Poems
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Analysis
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Confession
Bruce Lansky Rating: 3 stars |
I sort of like this poem because of the tone and mood of the speaker. The speaker in this poem seems to be a generally happy, humorous person. The speaker mentions how they feel guilt over being a slob, because their home is mess. It has roaches everywhere, the dishes aren't done, etc, etc. I think that the speaker may have been a little guilty over the state of their home, but finds humor in the situation. At least, that's the tone I'm getting. Also at the end, when the speaker mentions that they are a teacher, and they don't want their students to find out about how much of a slob the speaker is, I get the feeling that the speaker is generally a light, funny person, who works well with kids, and must like them to a certain degree, if they are a teacher. What I didn't like about the poem is how the speaker acts as though they were a child not doing their chores at home with their parents, but that is not so. I honestly thought in the beginning that the speaker was a child, and I found it pretty relatable, because throughout the poem, the speaker gives off the "I'm too lazy to move" vibe, and I understand. All children have gone or will go through this phase, and I enjoyed reading about the experience of someone else. But when I got to the end and realized that the speaker was indeed and adult and a teacher of children, I was a little confused as to why the speaker kept their home the way it was.
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Certain Choices
Richard Shelton Rating 4 stars |
I really love this poem because whenever I read it, I feel like I can really understand and connect with the speaker. Whenever I read this poem, it always leaves thinking about past choices I've made, and choices that I will have to make in the future. The situations mentioned in the poem are true, and it makes me think that all of us have problems, and we make certain choices to deal with it.
Sometimes people turn drugs and violence, and to this the speaker replies, "he lived. It wan't a very good way, but it kept him alive." The people that choose to deal with their problems like that probably feel as though that is the only way to live, so they made that choice, and as the speaker says in the poem, "After he had made certain choices, / there were no others available." The speaker sounds so sure about this, and in a way, it is a bit intimidating and frightening. I felt like that a little bit because after thinking about it, I made a lot of certain choices and will continue to make certain choices, but what will happen to me after I run out of choices to make? Will I die like the speaker's friend, buried underneath broken bottles with no one but a selected few knowing and remembering me? |
Fat is not a Fairytale
Jane Yolen Rating: 4 stars |
I really like this poem because it reaches out past society's stereotypes, and goes to a place where not a lot of people care to go. The speaker talks about fairy tales where the princesses are not so perfect and delicate, where they have more depth and are more relatable. Instead of the cliche princess story where the princess is skinny wasted and a simpering mess, the speaker speaks of a fairy tale where the princess is not afraid to be herself. A fairy tale where the princess is courageous and fights her own dragons instead of waiting for a prince to save her. A fairy tale where the princess is a bit chubby with a waist size above anorexic who enjoys eating cookies.
The speaker, in the beginning speaks about the fairy tales themselves, but towards the end the speaker begins to talk about a "teller that is not yet born, / for a listener that is not yet conceived" which I think is the speakers way of saying that the world isn't evolved enough or ready to surpass the stereotypes created to create such a fairy tale. The speaker sounds as though they do not yet believe that there is such a person willing to listen and to tell of the story of "Cinder Elephant" and "Snow Weight". |
140 Syllables
Kenneth Rexroth Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem because of the speaker's bluntness. The speaker straight out says what s/he thinks about the world, and society around them. I like the way the way the speaker communicates their thoughts straight out without sugarcoating it to appease the people of society. I feel as though this poet branched away from the usual types of poetry and went for the kill, they literally just wrote down that our "world is a fraud and the people who run it are murderous fools." I feel like the speaker's saying, in not so many words, that there is no such thing as perfection. There is something wrong with the world, and the people who run it, and their literature is a fake. I thought about what the speaker might mean when they say, "all their damn art and literature is a fake". When I thought about it some more, I realized that maybe she means the fact that most of art and literature depicts our life as something that is not relatable to the real thing. That the way lives are shown in literature is a fraud.
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Couple at Coney Island
Charles Simic Rating: 2 stars |
I didn't really like this poem compared to others that I've read. One thing I didn't like was the words used to convey the big idea of the speaker. Just by the title you automatically know that this poem will be related to love. And it is. But what I didn't like was the words used to show the life. It felt really hard, and I didn't feel any sort of connection to it. I mean, I did like the type of love this poem had with the couple in their "best rags", indicating they're poor or something, and how despite the fact that they are in rags they are still... content, I suppose, with life in general.
