DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams,
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.
For if dreams die,
Life is a broken-winged bird,
That cannot fly.
Analysis/ Review of the poem.
A short interesting poem written by Langston Hughes that orients his audience (especially the youths) on the importance and the need of fulfilling of one's dream or life goals. This is an acrostic poem which written in a vertical form. This is a poem of four lines called quarter. The tone and diction of the poet is educational and instructive.
Langston simple passed across a vital message in a short form that every human beings on earth should understand and learn. The poet share his wisdom in a nutshell, leaving his reader to relate with it. Looking at the first line, it started by saying “Hold fast to dreams”, giving a instructive advise to its readers. Everyone on earth has a dream, what they want to be, who they want to be, what they want to achieve, the world of their fantasy, their goals and aim which become their purpose in life. The poet simply means hold fast to those things/thoughts/ desires that makes you feel alive and don't let go of it. This might pose a question of WHY?
The next line of the poem connotes the question of why by saying “For if dreams die” which brings about suspense as to what will happen will our dream dies. Here the poet adopt the use of the poetic devices called personification, which is representation of a thing or abstraction as a person or by the human form. Giving the abstract noun “dream” a human attributes as something that can die a human death.
Lines three and four follow up by providing an answer to what happens when one dream dies. It says “Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly”. Here there is use of poetic device called metaphor, which is a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them. The poet adopted the use of metaphor to explain the implications of what happens to us if we let out dream die at our watch or if we live a life with no dream. What does the poet mean by saying “Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly” ? It is means that living below what life can offer. Living a meaningless life and unfufiled life, living a life that is incomplete, living the life of a loser, living a life with no joy or happiness, living a worthless life.
From my own perspective, I believe that Langston Hughes did a great job in penning down one of the most remarkable poem that will impact this young generation. This is a poem every young heart that is faced with life. Fulfilling ones dream is what one successful and fulfill in life. It takes determination, resilience and strength to achieve our dream. Every one has a dream but not everyone lives to fulfill their dreams. I have Some young people that gives up on their dreams due to one of two limitations which they can overcome. Some think their dreams is too big or it is unrealistic which is not true. Young people have a great potentials to make their future better and create the world they desire to see. The moral lesson from this poem to the youth is “DONT GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAM... Else you will live to regret it”
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