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"It seems to me," said Booker T.,

"It shows a mighty lot of cheek

To study chemistry and Greek

When Mister Charlie needs a hand

To hoe the cotton on his land,

And when Miss Ann looks for a cook,

Why stick your nose inside a book?"

"I don't agree," said W.E.B.,

"If I should have the drive to seek

Knowledge of chemistry or Greek,

I'll do it. Charles and Miss can look

Another place for hand or cook.

Some men rejoice in skill of hand,

And some in cultivating land,

But there are others who maintain

The right to cultivate the brain."

"It seems to me," said Booker T.,

"That all you folks have missed the boat

Who shout about the right to vote,

And spend vain days and sleepless nights

In uproar over civil rights.

Just keep your mouths shut, do not grouse,

But work, and save, and buy a house."

"I don't agree," said W.E.B.,

"For what can property avail

If dignity and justice fail.

Unless you help to make the laws,

They'll steal your house with trumped-up clause.

A rope's as tight, a fire as hot,

No matter how much cash you've got.

Speak soft, and try your little plan,

But as for me, I'll be a man."

"It seems to me," said Booker T.-

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Booker T. and W.E.B. by Dudley Randall | Poetry Foundation

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"It seems to me," said Booker T., "It shows a mighty lot of cheek To study chemistry and Greek When Mister Charlie needs a hand To hoe the cotton on his land, And when Miss Ann looks for a cook, Why stick your nose inside a book?"

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The conflict being presented is speaker v. society, and the speaker W.E.B. is acknowledging the problem. As Booker T. states, "Just keep your mouths shut, do not grouse/But work, and save, and buy a house" W.E.B. disagrees by stating, "They’ll steal your house with trumped-up clause./A rope’s as tight, a fire as hot,/No matter how much cash you’ve got." Showing how society believes that there is no point in protesting for rights and how they should just be complacent, however, W.E.B does not believe this and sees the problem through his listing of what society will do to them even if they remain complacent. Not only does W.E.B acknowledge the problem but he wants to act upon it by the statements at the end of his stanzas, 2 and 4 where he is going to take it upon himself to change, he does not wish to comply with what society has planned for him and rejects it. Both speakers have an issue with how society is presented, Booker T sees no use in the civil rights protests and believes that just working hard will get you what you want. While W.E.B. does not see society as the same, he wants to move away from the society's ideals that are at the expense of black people, he goes against them is in conflict with society.

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The poem by Booker T and W.E.B covers as conflict of person v. person where Booker T and W.E.B both have contradicting ideas of how  people placed into slavery should behave as a response to their conditions. The argument from Booker is that slaves should stay the course of manual labor and not disrupt the system, and if done, will be rewarded with opportunities of a normal domestic life. “It shows a mighty lot of cheek, To study chemistry and Greek, When Mister Charlie needs a hand, To hoe the cotton on his land..." This line tells the reader that Booker thinks it irresponsible for enslaved people to go in search of an education when there is work to be done on plantations. The response from W.E.B is the first example of that conflict of ideas between the two speakers. “I don’t agree,” said W.E.B.,

“If I should have the drive to seek

Knowledge of chemistry or Greek,

I’ll do it." Here W.E.B strongly disagrees with Booker in saying that if one has the urge to seek knowledge than it should e the right of that person to be able to do so. The conflict between the two speakers continues to advance in their discussion of equal rights. Booker claims that it is a waste of time to shout and fi8ght for these protections, "And spend vain days and sleepless nights, In uproar over civil rights", but instead, they should work to save for a home. W.E.B's counter to that is, "A rope’s as tight, a fire as hot,

No matter how much cash you’ve got." Meaning, that unless the rights to be protected under the same laws are fought for, the house that is bought is never really theirs. Because each stanza begins with "It seems to me"-Booker and "I don't agree"- W.E.B, this tells the reader that the speakers do acknowledge the conflict between them.

