19 pages • 38 minutes read
Children’s Rhymes
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Themes
Racism in the United States
Racism is a central theme in Langston Hughes’ “Children’s Rhymes.” The poem draws attention to race in the first stanza when the speaker announces that they “ain’t sent” (Line 3) the same rights received by “white kids” (Line 2). The emphasis on skin color evokes race, and the poem's author and context lead to the theme of racism in the United States. Americans elect a “President” (Line 5), yet, due to the racism, the speaker believes there aren’t enough unprejudiced voters to elect them or someone with their skin color for the position of President, so the speaker “can’t be President” (Line 5).
The speaker’s inability to one day become the President connects to their lack of freedom. On account of their race, the speaker isn’t “free” (Line 10) to do or become anything they want. The speaker faces limited opportunities. Their Blackness circumscribes their potential. The speaker’s awareness of their oppressed environment “bugs” them (Line 8). They are bothered by the racism, while the white kids remain untroubled by the bigotry since they’re free to do whatever they want. When the poem was published, all the Presidents of America were white, so the white kids could realistically dream of being President.
In Stanza 3, the speaker calls out racism with the word “Lies" (Line 11). The blunt diction allows the speaker to address racism head-on. The values espoused in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the critical texts that compose the United States of America are false. In America, “everybody” (Line 9) doesn’t benefit from “Liberty And Justice” (Line 14)—only “white folks” (Line 12) do. The power of the lie is such that the speaker interrupts the Pledge of Allegiance with a “Huh!” (Line 15). Keenly conscious of the racist past and present of the United States, the speaker can’t bring themself to utter the words without directly commenting on their falseness.
The Multiple Types of Wants and Lacks
Want and lack represent another theme in Langston Hughes’ poem. The speaker and the white kids alternate between wanting and lacking. In Stanza 1, the speaker wants something that they can’t have. They’re not “sent” (Line 3) the possibility of becoming President of the United States. The speaker, due to their skin color, lacks this dream. The rather common dream of growing up to be President is denied to the speaker because they’re Black.
In Stanza 2, the “white kids” (Line 7) lack the irritation that the speaker possesses, and, in turn, the speaker wishes that they lacked what “sure bugs” them. In Stanza 2, lacking is a positive because what the speaker has is negative. The speaker is aware “everybody / ain’t free” (Line 9-10), and this recognition upsets the speaker, so they'd be better off if they lacked this grave vexation.
In the final stanza, the speaker doesn’t want to stay silent about the lies told by the United States. The speaker lacks the ignorance to blithely recite the Pledge of Allegiance as if its words are true. As the lies aren’t “written down” (Line 11) for the speaker, he lacks the comfort that they bring. In other words, the purpose of the lies isn’t for the speaker's consolation—the falsehoods don't benefit the speaker, so they have little to lose by calling them out.
Helplessness, Change, and Agency
A key part of the tension in “Children’s Rhymes” is how the themes of powerlessness, change, and agency work together. In Stanza 1, the theme of powerlessness manifests in the speaker’s belief that they’ll never be President. The speaker can’t be the leader of the United States of America because, hypothetically, a racist country would never grant a Black person that much power. At the same time, “the white kids” (Line 2) lack the powerlessness felt by the speaker. The presidency is within their grasp, which means they’ll have the opportunity to maintain the racist power dynamic in the United States.
In Stanza 2, the theme of powerlessness continues as the speaker can’t help but be bothered by the belief that “everybody / ain’t free” (Lines 9-10). This recognition “bugs” the speaker (Line 8). The annoyance felt by the speaker in Stanza 2 links to the problem in Stanza 1. If the speaker could become President, maybe they could alter the situation and then everybody could be free. As it stands within the first two stanzas, the speaker is helpless and not sure how or if they can change their environment.
However, in the final stanza, the speaker shows that change is possible and that racism hasn’t extinguished all of their power or individuality. The first word in Stanza 3 is “Lies.” This signals a shift in themes. Now, the speaker is taking on the myths of America. They’re not bothered or bemoaning their squelched presidential aspirations. The speaker is speaking up and using their voice to spotlight the hypocrisies of America’s imputed values. The speaker’s power manifests when they interrupt the Pledge of Allegiance. “Huh!” exclaims the speaker (Line 15). The speaker imposes themselves on the oath and inserts their beliefs into the Pledge. Although it’s only one word—“huh”— its presence indicates that the speaker has agency, can speak truth to power, and thus, potentially change how power operates. Using their voice, perhaps one day the speaker can help bring about an America where “Liberty and Justice” (Line 14) are truly “For All” (Line 15).
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By Langston Hughes
