Courtney Amick

Mrs. Carter
AP Literature and Composition
9 March 2014
Whats Black and White and Judged All Over?
Cross by Langston Hughes
My old mans a white old man 1
And my old mothers black.
If I ever cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.

If I ever cursed my black old mother 5
And wished she were in hell,
Im sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well.

My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack. 10
I wonder where Im gonna die,
Being neither white nor black?


Langston Hughes expresses his discontent at not being truly considered white or black in
his poem Cross. A culmination of a multitude of literary elements such as the use of
denotation and connotation of words as well as imagery combine to reveal his theme.
The title itself, Cross, holds several connotations. The author, first of all, is a cross of
races. He is an even mix of Caucasian and African American. It can be inferred that his mother
was possibly a slave and his father her master, and that Hughes was a product of master taking
Comment [C1]: Dont underline the title
Comment [C2]: Unnecessary, delete
Comment [C3]: Delete, not necessarily even
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advantage of his property. This inference is further supported when he mentions his father
died in a big fine house (9) and his mother died in a shack (10). The juxtaposition of those
two places of death suggests a large class division, regardless of race, between his mother and
his father. His mother was clearly much lower on the socioeconomic scale than his father.
The second connotation of Cross would be his feelings of anger, i.e. being cross,
towards his parents. He is angered by the fact that he is neither white nor black. Because of
this, he does not know what path to take in life. He expresses this when he asks in the end I
wonder where Im gonna die, being neither white nor black? (11-12).
The third connotation implies that his mixed race heritage gives him a heavy cross to
bear. Every day he must face the fact that he does not belong to one particular race. In the time
that Hughes wrote the poem, racism was rampant in the United States. His mixed racial
heritage was a source of scandal. His cross to bear stemmed from the judgments of others.
There are additional connotations in the repeated words white and black. When
considered with their denotations, they are simply referring to the color of ones skin. White is
referencing Caucasian and black is referencing African American. However, their connotations
suggest white meaning purity and black meaning impurity. This obvious juxtaposition furthers
the divide between his parents. It is no longer a matter of race or socioeconomic status, but
one of pure holiness versus evil and sinfulness. In 1926 when the poem was written, these
connotations would have been recognized. Whites were considered pure and supreme, while
blacks were considered dirty and unnatural. Because Hughes is both white and black, it is not
clear whether he is to be considered pure or impure; affluent or poor; respected or scorned.
Comment [C4]: Add quotation marks
Comment [C5]: Change to not definitively one
race because neither white nor black is in the
Comment [C6]: Change to his mixed race to
replace the pronoun
Comment [C7]: Add or how to identify himself
Comment [C8]: Shouldnt end with a quote,
needs analysis behind it
Comment [C9]: Insert this after neither white
nor black (2
nd
) sentence
Comment [C10]: Change to In consideration of
the period in which the poem was written, their
connotations in that time
Comment [C11]: Add quotation marks around
the word and add in accordance with the
associations of the day in order to be more
sensitive
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The colloquial nature of the language expressed in the poem serves to represent that
Hughes is simply expressing his thoughts on his mixed race. He is not pondering the
complexities of his situation, but more wondering what path he is to take. This simplistic, yet
informative language allows the author to reveal his meaning and purpose through very few
words. These words also provide imagery that serve to show the cavernous divide between his
fathers situation and his mothers. White old man (1) and fine big house (9) provide a
picture of wealth and affluence. Black old mother, (5) ma, (6) hell, (10) and shack (10)
all provide images of darkness, lack of education and poverty.
The first ten lines cite his predicament and his struggle to no longer blame his parents.
He does this through recanting his wishes of evil and curses upon his mother and father. He
knows that it is not their fault that society judges him for his racial heritage and says I take my
curses back (4) and now I wish her well (8). The last two lines provide his statement of
resolution and reveal the theme in the form of a question. The whole poem is centered on the
fact that he is frustrated over being caught in the center between two races and he does not
know in which direction to be led.
A combination of literary elements serves to reveal Langston Hughess discontent over
his lack of racial definition. He is neither white nor black and, by connotation, neither pure nor
impure. He questions where he belongs in society and how he will make that decision
throughout his life.


Comment [C12]: Add because he is left without
a clear identity
Comment [C13]: Awkward wording. Change to
release his blame towards
Comment [C14]: Add or how to identify
himself to solidify his struggle
Comment [C15]: Change to by connotations of
the time period to make it more sensitive and
politically correct. The current wording could be
construed as offensive
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