Composition

The outer composition of the poem “Ballad of the Landlord” by Langston Hughes is relatively simple but irregular. The poem is split into nine stanzas, the first six of which have four lines each, while the last three have three lines each. 

The poem’s inner composition follows the conflict between the black tenant and the white landlord. This conflict arises because of the landlord’s unwillingness to repair the house he is renting to the black man and it concludes with the black man wrongfully being sent to jail.

Outer composition

The poem “Ballad of the Landlord” by Langston Hughes has a simple outer composition. The poem is composed of nine stanzas that have different lengths. The first six stanzas contain four verses each, while the final three stanzas have three verses each. 

The first six stanzas have an ABCB rhyme scheme, which is the typical rhyme sc...