By Langston Hughes (USA)
Landlord, landlord!
My roof has sprung a leak.
Don’t you remember I told you about it
Way last week?
Landlord, landlord!
These steps is broken down
When you come up yourself
It’s a wonder you don’t fall down.
Ten bucks you say I owe you/
Ten bucks you say is due?
Well, that’s ten bucks more and I’ll pay you
Till you fix this house up new.
What? You gonna get eviction order
You gonna cut off my heat?
You gonna take my furniture
And throw it in the street?
Um-huh! You talking high and mighty
Talk on-till get through
You won’t gonna be able to say a word
If I land my fist on you.
Police! Police!
Come and get this man!
He’s trying to ruin the government
and overturn the land!
Copper’s whistle!
Patrol bell!
Arrest
Police Prencint station
Iron cell
Headlines in press.
Man threatens landlord
Tenant held no bail
Judge gives Negro 90 days in county jail.
POEM ANALYSIS
1. About the Poet. Langston Hughes
(1902-1967), American writer, known for using the rhythms of jazz and of
everyday black speech in his poetry. Hughes was one of the first writers to
portray the urban black experience realistically. His poems typically express
the tribulations and sometimes the joys of ghetto life in plain, spirited
language resembling the colloquial speech of American blacks.
2. Title of the poem. The title of the
poem is reflective of the evils that happen in racially segregated societies
like America where the landlords were mostly white and owned major means of
production. These landlords harassed Africans to the extent that Africans tried
to respond but they met with a heavy government hand.
3. Brief Summary/Paraphrase of the poem. The poem is about a
quarrel between a landlord and a tenant. The landlord (the owner of the house)
wants his house rent, but the tenant refuses to pay until the landlord repairs
the leaking house with some steps broken. Then, landlord threatens to throw the
tenant out of the house. The tenant also threatens the landlord. The landlord
decides now to call the police. The tenant is arrested. Finally, the tenant is
accused for overthrowing the
Government and is
imprisoned for 90 days in county jail.
4. Persona. The person speaking in the poem is an
oppressed tenant who is illegally oppressed and exploited by the government,
the landlord, and the system of racial segregation.
5. Addressee. The addressee or audience of this poem is
any one or any society that is oppressed or exploited by landlords or by the
bad system of the society itself.
6. Tone. The tone of the poet is angry and sad. The
line “If I land my fist on you” shows how angry the persona is.
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