Summary

The poem “Ballad of the Landlord” by Langston Hughes begins with the speaker addressing his landlord and telling him that the roof is leaking. The speaker mentions that he already told the landlord about this issue a week ago.

The speaker addresses the landlord again, telling him that the steps are broken. The speaker also expresses his surprise that the landlord does not fall down the stairs when he climbs them. 

When the landlord asks the speaker for the ten dollars he claims the speaker owes him, the speaker is shocked and tells the landlord that he refuses to pay until the landlord fixes the house. 

The speaker asks the landlord whether the refusal to pay will make him get evicted or thrown out on the street. The speaker, who notices that the landlor...