Dreams
By Langston Hughes
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
This poem was written by Langston Hughes in 1926, it refers to the agonizing treatment that African Americans encountered during the 1920s regarding segregation and prejudiced laws. My favorite line in this poem is line three. In line three, Langston Hughes figuratively compares life to a bird. The phrase broken-winged bird implies that the bird has suffered some type of misfortune. This misfortune has crippled the bird and left it powerless. The bird wings exemplify a human’s ability to dream. Similar to the bird, people who are unable to dream are powerless. If a person does not dream, they are unable to develop. This makes life pointless, so in order to thrive in life people must dream.
I choose the poem, because this gives people a better understand of me. I think in order for people to know where they are going it is critical to know their history.
What I can learn from this poem is how specific words are chosen to make an argument or thought more concrete. I believe Langston Hughes choose a bird, because a bird symbolizes freedom and independence things people associate with dreams.
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