Allen Ginsberg was an American poet born on June 3, 1926. Allen had problems with his mother, Naomi, during his childhood. According to biographer Barry Miles, "Naomi's illness gave Allen enormous empathy and tolerance for madness, neurosis, and psychosis" (Allen Ginsberg 1). Edgar Allan Poe became Ginsberg's favorite poet after graduation. Edgar Allan Poe attended Columbia University, which inspired Ginsberg to also attend school at Columbia. It was at Columbia University that Ginsberg met the poets who later participated in the movement known as the Beat movement. This movement inspired Ginsberg as he states: "since art is simply and ultimately self-expressive, we conclude that the most complete art, the most individual, uninfluenced, unrepressed, and uninhibited expression of art is the true expression and true art" (Allen Ginsberg 1 ). At one point Ginsberg had visions of three of William Blake's poems being read by William Blake himself. He later admitted that he had used drugs in an attempt to recreate the vision he had previously experienced. Many of Ginsberg's poems were banned for obscenity, “The work nevertheless passed the censorship tests and became one of the most read poems of the century, translated into more than twenty-two languages” (1). During the Beat movement, Ginsberg spoke out against the Vietnam War and spoke out for gay rights. This is largely what the Beat movement was based on. Years later, Ginsberg taught at Brooklyn College and died on April 5, 1997 of hepatitis in New York. Langston Hughes was an American poet and novelist born in February. 1, 1902. Hughes was an only child. According to Bloom, “Hughes was of Indian, French, and African descent, and the name Langston was well… in the center of the paper… Hughes has two alliterations in his poem. The first is when he says, “Let America be the dream that dreamers dreamed” (6). The second is: "Oh, let my land be a land where there is Freedom" (11). Hughes also has a few images. One of them is when he says “take the gold” (28). Even though both poems are about different things, they are both similar. Ginsberg and Hughes have this hatred towards America for being the country it is today with the media taking over and what not. Both agree that America was once great and could continue to be if and only if people helped make it better. These poems are examples of how times have changed and they give people a message, which is to rethink how they experience life in America and see how they can contribute and make it the country it should be and that is the land. of the free.