"Dream Variations" is a poem written by Langston Hughes that explores the theme of the African American experience and the longing for freedom and equality. Through the use of vivid imagery and symbolism, Hughes conveys the idea that the pursuit of the American Dream is a constant struggle for black people in a society that constantly denies them their rights and opportunities.
The poem begins with the line "To fling my arms wide / In some place of the sun," which immediately sets the tone of longing and desire. The speaker wants to be able to embrace the world and all it has to offer, but they are held back by the weight of their circumstances. The line "To whirl and to dance / Till the white day is done" suggests that the speaker wants to be able to express their joy and freedom, but they are constantly being held back by the constraints of society.
The next stanza introduces the contrast between the speaker's dream and reality. The speaker dreams of "resting in a cool, green field," which represents a place of peace and tranquility. In contrast, the speaker's reality is one of "sweating on a red wheelbarrow / Glazed with rain," which is a much more harsh and oppressive environment. This contrast between the dream and reality is a common theme in Hughes' work, as he often writes about the struggles and hardships faced by African Americans in a society that is deeply divided by race.
The final stanza of the poem presents the speaker's ultimate dream, which is to be able to sleep "under a tree / While the white stars twinkle." This image of peaceful, restful sleep under a tree is a common theme in Hughes' work, and it represents a desire for freedom and equality. The white stars twinkling overhead suggest the hope and optimism that the speaker holds onto even in the face of difficult circumstances.
Overall, "Dream Variations" is a powerful and poignant poem that captures the struggles and desires of the African American experience. Hughes uses vivid imagery and symbolism to convey the idea that the pursuit of the American Dream is a constant struggle for black people in a society that denies them their rights and opportunities. Through the contrast between the speaker's dream and reality, Hughes highlights the harsh realities of racism and discrimination, while also holding onto hope and optimism for a better future.
Literature Essay Sample: Dream Variations
Through this comparison and this concluding image, Hughes conveys a pride in Blackness. The speaker of the poem builds an emotional climax. There is a strong suggestion that the light and dark hours of the day correlate with white and black cultures and people. The first and third lines, then, consist of an iamb followed by an anapest, as the second and fifth syllables of these lines are stressed. The poet, then, dreams of the things he did not and does not have as a child and young man growing up in the United States. The poem is written in the first person, so it is tempting to associate the speaker with the poet himself.
The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. It claims that in the first stanza, the speaker describes the dream in mental, rational, conscious terms and in the second he is actually in a dream state, experiencing the dream. Hughes was a man who wanted other people to chase their dreams. Traditionally, blues lyrics describe hardship and suffering, which this poem does also. The poem Premium James Truslow Adams Psychology Dream Personification In Dreams By Langston Hughes Dreams by Langston Hughes is a free verse poem with an abcb rhyme scheme. Snow represents cold and aloof.
Hughes uses the literary device metaphor to help reveal the theme by showing the reader how life without dreams is weak and depressing. Further, many unions work actively to exclude them from their trades and organizations. The Harlem Dancer Poem Analysis 706 Words 3 Pages Poems can be analyzed in various ways ranging from their complexity to the emotions they convey to readers. This poem was very understandable and easy to read with simple sentences and words. Brinkley, Alan, The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, McGraw-Hill, Inc. This was written in that manner so that uneducated people or younger people could feel equal to everyone else, no less. As a true Renaissance man, he was strating a new wave: a wave of African Poets and writers and many critics respected that.
Langston Hughes: Dream Variations Analysis And Summary Essay (500 Words)
He has a large collection of works that still influence African American society today. Cite this page as follows: "Dream Variations - Bibliography" Critical Guide to Poetry for Students Ed. The poems may describe different events; however the overall connection between the two can be identified by readers with deeper reading. Lines 8 and 12 describe an action that the subject choses to do as well. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates.
Jemie, Onwuchekwa, Langston Hughes: An Introduction to the Poetry, Columbia University Press, 1976. Most of his poetry was about dreams. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material. He feels weak in the evening and wants to have a rest. This poem especially showed him how unornamented words could evoke raw and intense emotions.
Now I will discuss both the stanzas separately. The prime theme of the poem is to set a contrast between light and dark. The tree seems to symbolize a sense of rootedness. Barksdale, Richard, Langston Hughes: The Poet and His Critics, American Library Association, 1977, p. Hughes employs effective metaphors, inviting us to visualize a dream and what may happen to it after it passes from conscious thought.
Dream Variations by Langston Hughes: Summary and Critical Analysis
Before the conclusion of the convention, Garvey made explicit his own dream that one day Africa would be liberated from its white colonial masters and would once again be ruled by black leaders. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. But the reality is different. He keeps on working as if he were dancing and moving round. This simplicity is also emphasized by the pattern of the poem.
Night coming tenderly Black like me. Lines 5—6 The first two lines are nearly repeated in lines 5—6, resembling the repetition in blues music, which this poem is based upon. Berry, Faith, Langston Hughes: Before and Beyond Harlem, Lawrence Hill, 1983. Hughes uses rhetorical questions with similes to show his opinion of unfulfilled dreams. At the same time, Hughes suggests that there is a very real place where he can enjoy the things in his dream.
Dreams By Langston Hughes; Summary & Analysis • English Summary
Or even fester like a sore? All the more comprehensively, it could mean expectations, yearnings, inventive breaks from the real world as in fantasies , creative dreams, dreams, figments, or a blend of these. Barksdale, Richard, Langston Hughes: The Poet and His Critics, Brinkley, Alan, The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, McGraw-Hill, Inc. The images he uses in the poem are strikingly similar to those he uses as he describes his initial impressions of Africa in The Big Sea. But the dream exists only in the lyric moment of timelessness, and in the dynamic world of social change seen in the second stanza , the dream decays. To fling my arms wide In some place of the sun, To whirl and to dance Till the white day is done. Baxter, The Art and Imagination of Langston Hughes, The University Press of Kentucky, 1989. Not only does Hughes uses similes to help the reader understand the author 's point of view, but also metaphors and imagery.
As a fan of Langston Hughes I believe the poem is meant to create a positive image about creating a dream and pursuing that dream until it becomes reality. Moreover, seventy-one of them are words of one syllable five have two syllables, only one has three. And me a Negro! At an early age Hughes made friends with and understood the experiences of both White and Black Americans. Again, the ideas in the poem are not stated overtly but merely suggested. Today: More than one-third of all black families lives in poverty, while 10 percent of white families can be officially classified as poor.
