Opposing Voices in “Ballad of the Landlord”

993 Words4 Pages
The main voice in the poem is that of the tenant, who, as the last line tells us, is black. The tenant is characterized by his informal, nonstandard speech. He uses slang (“Ten Bucks”), contracted words (’member, more’n), and nonstandard grammar (“These steps is broken down”). This colloquial English suggests the tenant’s separation from the world of convention, represented by the formal voices of the police and the press, which appear later in the poem. Although the tenant uses nonstandard English, his argument is organized and logical. He begins with a reasonable complaint and a gentle reminder that the complaint is already a week old: “My roof has sprung a leak. / Don’t you ’member I told you about it / Way last week?” (lines 2-4). In the second stanza, he appeals diplomatically to the landlord’s self-interest: “These steps is broken down. / When you come up yourself / It’s a wonder you don’t fall down” (6-8). In the third stanza, when the landlord has responded to his complaints with a demand for rent money, the tenant becomes more forceful, but his voice is still reasonable: “Ten Bucksyou say is due? / Well, that’s Ten Bucks more’n I’ll pay you / Till you fix this house up new” (10-12). The fourth stanza marks a shift in the tone of the argument. At this point the tenant responds more emotionally, in reaction to the landlord’s threats to evict him. By the fifth stanza, the tenant has unleashed his anger: “Um-huh! You talking high and mighty” (17). Hughes uses an exclamation point for the first time; the tenant is raising his voice at last. As the argument gets more heated, the tenant finally resorts to the language of violence: “You ain’t gonna be able to say a word / If I land my fist on you” (19-20). These are the last words the tenant speaks in the poem. Perhaps Hughes wants to show how black people who threaten
Open Document