Langston Hughes' short poem "Dreams" has two types of figurative language, personification and metaphor. The poem encourages the reader to never give up on hopes and goals. Hughes was probably aiming his poem at blacks who were still experiencing overwhelming racism and segregation at the time the poem was written. The poem, however, appeals to anyone who has dreamed of something better.
First off, Hughes uses personification in the lines: "For if dreams die" and "For when dreams go". Personification is when something non-human is given human qualities. Dreams don't literally die and they can't travel.
Secondly, Hughes employs two metaphors to describe what happens when dreams are lost. A metaphor is a comparison of two unrelated things to suggest they are somehow similar. In the poem, losing a dream is compared to a "broken winged bird That cannot fly" and a "barren field Frozen with snow". These metaphors bring up powerful imagery which strengthens the overall impact of the poem.
No comments:
Post a Comment