I was excited about this blog post assignment because it is slightly different from the other ones we have done. Langston Hughes is one of the most influential and infamous poets of the 20th century. I can confidently say most of us have encountered one of his poems throughout our school career. One of his most famous poems is “Harlem,” a poem that was not part of our assignment; he was able to touch many of our minds.
“Dreams” was a similar poem, and it serves as inspiration. Hughes encourages the reader to hold on to their dreams and not let go of them because life is bleak without dreams. The poem that really touches me, though, is “Theme for English B.” When the teacher tells him to write and let the page come out of him, it is encouraging to the reader, but he then explains his life. It is so important to see his narrative in this poem. It touches on the complexity of race and society. A poem that describes so much is so important for people to read, especially white people. It is interesting to note that the narrator says that the assignment will not fully represent him.
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