"Dreams" by Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For it dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow
Published in the May
1923
Analyzis
(TITLE)
the poet mentions the importance of dreams.
He asks the readers and audience to hold their dreams fast
i.e. keep dreaming because if dreams die life is a broken-wing bird that cannot
fly.
(Parahprase)
Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a
broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold on tight to dreams Because if dreams
die Life is like an injured bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when
dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow. Hold on tight to dreams
Because when dreams are lost Life is like a field with nothing in it -Langston
Hughes That is frozen with snow
(Connotation)
The style and format of "Dreams" reach a broad
audience. Because it's so short, it's easy to remember; as a result, the
message comes to the forefront and practically anyone who can read can
understand it.
Possible literary devices include: symbolism, simile or
metaphor, hyperbole. allusion. irony or sarcasm. imagery. point of view.
(ATTITUDE)
He compares life without dreams to a broken-winged bird that
cannot fly and to a barren field frozen with snow. Since the images are so
plain and concrete, the metaphor is clear: life without dreams is no good. This
makes the message of the whole poem clear as day: hold on to your dreams,
because without them, life is meaningless.
(SHIFT)
Hughes repeats the line "Hold fast to dreams" at
the beginning of each quatrain of "Dreams."
To draw specific attention to an idea
To cast an idea in a new light
Stanza 1: tone-melancholy
Stanza 2: tone-authoritative and more final(less hopeful)
(TITLE)
The Bird and the Field
"if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that
cannot fly"
(THEME)
essentially makes life worth living Hold fast to dreams
Subject(s): Dreams/Dreaming, For when dreams go Life, Value Life is a barren
field
-Langston Hughes will lead to a good life OR Lack of
dreaming, or not having dreams, makes life empty or worthless.
Don't let go of your dreams.
