Poems are often written to express emotions and vent whatever is on their mind. In both Langston Hughes's "The Ballad of the Landlord" and Claude McKay's "America," the speakers show their emotions regarding the government. In Hughes "The Ballard of Landlord," the speaker describes how they have problems in their tenement, but no one will listen. When the speaker says "Landlord, landlord, My roof has sprung a leak. Don't you 'member I told you about it Way last week,?" (1-4) he talk about how the landlord never fixed the problem that made the roof leak after telling the landlord about it last week. This is similar to the government during that time. The government was not fixing America properly during the Depression. Instead of fixing problems, they made more problems by going into war. This also has to do with blacks wanting to get their equal rights. In McKay's America on the other hand talks more deeply about America's segregation. The speaker states "I love this cultured hell that tests my youth!"(4) The "cultured hell" in the line refers to America's culture toward African-Americans. This poem also talks about how the government is killing him. The government towards African Americans especially are not well treated.
http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/49026-Langston-Hughes-The-Ballad-Of-The-Landlord
Both speakers offer a voice for the minority in society; do they differ in aggressiveness or type of language?
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