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Langston Hughes Poetry Response

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Poetry Response Dreams are a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance. American literature and politics were shaped because of his literary works. He promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books (“America’s”). He was an inspiration to many African Americans and he motivated many dreamers. By analyzing several of his poems I have found that his life was a representation of his poetry. Hughes poem Dreams isn’t very long, but it definitely gets the message across.
“Hold fast to dreams/ for if dreams die/ life is a broken-winged bird/ that cannot fly” (1-4). The first stanza of his poem creates excellent imagery. He also uses a metaphor in the first stanza; “Life is like a broken-winged” (3), after reading the poem, this image is the one that sticks in my mind. I can imagine a bird lying there on the ground, helpless and weak because he gave up on his dreams. By being able to visual this …show more content…

I imagine the lifeless barren field with no color and the incapability to produce anything. Hughes’ poem isn’t very long but I think he did this for a reason, because he wanted to get right to the point. He chose his words carefully to help his audience understand the importance of their dreams and holding on to them until they turn into a reality. I think his use of the two metaphors was meaningful, he was showing people a glimpse of what giving up looked like in the hopes that no person would ever have the want to give up. After reading the poem, I am left with the feeling of wanting to accomplish my dreams because I am too afraid to face the consequences if I give

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