The part where it says, "Anyone could see we'd made love the night before and were still giddy on our feet" shows this. They found love and life I guess in each other, but I didn't like how the poem only dedicated one stanza to the lovers and for the other two stanza, it focused on something else, like the "red and white pennants whipped by the sea wind". It didn't flow together, and I felt as though the love part didn't really belong. It is a beautiful kind of love, but sort of felt out of place with "the rides and the shooting galleries with their ducks marching in line still boarded up and padlocked. I don't see how that is relevant to the couple. It isn't clear to me what the whole overall message is, when their are so many perspectives and ideas in the poem itself. |
Kid in the Park
Langston Hughes Rating: 3 stars |
When I first read the poem, I was a little bit confused and had a lot of questions. Why is the child represented as a question mark? Why is the "question mark" alone at a park? Maybe the child is represented as a question mark because the child does not know yet what s/he is to be. The child's future is is still a mystery, so maybe that's why they are represented as a question mark. Or maybe it's because the kid is still questioning who s/he is, or it's just that nobody knows who or what the kid is. The question mark is probably alone at the park because s/he doesn't feel comfortable at their house, and they feel much better being out in the open with other people and nature.
I think that the speaker (the one watching the lonely little question mark) is a little bit mean and uncaring because they sees the lonely little question mark but doesn't do anything to change that. They are simply an observer hiding in the shadows, not attempting to change the world for the better. I think the speaker knows this lonely little question mark, because the speaker says "home is just around the corner- there but not anywhere." This indicates that the speaker is perhaps a bit familiar with the question mark, or maybe the speaker went through what the kid is going through. Maybe the speaker also had a home around the corner once, but wasn't really home. It didn't make him/her feel safe and comfortable. Maybe their homes are places where they are not free to be themselves. I think that's a bit sad, because everybody needs a place, a safe haven of some sort where they are free to be themselves. |
Television
Roald Dahl Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem. I think that the speaker manages to get their point across extremely well because of the way they use their words. The speaker is saying that the television is a horrible invention that "KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD" and throughout the poem the speaker sounds indignant and extremely frustrated, probably towards the adults who buy television sets for their kids. Throughout the beginning of the poem, the speaker states all the ghastly things televisions do to children and literally yells by making the words in CAPS. Throughout the poem, the speaker does a little yelling here and there, which clearly shows his increasing exasperation and decreasing patience for television.
The speaker feels extremely strongly about the television and how it is bad for kids. The speaker says that before television was invented, kids used to "READ AND READ and READ" and is saying that kids do not do enough of that anymore. I think that the speaker feels that if kids don't read enough, they will have lost something important that every person should have. The television does not give children the opportunity to imagine and wonder and thing. The speaker is saying that reading is what allows the mind to imagine and wonder and think about everything. The television dulls the senses and the mind, leaving the child bland and dull, but reading gives them a personality, something that distinguishes them from others. I completely agree that reading allows our mind to wander, and gives us so many shades and contours of ourselves that gives people their depth and character. |
If You Forget Me
Pablo Neruda Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem because I feel like the speaker has strong personality and character, and doesn't let anyone intimidate them. In the poem, the speaker speaks to a lover telling them "if little by little you stop loving me / I shall stop loving you little by little." It's almost as though the speaker is saying to the lover that they will not wait for them to come and love them again. One of my favorite parts of the poem is when the speaker says
“If suddenly you forget me do not look for me, for I shall already have forgotten you." I like how the speaker sounds so nonchalant in this line. As though s/he doesn't care whether or not their lover comes back, and that it isn't a concern of theirs at the moment. It gives off a "whatever" feeling, and I like how the speaker isn't one of those people that cry and mope when someone in their life leaves. I like the speaker and I feel like I can really relate to them because I'm pretty sure if I was in a similar situation, I would do the same. |
Always
Pablo Neruda Rating: 3 stars |
This poem shows how much the speaker can love someone with a questionable history. I'm a sucker for poems where a person loves another despite their many imperfections and usually dark past. This poem drew me in from the title mostly, because when I read "Always" alone there in bold, I noticed just how powerful that word is. Always in love is saying I will forever love you and we will always be together. And I suppose that in the end that is exactly what the speaker was trying to convey to their lover. The speaker says, "I am not jealous of what came before me... come like a river full of drowned men which flows down to the wild sea, to the eternal surf, to Time!" The speaker tells their lover that no matter whatever happened in your past (the men she was with to be more specific), will remain in your past. I feel as though he is telling her to let "Time" wash away her history, while they create a new "life" side by side.
