Comparing Villanueva's B And Crazy Courage

In the wonderful world of expression and individuality, two writings truly embody the belief that being who oneself is critical to human beings and self-empowerment. In Alma Luz Villanueva’s “Crazy Courage” and Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English ‘B’,” both of these poems seem to convey the same message and include characters doing not so popular things, within a judgmental society in order to better themselves or make themselves feel more complete. Both works show a sense of individualism and affirm that the knowledge of taboo and controversial things is exactly what gives human beings power.
In “Crazy Courage” the narrator is obsessing over a cross dressing male finding his behavior courageous, brave, and even attractive. Her dramatic tone gives the reader a sense of acceptance in the face of societal norms and she describes such non-conformity in a poetic fashion. Her main rhetorical appeal in this story is pathos. As a result of such descriptive language and emotional attachment to the character she’s observing, her writing style is more effective as a result. In particular, when describing Michael, the narrator makes note of several things about him. The colors of his clothing and his
His evidence wasn’t giving a speech but addressing the professor of his class and respectfully letting him know that he doesn’t understand anything about him. He’s an outcast in his own eyes. He lists things he enjoys such as wine, music, pipes, to draw on a sense of normalcy for a brief moment only to end his assignment with, “You’re older—and white—and somewhat more free” (Hughes). A very frank statement that could be interpreted as the opposite of empowering, but I don’t believe it was disempowering in the slightest given Hughes’ tone gives such an indication. His knowledge is what gives him power and strength where popularity and acceptance do