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The conflict within the poem, Booker T. and W.E.B, by Dudley Randall, presents the conflict of speaker v. speaker v. society. In which both speakers argue about the problems the society creates. One speaker, Booker T., acknowledging the problem by accepting the standing implications of Black Americans within society, stating  "“It shows a mighty lot of cheek/To study chemistry and Greek/When Mister Charlie needs a hand /To hoe the cotton on his land, /And when Miss Ann looks for a cook, /Why stick your nose inside a book?”" Here, the speaker presents the solution to the problem by proposing that the roles of Black Americans should be of servitude. However, the second speaker, W.E.B, heavily disagrees, proposing that if there is a drive to seek knowledge, Black Americans should be able to, "“If I should have the drive to seek/ Knowledge of chemistry or Greek, /I’ll do it. Charles and Miss can look /Another place for hand or cook. /Some men rejoice in skill of hand, /And some in cultivating land, /But there are others who maintain /The right to cultivate the brain.”" The second speaker acknowledges the problem by not only rebutting what the first speaker stated but presenting a solution in which advances the civil rights movement towards better education and standing for Black Americans.

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The conflict presented is both between two people as well as speaker v. society. There is primarily conflict between the ideologies held by W.E.B. and Booker T. as they disagree about the manner in which black Americans can progress their standing in society. W.E.B. advocates for education as a means to progress civil rights, while Booker T. believes that continuing to work in laborious roles and earn enough money to buy a house and other amenities is the most effective course of action. While the two speakers disagree with one another strongly, they do share a conflict with society as a whole, seeing as how they are both opponents of oppression

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The conflict being presented within the poem is speaker v. society, as well as a conflict between two people with clashing ideals.  The conflict between the two people, W.E.B Du Bois and Booker T. Washington, is a discussion on the role that black Americans should have in society post civil war: whether they should continue to fill roles of servitude and work technical jobs (Booker) or receive higher education and work in careers that require higher education (WEB). In Booker's case, he seems to agree with the societal expectation held for black people, and rather than upsetting societal standards about a black person's place, he chooses to stick with what he knows. He feels as though this is the best way to progress with civil rights. W.E.B, on the other hand, wants to "rebel" against these societal norms, encouraging black Americans to seek higher education rather than  settling and doing physical labor for white people. The poem is set up in such a way that it seems like the two men are having a heated conversation with one another, with W.E.B cutting off Booker at the very end of the poem. The two characters acknowledge that there is a conflict between them, as they continually state "I don't agree" in response to the other's opinion on the issue.

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The conflict that is being presented within "Booker T. and W.E.B." is person versus society when it comes to civil rights. The conflict is presented as an argument between the two people in the format of each person taking a turn to speak. One of the speakers is Booker T. who would represent society and the other is W.E.B who would be the person against society. The speaker acknowledges this conflict as it is out right stated when a different person begins talking they either say "It seems to me" and the other says "I don't agree". This can also be illustrated by one person retorting the other's statements such as Booker T. saying "But work, and save, and buy a house" and then W.E.B responding with "For what can property avail/If dignity and justice fail". With this back and forth going on between the two it is apparent that the speaker acknowledges the problem while the other speaker who represents society is attempting to brush over the problem at hand.

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The conflict being presented is the issue of civil rights and freedoms for black people. Booker T. has the perspective that they should just stay quiet do as their told and one day buy a house to live in. W.E.B. has the perspective that people should do what they want to do whether that be studying chemistry or Greek. He also talks about how you can't just live peacefully in a house as a black man as the laws are made against you, so he wants to fight for justice and equal rights. W.E.B. acknowledges the problem in the poem but Booker T. ignores it and tries to live a life without having to deal with it.

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The presented conflict is between the two speakers and society plus civil rights issues. They do acknowledge the problem with W.E.B. addressing the inequalities and unfairness of the law societal standards, while Brooker T. enforces the idea of dismissing those rules and to simply conform to them to avoid trouble.

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The conflict being presented is speaker vs society. Booker T and WEB's differing perspectives are evident when it comes to the lifestyle of black Americans. Booker T argues that they should continue to comply to roles of servitude while W. E. B argues that they should stand up for their freedoms and pursue higher education. The two speakers are both leaders of the black community and while they have differing opinions, they both acknowledge the system of oppression that their community has suffered because of.

