Today is Langston Hughes Birthday.
Born in 1902, his poem, "
Let American Be America Again," addresses issues still unresolved today. As you listen to James Earl Jones read the poem, think about another poet and another poem, an inaugral poem: "The Hill We Climb," Amanda Gorman, March 7, 1998, delivered Jan. 20, 2021.
I propose the two poems are in conversation with one another. What do you think? Of course, Gorman is aware of Hughes's work. I wonder about her creative process, as I do about his. What was he thinking? What was she thinking? What personal and social and political circumstances influenced their choice of words, visual language and imagery?
What if Langston Hughes was present at the Inaugural Address last month. What would he say to Amanda? What would she say to him? Use their poetic language, lines you were drawn to to create such a dialogue.
What if Langston Hughes was present at the Inaugural Address last month. What would he say to Amanda? What would she say to him? Use their poetic language, lines you were drawn to to create such a dialogue.
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