Simple, colloquial language in “Cross” by Langston Hughes such as “old man” (1, 3, 9), “ma” (10) and “gonna ” (11) is appropriate to the speaker's direct address about the challenges faced by a mixed-race youth. This language successfully portrays the speaker's wise yet simple perception of the difficulties he is facing as a biracial child born into slavery. This ordinary dialect effectively represents the characters and setting of this tragic poem. The speaker uses his jargon to transport the audience to a place and time relevant to the topic of the poem. Langston Hughes eloquently introduces the audience to three main characters in this short but striking poem. He first introduces the audience to a young, confused and angry speaker. This young man is represented as “Being neither black nor white” (Hughes 12). The weight of this simple but important statement could easily escape the casual reader. Hughes uses this statement to successfully demonstrate the confusion and anger felt by this biracial young man. Next the reader is introduced...