Series 02, Episode 06: This is America?

In this episode, I look at poetry about "America" from a multiplicity of sources--the Romantics, the Beat Generation, the Harlem Renaissance, and recently produced music. Then, the commentary on American society is applied through a discussion of being definer versus being defined recently explored in the chapters of Beloved, Book II. 

The final episode of the series, next week, will look at the final book (III) of Beloved, with discussion of the ethics of story telling in and outside of one's cultural heritage.

Resources:

• Walt Whitman's poem, "I Hear America Singing"
• Langston Hughes' poem, "I, Too"
• Allen Ginsberg's poem, "America" (with Ginsberg reading, over music by Tom Waits)
• Beat Generation, 'Cheat Sheet'
• Childish Gambino, "This is America"