Laili Makhfudhoh, an English teacher from Malang, East Java, Indonesia, analyzes as poem entitled Dreams composed by Langston Hughes. She comments that the poem is very suitable for MTs/SMP students since it has simple sentences and a great message for them in their life.
Dreams
by Langston Hughes (1926)
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
by Langston Hughes (1926)
Hold fast to dreams
For if 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.
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
1. Type of Poem
This poem includes in free-form poem since the words are chosen to describe something and put together to express a thought or tell a story, without concern for rhyme. And it applies free-form poem in the form of Concrete Poem. The words and sentences are written to describe dreams.
2. Paraphrase
The poem tells us about the importance of having a dream. Life becomes a bird with broken wings if our dreams die. And life becomes an empty field covered with cold and freezing snow if we let our dreams go.
3. Poetic Devices
a. Rhyme Pattern
The rhyme scheme of this poem is abcb adcd.
- Hold fast to dreams = a
- For if dreams die = b
- Life is a broken-winged bird = c
- That cannot fly. = b
- Hold fast to dreams = a
- For when dreams go = d
- Life is a barren field = c
- Frozen with snow. = d
Type of rhyme of the poem is end rhyme, because its rhyme places at the end of the stanza.
b. Kind of Stanza
The kind of stanza in this poem is Quatrain because each stanza consists of four lines.
c. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in consecutive words or in word in close proximity to one another. We can find Alliteration in the first stanza 3rd lines, “broken-winged bird”, it repeats the same initial consonant sound of /d/
d. Repetition
We can find some repetitions in this poem. They are:
- the sentence “Hold fast to dreams” in the 1st line of 1st stanza and 2nd line of 2nd stanza
- the word “Life” in the 3rd line of 1st stanza and 3rd line of 2nd stanza
- the word “dreams” in the 2nd line of 1st stanza and 2nd line of 2nd stanza
e. Comparison
This poem applies metaphor, since it compares two things directly without the words ‘like’ and ‘as’:
- “Life is a broken-winged bird” Life is compared with a broken-winged bird.
- “Life is a barren field” Life is compared with an empty field with nothing growing.
4. Poetic Diction
a. Denotation
“Dream” means a series of events or images that happen in your mind when you are sleeping.
b. Connotation
Bird means hope, so that “broken-winged birds” means loosing hope.
c. Metaphor
We can find metaphor in this poem. They are:
- “Life is a broken-winged bird” in the 3rd line of 1st stanza. Life is being compared with a broken-winged bird.
- “Life is a barren field” in the 3rd line of 2nd stanza. Life is compared with an empty field with nothing growing.
d. Personification
This poem applies some personification which is intended to give human qualities to a thing or an abstraction:
- “if dreams die”
- “Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly”
- “when dreams go”
- “frozen with snow”
e. Hyperbole
Hyperbole is an exaggeration or overstatement to describe a certain thing. In this poem the poet uses the word “frozen” in the sentence “frozen with snow” to describe dreams when they go.
5. Content
a. Theme : life without dreams is nothing
b. Tone : enthusiastic
c. Message :
- We should hold on our dreams, since if we don’t hold our dreams, there is no dream in our life.
- People should always remember that life without dreams will be nothing
6. Comment
This poem is very suitable for MTs students since it has simple sentences and has a great message for them in their life.
Great Job! Go ahead....
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