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Dudley Randall's "Booker T. and W.E.B." presents a person vs. person conflict between the ideologies of two of the civil rights movement's earliest figures that ultimately belies an unacknowledged conflict between the speakers and society. Throughout the poem, Randall demonstrates a great dissonance between Booker T. and W.E.B.'s beliefs regarding the status and responsibilities of African Americans at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Specifically, Randall captures small differences in their use of language to convey their conflicting outlooks on society; whereas Booker T., respectfully refers to archetypal white property owners as "Mister Charlie" and "Miss Ann," W.E.B. more casually and contemptfully calls them "Charles" and "Miss." As "Mister" and "Miss" are formal yet distant titles often used to indicate respect, Booker T.'s use of them demonstrates how he chooses to respect typical societal conventions and, by extension, the socioeconomic hierarchy that places white above black. However, W.E.B.'s rejection of these societal conventions by using shortened, nickname-like names demonstrates his want to diverge from typical socioeconomic hierarchies, as it conveys his unwillingness to respect the typically formal, distant white-black relations and instead opt for his own way of approaching society. The difference in language between Booker T. and W.E.B., though minute, makes evident the person vs. person conflict the poem revolves around. Yet, despite that surface level conflict, a much larger and ultimately unacknowledged conflict belies the back-and-forth between the speakers. As both speakers give suggestions about how to raise the status of African Americans, since Booker T. suggests buying homes to accumulate wealth and thus power and W.E.B. suggests gaining and education and fighting injustice, the poem suggests that both speakers share a common goal of dispelling society's negative perceptions of black people and thus that their person vs. person conflict is largely superficial. Therefore, underlying the poem's surface is a person vs. society conflict between the speakers and the oppressive, white-dominated society they fought against. But, as evidenced by the constant repetition of person vs. person conflicts in lines like "'It seems to me,' said Booker T" and "'I don't agree,' said W.E.B." that pervade throughout the poem and continues into its conclusion without any suggestion of reconciliation, it is apparent that the underlying person vs. society conflict is never acknowledged, suggesting that conflict between people can impede true progress by silencing the critical conflicts between people and society that help made evident societal problems.

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The thematic discussion that stems from the conflict presented is that of wanting to change as well as wanting to conform to a harmful society as a way to benefit the black community. The internal and external conflict within oneself and the society. Both speakers are unhappy with the society that they are living in, both feel as though they are being negatively affected. While W.E.B. is willing to change, Booker T. is not. W.E.B. is able to criticize the society while Booker T seems to be ignorant on the issues, and cannot see the bigger picture on why W.E.B. wants to gain knowledge/education. This poem presents how these men perceive beneficial change towards the black community and as the society as a whole. W.E.B. does not discourage those who wish to remain in physical labor while Booker T disapproves of W.E.B.'s endeavors.

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A conflict presented in the poem is society vs speaker. Brooker T is used to show the views of society how an African-American should not educate himself but instead skill himself with cooking and farming. W.E.B. believes that slavery is not the way to grow in life so he turns to education. Both of them disagree with the future of the black community.

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There is a thematic discussion at play regarding the relationship between education, wealth, oppression, and societal betterment. Both opponents seek to improve the societal standing of black Americans, but by drastically differing ideologies. W.E.B. sees education as the path to improvements in civil rights, and political activism as the most direct course to legislative action and general improvement, while Booker T. believes that the accumulation of wealth through labor, the most societally acceptable form of employment for black people at the time, was the key to balancing the scales - equality through assimilation and integration into white communities. Bottom-up change rather than top-down. Ultimately, there is a thematic discussion of which approach is more effective.

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A theme that could be discussed is that the veil of safety and familiarity can hinder one from realizing what is being withheld from them. In the poem Booker is very comfortable with the lifestyle he is given, while W.E.B is itching for freedom. With a context of a historical time such as slavery, it is easy to question why Booker would be complacent with his current position. However, if this poem is looked at through a social lens, it is clearer as to why Booker would value more of a secured safety in compliance rather than risking his life for freedom. This is not to say that society should shame those for taking the same route as Booker T, but the poem is suggesting that the fight for freedom should not be passed upon because of the unknown.

