Are dreams necessary throughout a person's lifetime? How would life be different without them? In the poems, Dream Deferred, and Dreams, Langston Hughes demonstrates the struggle of dreaming. In both poems, Hughes captures the importance and meaning of dreams in a person's life by using figurative language to show the significance of having dreams and making them come true.
In both poems, Langston Hughes conveys the importance of dreams. In Dream Deferred, Hughes illustrates the negative consequences of putting off dreams. After asking what happens to a dream deferred, Hughes suggests it will “fester like a sore-/ And then run?” (Hughes). Here, Hughes captures the power of pain caused by unattained dreams. In contrast, the poem Dreams explores the sadness of a life without dreams. For example, Hughes suggests a life with no dreams is “a broken-winged bird/ That cannot fly” (Hughes). He is essentially saying that humans are meant to dream, much like a bird is meant to fly. It is a sad life with no dreams. In both works,
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In Dream Deferred, Hughes applies similes in the poem to make the reader imagine the burden of pushing back dreams. For instance, when picturing the burden, Hughes suggests “Maybe it just sags/ like a heavy load” (Hughes). He is essentially comparing the weight of pushing back your dreams and letting them go to the weight of a heavy load. On the contrary, the poem Dreams utilizes metaphors to compare not having dreams to purposeless schemes. For example, when describing not being able to dream Hughes, compares this to “a barren field/ Frozen with snow” (Hughes). Here, Hughes is apprehending not having dreams for an infertile field that is meant to blossom. Just like how dreams are meant to blossom in our minds. In both works, Hughes demonstrates how figurative language can empower a person's mind to visualize the significance of