Theme and message

Racial injustice and segregation

The theme explored by Langston Hughes in the poem “Merry-Go-Round” is racial injustice and segregation. The theme is illustrated by the black child who wants to ride a horse on a merry-go-round and who is confused about how segregation works in this situation. 

The speaker’s experience reveals that the Southern US is a place of racial injustice. The Jim Crow laws, which apply in a variety of contexts – including public facilities and transportation – show that in the poem, the US is not yet ready to accept the idea that black people and white people are equal. The speaker comes from the South, where “white and colored can’t sit side by side” (ll. 5-6) and where “there’s a Jim Crow car” (l. 8) and a special place for black peop...