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A possible theme that could be presented through the conflict is the unwillingness to understand one another. As seen between the two speakers, they both have their own ideals and seem to try and force each other to believe one's own beliefs and do not try to understand the perspective of another one. The format of the poem presents this conflict as an argument and Booker T. is the first to speak and it is apparent that he wants the opposition to side with him and when W.E.B begins to talk he does the same and the two do not attempt to find an understanding of the other and try to cover over the other person's beliefs and ideals in a sense.

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A theme that can be taken out is the idea of differing perspectives and a lack of mutual understanding. Both of them spent their life oppressed and unfairly treated but W.E.B. tries to make a change while Brooker T. feels comfortable with the familiar. The repeated use of lines "it seems to me" and "I don't agree" suggests that they don't try to see each other's side or that they have both already made up their minds about each other.

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The thematic discussion that stems from the conflicts deals with education vs oppression. Oppression and slavery is what some African-Americans consider has safety, they have grown up with it and have accepted it as their life. Other African-Americans want to branch out the conflicts of oppression and gain an education, to be seen as an equal to a white male.

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The thematic discussion that comes from the conflicts presented is the contrasting ideals that the two people present. Booker T. wants to work hard and reach a higher status of wealth and such while conforming to the societal norms. W.E.B. sees that will not be possible and that they must change society so that they are able to reach a higher status without being possibly ruined by the current laws and norms set in place currently. Both sides try to convince the other about their point of view and how it is right, this gives a back and forth discussion every stanza without really leading to any conclusion between the two.

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One potential theme from the conflicts presented is that settling down in a way rather than looking for avenues of advancement can lead to stagnancy. Booker T argues that he and his community find comfort in their life and current state rather than take risks for more freedom. On the other hand, W. E. B argues that we do not have to follow the path that society has paved for us. We could forge our own path and destiny. It is important to recognize that when one settles for the familiar and secure path, this may be negative sometimes because it may cause one to fail to see what they are missing out on.

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The conflict being represented in the text is speaker v society with W.E.B reflecting on his plights with the society that demeans him and how he wishes to fight for his freedom whereas Booker T. represents the society that wants W.E.B to act the way he is expected. W..E.B acknowledges the issue of slavery within America wanting change but Booker. T is someone who is against their change saying things such as “It shows a mighty lot of cheek...When Mister Charlie needs a hand” saying that rather than trying to further your education in things you’re not needed in, why not do what you’re already given to do. W.E.B acknowledges the issue with civil rights and how others want him to stop his fight however he sees his fight for rights one that should have been given as the way things are only will cause there to be more issues for him and his people for the future.

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A potential theme present in the poem could be the internal struggle between choosing to confine to societal norms or rebel against expectations to follow one's own path. Throughout the poem, W.E.B Du Bois is presented as being the "hero" or the positive role model in the situation, as evidenced by the fact that he cuts off Booker at the end of the poem in favor of having the last word. His role in the poem is to act as the person that we should all strive to be, someone that breaks societal expectations in order to fulfill self interest.

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A thematic discussion that is presented from the conflict is conformation of norms implemented by society or advancement into realms above ones placed by society. Speaker 1 (Booker T.) presents the lends of conformation within the society, often expressing the need of one group of people, slightly suggesting that if one were to indulge in personal gain, the other group would be left without help. However, speaker 2 (W.E.B) presents the idea of advancing the capabilities of oneself by suggesting the pursuit of education and civil action to defy the constricting nature of society for personal gain.

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Conflict is person v person, due to the contrast of standing from both Booker T and W.E.B.. Booker T seems to be in agreement for the times of servitude or at least staying compliant for the white Americans in these times, whereas W.E.B. agrees to the upholding of civil rights and education. The speakers, Booker T and W.E.B., seems to acknowledge each one of them by bouncing off of their evidence or points, by questioning their points or whereas acknowledging that some people may agree to your points but says some don’t. The evidence and points are the ideal problems of slavery but also mentions to the problems they face during the face of civil right. These points and evidence that are used from both person is acknowledgement of the problem.

