AS I GROW OLDER
It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun—
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky—
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow,
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams Of sun!
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun—
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky—
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow,
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams Of sun!
Review and Analysis of the poem
A beautiful poem passionately written by Langston Hughes for every mind to read and understand. A poem of one stanza written in a free verse form to pass across a crucial message its audience about dream. There is an application of enjambment in the poem. The tone is captivating, creativing a power imagination in mind of the reader and language/diction is constructive. There's deep waves of emotions in the poem which connect to readers thoughts.
The poem out the potentials we have when we are young, so many options, so many dreams, as we grow up the darkness of the world creeps in and that endless possiblity we imagined for our lives becomes so limited and claustrophobic, like feeling a heavey wall is keeping you away from what ur heart want and yearning for us to become. The wall in the poem is like those boundries set by society, by resposiblities, and culture that limit us from being who we truly are.
I will say that Hughes knows how to paint a picture with his words! He carefully painting the image of our we go from having a dream (living in the light) to losing it (lost in the darkness) and to regaining it back. The poem gave a clear representation of resilience and strength and believe in ourselves regarding when all hope seem to be gone.
This is a poem that encourage young people who have lost the touch of who they are (when they are in light) that they can regain their stand. To be in shadow or darkness is a temporary, it just take determination and resilience to rise and find your light again. Nothing is impossible. There is still time to be who you dream to be. I must say “I love this poem”
Poetic devices or figurative devices used in the poem are;
Repetition (there are repetition of the words walls, dream, shadow, darkness, light)
Hyperbole (Into a thousand lights of sun, and Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun! ).
Simile (Bright like a sun…)