Tag: ego

Langston Hughes’ “Madam’s Calling Cards”

Alberta K. Johnson is a character in Langston Hughes’ twelve-poem set called “Madam to You.” In this poem, she has herself some name cards printed up.

Introduction with Text of “Madam’s Calling Cards”

One of Langston Hughes’ great strengths as poet was his ability to advance character studies.  He brings his characters to life by demonstrating their human quirkiness.  In this series of studies of the character Alberta K. Johnson, Hughes has fashioned a fascinating little set of dramas that entertain as well as enlighten.

Langston Hughes’ poem “Madam’s Calling Cards” is from a twelve-poem series, titled “Madam to You,” which offers a character study of a woman named Alberta K. Johnson.  The character, Alberta K. Johnson, always insists that people call her “Madam.” Each poem in the “Madam to You” series uses a personality quirk of Alberta’s to convey some aspect of her character. 

The other titles of the poems in the series are “Madam’s Past History,” “Madam and her Madam,” “Madam and the Rent Man,” “Madam and the Number Writer,” “Madam and the Phone Bill,” “Madam and the Charity Child,” “Madam and the Fortune Teller,” “Madam and the Wrong Visitor,” “Madam and the Minister,” “Madam and the Might-Have-Been,” and “Madam and the Census Man.” 

The poem, “Madam’s Calling Cards,” consists of five quatrains, each with the rime scheme, ABCB.  The chief feature of the character Madam Alberta K. Johnson is how down to earth she is, while at the same time wishing to assert an air of distinction.

Madam’s Calling Cards

I had some cards printed
The other day.
They cost me more
Than I wanted to pay.

I told the man
I wasn’t no mint,
But I hankered to see
My name in print.

MADAM JOHNSON,
ALBERTA K.
He said, Your name looks good
Madam’d that way.

Shall I use Old English
Or a Roman letter?
I said, Use American.
American’s better.

There’s nothing foreign
To my pedigree:
Alberta K. Johnson—
American that’s me.

Reading

Commentary on “Madam’s Calling Cards”

Alberta K. Johnson is a character in Langston Hughes’ twelve-poem set called “Madam to You.” In this poem, she has herself some name cards printed up.  Seeing her name in print seems to set her off from the crowd.  She wishes to assert that fact that she is special.

Yet at the same time she wishes to assert her common status as an American, emphasizing that she has no foreign pedigree.  Of course, Alberta is opining well before the Reverend Jesse Jackson persuaded Americans to assign a foreign pedigree to all black Americans.

First Stanza:  Wanted to See Name in Print

I had some cards printed
The other day.
They cost me more
Than I wanted to pay.

Alberta K. Johnson is speaking; she tells her listeners that a few days ago, she had some cards printed, and it cost more than she had hoped to pay for such a printing job.  Alberta speaks quite plainly—even if she does so in riming quatrains.  Alberta just wanted to see her name in print, so she hatched the idea of having “calling cards” printed.

Second Stanza:  Too Expensive!

I told the man
I wasn’t no mint,
But I hankered to see
My name in print.

Alberta continues to elaborate on the situation, involving the process of having her cards printed. She reports her conversation with the printer of the cards. She was not happy about how expensive it was just to get her cards printed.  She told the printer that she wasn’t a “mint.”  Even though her funds were limited, still she wanted to see her name printed somewhere.

Therefore, she settled on having a card printed up, and of course that meant  she had to spring for this expenditure.  Because she continued to desire seeing her name in print,  she continued with the transaction, despite its exorbitant pricing.

Third Stanza:   Supplying the Ego 

MADAM JOHNSON,
ALBERTA K.
He said, Your name looks good
Madam’d that way.

Alberta then shifts to the process of readying the type for printing. She had her named specified, “MADAM JOHNSON, ALBERTA K.”   The printer remarks that her name, with the Madam attached to it and all.  Of course, it is only natural that the printer would encourage her in her expensive endeavor; after all, he is being paid to supply Alberta’s ego with an object.  

Thus, the printer tells Alberta that her name looks good, as he employs the term “Madam’d”; her name with Madam affix to it became all madamed up.  Alberta no doubt wholeheartedly approves.

Fourth Stanza:  American Style

Shall I use Old English
Or a Roman letter?
I said, Use American.
American’s better.

The printer asks Alberta what style of lettering she prefers, for example, “Old English” or “Roman”; Alberta replies that she wants him to “Use American.”   She insists that “American’s better.”  

Of course, she is unaware that there is no particular type called “American.” She was simply confused by the foreign sounding “Old English” and “Roman,” which are, of course, part of the American style. 

Fifth Stanza:   Not a Foreigner

There’s nothing foreign
To my pedigree:
Alberta K. Johnson—
American that’s me.

Alberta then repeats and emphasizes the importance of keeping her calling cards lettered in the American style. She insists that “there is nothing foreign” about “[her] pedigree.”  She then repeats her name “Alberta K. Johnson” and again restates her nationality, “American that’s me.”