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A thematic discussion that stems from this poem would be the struggle of conforming into a society that doesn’t accept you. This is evident as W.E.B wants to have more rights as a person being someone of color in a society dominated by white only people. Booker T represents the society that doesn’t want people like W.E.B to gain more right because he believes people like W.E.B has everything he could have, but he is clearly blinded by his own privileges seeing things through his own rights as a white person. W.E.B rejects every notion from Booker T telling him to stop and go back as to what he was told to do seeing that even if he follows the path of a white person he would never be considered or treated as an equal and unless he makes society change for the better, then people like him will suffer the consequences of inequality.

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Randall's parallel person vs. person and person vs. society conflicts, as they run along side each other throughout the poem but never converge (since Booker T and W.E.B. incessantly argue while still trying to battle society's oppression), suggests that superficialities like interpersonal conflicts ultimately dampen and suppress truth by masking real conversation with shallow conflicts.

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The conflict in this poem is between the two ideologies of W.E.B. and Booker T. There also seems to be a conflict in the speaker's own ideas and societies. Ultimately the majority of the poem seems to be centered on how W.E.B. and Booker T. disagreed on how black americans could progress in society. This poem suggests Booker T. believes in working in labor roles and earning money while W.E.B. believes in higher education. However it suggests as a whole that while they disagree they still share a common goal of advancing in society.

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The theme being suggested here seems to be about the complexities of the issues W.E.B. and Booker were both attempting to solve and how it involved many different factors including education, wealth, and the overall oppression they face. Along with this the conflict between the speaker and the society suggests that there is a common goal for both men to relate to even as they disagree. This poem seems to be attempting to demonstrate how both men are able to have varying opinions and disagreements while still working towards the same goal.

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The thematic discussion seems to be the idea revolving around opression from the African Americans. This is seen from both speakers acknowledging the problem or situation they are in, but takes different approach for the problem such as agreeing to the civil rights or staying against them and staying as is.

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The conflict that is presented is that it is basically society vs. the speaker. The speaker does acknowledge the problem that is going on and presented. He sees the problem that is presented; however, he also wants to do something about it. He does not just want to leave it as that and then move on. He sees the conflict of society and how it does effect the black community. Although that is how WEB feels, Booker shows a different view point. He mentions how we can not disrupt the system.

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The thematic discussion is being able to try to change to get rid of the conflict. It is the confrontation to the harmful ways that society is. This includes education, wealth, and society.The two, WEB and booker see it in two different ways. WEB wants to improve through education as Booker sees it as just leaving it as it is so money and wealth can prosper.

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The poem "Booker T. and W.E.B." by Dudley Randall, presents a conflict between two different viewpoints in regard to the role of black people in society and how they should lead their lives. One viewpoint expresses the belief that they should focus their energy into hard work as expressed in the lines "It shows a mighty lot of cheek/

To study chemistry and Greek/ When Mister Charlie needs a hand/ To hoe the cotton on his land", while the other places an emphasis on the importance of education and pursuing careers rather than working for someone doing harsh labor. Further down the poem the viewpoints start focusing on the subject of civil rights and one viewpoint says that instead of people advocating civil rights they should shut up, save up, and buy a house, to which the other viewpoint argues that there is no point in buying a house if you can't keep it because the laws aren't changed.

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The thematic discussion that stems from the conflicts presented in this poem has to do with the topic of civil rights. More specifically, this is about two opposing ideologies that occurred during the civil rights movement. Some people believed they should keep working for a source of income in hopes of some day being able to buy a house and reach financial freedom. On the other hand, others believed it was important to advocate for social change and focus on getting an education, which they considered would be more valuable, in order to be able to instill societal change and be free from having to do manual labor.

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The conflict being presented is injustice in the civil system. Booker T and WEB both acknowledge the problems but have two different approaches. Booker T chooses to accept the injustice and persue a career that lets him get off better in life, whereas WEB wants to change the injustice present.

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The thematic discussion stems from the conflicts of the injustice faced by African Americans. There is a distinction given from each of the speakers, Booker T believes education and wealth, while accepting the injustice will be the correct choice. While WEB believes education and wealth will only be taken away from them despite how hard they work. Both speakers hope to get rid of the societal challenges African Americans face and the difference of their ideas contribute to the overall contrast shown in the way they speak.