BALLAD OF THE LAND LORD BU LANGSTON HUGHES. (1902-1967), Selected Poems by Tanzania Institute of Education
A black American poet, he worked as a sailor and a cook before he devoted himself to literature. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance and besides writing poetry he also wrote novels, books for children, song lyrics and news-paper columns.
BALLAD OF THE LAND LORD BU LANGSTON HUGHES. (1902-1967)
Land lord! land lord!
My roof has sprung a leak
Don’t you remember I told you about it Way last week?
Land, lord! land lord, 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 ‘n I’ll pay you Till you fix this house up new.
What? You gonna get eviction orders? You gonna cut off my heart?
You gonna take my furniture and Throw it in the street?
Um-huh! You talking high and mighty Talk on-till you get through.
You ain’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.
Precinct station Iron cell.
Headlines in press:
Man threatens land lord Tenant held no bail
Judge gives Negro 90 days in county jail.
GUIDING QUESTIONS:
Qn 1. What is the poem all about?
Answ: The poem is all about the conflict between a tenant and a landlord, the source of the conflict is that the landlord wants more money from the tenant while the house is in bad condition (not repaired)
Qn 2. Who is the persona of the poem?
Answ: From the first stanza up to fifth stanza the persona is a tenant (the exploited man) but in the sixth stanza the persona happens to be the landlord (the exploiter).
Qn 3. What kind of a poem is this?
Answ: This is a narrative poem (ballad), the poet is telling us a story about the conflict between the tenant and the landlord up to the end of the story where the tenant is arrested by the police and jailed for 90 days.
Qn 4. What is the setting of the poem?
Answ: The setting of the poem is America where racial segregation is practiced to greater extent.
Qn 5. What is the tone of the poem?
Answ: The tone of the poem is angry and unhappy. The tenant is not happy with the exploitation done to him by the landlord.
Qn 6. What is the mood of the poem?
Answ: The mood of the poem is very sad. The mood makes us feel sympathy with the tenant who is just jailed because of his black colour (Negro).
Qn 7. Is the poem relevant to your society?
Answ: To some extent the poem is relevant to my society where such conflicts between landlords and tenants are also found in the society but for the case of racial segregation, the poem was very relevant in America and South Africa where racism was practiced to a greater extent.
Qn 8. Comment on the use of figures of speech and musical devices.
Answ: Musical devices
Reiteration – “Land lord! Land lord!”
– “Police! Police!”
Rhymes.
-“the word leak rhymes with week so do you rhymes with due”
Figures of speech.
Rhetorical questions
“Ten bucks you say I owe you? Ten bucks you say is due?. ”
Ungrammatical language.
-“ …These steps is broken down..”
“ You ain’t gonna be able to say a word…”
In the above quotations, the persona uses ungrammatical language, if the sentences were grammatical they could read “these steps are broken down” and “you are not going to be able”. The use of ungrammatical language shows the type of language spoken by lower class people especially uneducated ones.
Qn 9. What are the themes of this poem?
Answ: The themes of this poem are Exploitation, classes, inequality, hypocrisy, racial discrimination (racism) and protest.
(i) Exploitation.
Exploitation is one of the themes of this poem, for example in the poem, the landlord wants more money from the tenant while the house is in a very bad condition (not repaired) as the roof is leaking and the steps are broken down.
(ii) Classes.
There are two classes shown in this society found in the poem, the class of rich (landlord/exploiter) and the class of poor (tenant/exploited). The class of rich (landlord) is above the law such that they control the coercive forces like police and prisons. For example, the landlord orders the police to arrest the tenant and jail him while he (landlord) is the one found guilty of exploiting him (tenant).
(iii) Protest.
This also is one of the themes discussed by the poet in this poem. The tenant is not happy with exploitation and humiliation done to him by the landlord, therefore he protests against these evils. Refer the fifth stanza of the poem for further clarification.
(iv) Racial discrimination (racism).
This refers to the unfair treatment of people who belong to a different race due to the belief that some races of people are better than others. This is shown in this poem, the landlord being a Whiteman, he exploits and discriminates the tenant because of his black colour. For example, the tenant is arrested and jailed just because of his black colour (Negro).