Dream Affected by Society
A Dream Affected by Society I’m twenty years old, what statisticians would call white (I prefer British Islander just to screw with their stats), and I know basically nothing. ... Society affects a writer, thereby affecting his writing, in turn affecting society. This cycle is one of mutual benefit, for if there were no drawbacks in society, a writer like Langston Hughes would have nothing to write about. Through Hughes’ biography and obituary we can see in his poem “Dream Variations” how society affected him, and how he affected society in turn. ... In “Dream Variations” Hughes tells a story of somebody who performs in the harsh daylight during the day, and relaxes into the dark at night. ... Being in a society of only one other boy that he could identify with influenced him personally and in turn influenced his poetry. ... ’” This is yet another example of society affecting the artist. ... This society that he was forced upon as a result of trying to get a good education reflected in his work greatly, “ ‘My writing,’ Mr. ... ’” In translating his own experiences into poetry, he was able to relate his own experiences in a white dominated society guiding the way for the Harlem Renaissance.