Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes wrote the poem "Ballad of the Landlord" in 1940, a time of immense discrimination against people of African descent. The poem details the account of a tenant, later discovered to be an African American, who is dissatisfied with his rental property. The tenant politely asks the landlord to make necessary repairs to the property, but the landlord demands payment instead. The tenant refuses to pay the rent and the police are called after a threat to the landlord. The police arrest the tenant and he is jailed for ninety days without bail. The "Ballad of the Landlord" by Langston Hughes is a surprising poem that highlights the poor living conditions and discrimination that African Americans faced in the 1940s by illustrating an account of an African American tenant's problems with a Caucasian homeowner using simple words. words and many literary devices. Obvious to most, the theme of “Ballad of the Landlord” is racism and discrimination. It is clear that the tenant is being discriminated against by the landlord, the police and the newspaper. The newspaper only shows one side, notably in the headlines: “MAN THREATENES LANDLORD”, even though the tenant had a legitimate reason to threaten (31). Theme is an important aspect of Hughes' poem because it forms the basis of the poem's purpose and meaning. The rhyme scheme in "Ballad of the Landlord" generally follows the simple 4-line rhyme scheme, in which the rhyme pattern is ABCB. ; this standard form also shows the simplicity of the main participant, the tenant. Rhyming words are found at the end of the second and fourth lines of each stanza. This phenomenon is seen throughout the poem, with the exception of middle of paper...... Angston Hughes writes a short poem of 33 lines which simply shows the barriers between races at the time when racism was still practiced through segregation and discrimination. The poem captures the frustrations of the African American tenant towards the landlord as well as the racism exhibited by the landlord. The poem is an excellent illustration of this period and shows how significant discrimination was in daily life in the forties. It is important that the author uses literary means to better illustrate his point. Each literary device in the poem helps to develop the author's intention: to increase awareness of racism in society at the time. Works Cited Hughes, Langston. “Owner’s Ball”. An introduction to literature. Ed. Sylvan Barnett, William Burto and William E. Cain. 16th ed. New York: Longman, 2011. 765-766. Print.