The 1980s

Dobyns's poem “It's like This” was published in 1980, the beginning of a decade that would force Americans to witness many optimistic but also numerous equally desperate events, things that could make one feel depressed, as the man in Dobyns's poem does. It was around this time that the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, first showed up in the United States, spreading fast, before many people understood what it was and what caused it. At the same time, people suffering from depression started using the medication Prozac. The 1980s also saw interesting positive developments. For instance, compact discs (CDs) were created, and tapes were fading out of use. Then, too, computers were beginning to be used more and more at home, instead of just at work.

Television went through major transitions at this time as well. The Cable News Network (CNN) began broadcasting news twenty-four hours a...