Langston Hughes's "Theme For English B" describes the contrast between the speaker, a young African-American man from Harlem, and his instructor, an older white man. In turn, this contrast is part of a broader contrast between black and white.

In the penultimate stanza, the word "white" is mentioned three times, in reference to the speaker's English instructor. This creates a juxtaposition between the instructor and the speaker because in the previous stanzas the speaker has emphasized that he is "colored." This juxtaposition serves to emphasize the different cultural experiences of the two men. The whiteness of the instructor, and thus the contrast between the whiteness of the instructor and the "colored" skin of the speaker, is also emphasized in this stanza by the use of punctuation.

In the fourth line, for instance, the word "white" is followed by a hyphen, as if to create a pause in which the connotations of the word can sink in. Similarly, in the penultimate line of the stanza, the phrase, "and white," is preceded and followed by a hyphen, again emphasizing the significance of the instructor's whiteness in contrast to the speaker's "colored" skin.

Also in the penultimate stanza the words "me" and "you" are repeated often. The word "me" is repeated four times, and the word "you" is repeated eight times. This repeated juxtaposition helps to emphasize the differences between the two men, but also helps to convey the idea that these two men, one a student and the other an instructor, have a reciprocal, interdependent relationship. Each learns from the other.

The contrast between the speaker and the instructor is also emphasized by the structure of the poem. The poem begins with the instructor's words, and then, in the rest of the poem, the speaker reflects upon those words. This helps to create a contrast between the teacher and the student, the former proposing the idea, and the latter ruminating upon that idea.

Also in terms of the structure of the poem, the final two lines, which form a rhyming couplet, are also significant. The poem concludes with the speaker comparing himself with his instructor, and declaring that the latter is "somewhat more free." This is the contrast that the poem concludes with, and the fact that the word "free" forms a rhyming couplet with the phrase, "English B," helps to make sure that the contrast resonates.