home and write 
a page tonight. 
And let that page come out of you--- 
Then, it will be true.

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.

我的作业如下：

Mr. Gardner said,

Go home and write

A page tonight.

And let that page come out of you –

Then, it will be true.

I believe it is not that simple.

There’s no home, for I’m living

at a boarding school.

And I can possibly write

two pages instead of one.

And they told me not to

procrastinate, but I still

had no sense of “tonight”.

I am sixteen, Asian,

born in China, brought up in China, went to school in China,

Then here I am, here at Hotchkiss,

On top of a hill, a hill that

I have to run down three times a day for cross country.

I am a new student, so new that up

until this day, I still get lost during 5 minutes class breaks.

The first day I was here,

they told me I lived in Beeler,

but brought me to Buehler.

The second day I was here,

they told me not to walk through the center door,

but I had, for nine times

the day before.

The third day I was here,

they told me that I had the prettiest roommate in the world,

and I was happy because finally there was

something I did know.

The fourth day I was here,

they pointed out this room and that room,

and this field and that field,

and this teacher and that teacher,

and I still don’t know why

the Math Wing is the same as the History Wing, and why

Art History classroom is in the Art Wing.

It’s not easy to know the limits of

loneliness, at the age of sixteen.

Eating alone, sleeping alone, studying alone, running alone.

Sometimes they ask me

my name, my country, my classes,

and I answer them as they turn away

uninterested, talking and laughing with my roommate.

I speak silently to them, in fact to

myself, that

I like tortillas with guacamole, bagels with Philadelphia cream cheese,

and unsweetened chocolate cakes.

I like reading in the hidden corners of libraries, playing badminton competitively, and watching Master Chef and crying because my favorite players lost.

I guess being new doesn’t make me NOT be able to achieve

the same things other students achieve who are old.

So will my pages be judged because I am new?

Being me, it will not be old.

But it will be

a part of you, classmates.

You are old –

yet a part of me, as I am a part of you.

That’s Hotchkiss.

Sometimes perhaps you don’t want to get to know me.

Nor do I often care to get to know you.

But we do, that’s true!

As I learn from you,

I guess you learn from me –

although you’re older – and experienced –

and somewhat less lonely.

其实在这里的生活很开心，但是刚来的时候实在是挺孤单的，没有认识的人，做什么都是一个人。现在所有的课程都开始了，认识了很多新同学，做什么都不再是一个人了。但是这首诗也算是纪念一下开学最初的状态吧。