Let America Be America Again By Langston Hughes

The content humans consume can have a great impact on their opinions regarding the world around them. In reading literature or consuming content about a specific culture, people may form their opinions about that group being portrayed based on the content they are exposed to. This greatly contributes to the formation of stereotypes, as works of fiction about a group that are not written by someone from that culture often do not represent the group accurately, which leaves people with an inaccurate idea of that group that they will likely never revisit, resulting in a negative stereotype. Incorporating multiethnic literature into the classroom, and consuming it in other contexts, will allow readers to gain a new perspective on the world, as

This can be accomplished through considering the source of a work before reading it. It is said that in the classroom, “They want to choose books that give their students access to voices from all cultures, religions, economic backgrounds and genders” (Herman). In exposing students to works by authors from various cultural groups, teachers can help expand students' view of the American experience, as they will notice the different perspectives from different groups. The poem, “Let America be America Again” by Langston Hughes is a great piece to expose students to, as it delves into the disparities between what people believe America is like before going there, and the reality of living in the country from the perspective of a black man in America. The poem begins with the lines, “Let America be America again. Let it be the dream it used to be” (Hughes). Staring the poem this way establishes the author’s feelings about living in America, as he states that the country is not what it is advertised to be, at least to him. Which is one of the main messages of the poem, as he expresses the different struggles that certain groups may experience while assimilating into American culture. Assimilation is a term referring to the process of taking in and understanding traits of a new environment. The poem discusses the struggle that people have while trying to assimilate into the reality of America, as it is often not what they expected. He repeatedly mentions different groups that struggle with this while in America, such as Native Americans and immigrants who constantly face discrimination. Reading literature of this sentiment will allow people to understand the different perspectives of various groups living in America. Understanding the struggle others endure is a small step in healing