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Still I Rise
Maya Angelo Rating: 5 stars |
I love this poem, because I feel like the speaker is standing up for what they believe in. The speaker is saying that they don't care what the other party thinks; the speaker will not change. I think that the speaker is living in a time of slavery, because I feel like the speaker is not being treated as an equal. I also think that the speaker might be a woman because the speaker mentions their "sexiness" which I usually attribute to women.
The tone of the speaker is defiant and challenging to the other party, who I think is trying demoralize the speaker and make them feel weak mentally. However the speaker is having none of that, and it seems as though the speaker is trying to seriously annoy the other party. The speaker's attitude reminds me of myself. |
Dreams
Langston Hughes Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem, because I feel like the speaker is speaking in a kind, earnest way, telling the reader that you should hold on to your dreams, because they are an essential part of life. The speaker is warning the reader, saying that without dreams “life is a broken winged bird / that cannot fly.” I feel like the speaker is giving me advice, and telling me what will happen if I do not follow it. The tone of the speaker is sentimentally thoughtful, because s/he emphasizes what happens when dreams go/die. The mood of the speaker seems to be melancholically hopeful and enlightful when the speaker says,
“Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.” Dreams are a necessary part of who people are. It guides people, and helps them enjoy life as much as they possibly can. It gives them a reason to live, and makes their life a little easier and forgiving. I feel as though the speaker feels really strongly about people holding fast to their dreams, and is constantly telling the people/person in the poem to hold on to them and never let go, because their life will be broken and cold without them. I really like this poem because I feel as though I can really understand where the reader is coming from. I can’t imagine life without my dreams which give me hope. I can see what the speaker means when he says “life is a barren field frozen with snow. The speaker sounds as though they s/he speaks from experience. Maybe s/he experienced losing his/her dreams, or saw another person dear to them lose theirs. After I read the poem, I was a bit intimidated because of the way the speaker showed life without dreams. S/he seems to be really passionate about dreams because they are constantly saying “Hold fast to dreams”, showing just how important dreams are to the speaker. |
The Quiet World
Jeffrey McDaniel Rating: 4 stars |
I really like this poem, there is a very somber feel to it. The poem talks about such a law that limits the amount of words one can use everyday. This intrigued me because I can’t imagine a world like that. The speaker justifies the reason for this law by saying “... to get people to look into each others eyes more,”. This got me thinking if such a law would really have a positive impact on society. I wondered if maybe such a law will let people stop and observe their surroundings. The title “A quiet World” made me think, a world where everything is not quite as loud, where you value your words and learn to listen and observe things you once ignored.
One thing I noticed about the speaker is that he seems to be very content and satisfied with this type of living. He says after he says I love you to his lover they just sit on the line “listening to each other breath.” Because they’re long distance they have a lot to talk about but they can't because of the law. Despite this, they still love each other. This made me think did the government have a different intent when they were making this law? And why should they care or be bothered? Maybe the government realized humans are becoming too self centered and talk more than they listen. Maybe they thought humans were losing their morals and it was the governments responsibility to take care of that. Does a government really have the power to control who we are even if its for the good and changes who we become? |
Ballad
Sonia Sanchez Rating: 3 stars |
This poem has so much depth. I like this poem. I feel as though the speaker is a bit sad, because the speaker is "too old to learn of love". I think that the speaker feels as though they had grown up too much to be able to truly love again. The speaker believes that s/he is too old ( as they are constantly repeating-> important!) to love the simple things like "the rain exploding /in the air..." and "stones remembering / past steps..." The speaker makes it sound as though their heart isn't capable of loving anymore. I feel as though the speaker has seen much and experienced the dark side of life and love, making them incapable of loving again. When I first read the poem, I thought the speaker was envious of someone because of their ability to love. The speaker says,
"Once. What does it matter when or who, I knew Of love." But after I read it a second time, I think that, yes s/he was envious of the love that the young person had, but s/he was also trying to tell the other person to fully enjoy love while they can, because they might end up like the speaker- unable or unwilling to love again. |
Brother And Sister
Lewis Carroll Rating: 4 stars |
I really like this poem because I relate to it so much it hurts. When I read the title "Brother and Sister" I knew that this is going to convey a sibling relationship, which means that it will show the "love" between brother and sister that it sometimes hard to see. After I read the poem I was in love. It's scary how much this poem relates to me, and it is totally my kind of poem. It's funny and light, and gets into the sometimes humorous perspective of sibling fights. In the poem, the brother is telling his sister to go to bed, but the sister replies, "Do you want a battered hide, or scratches to your face applied?" When I read this line, I was like, "Damn. That's totally something I would have said!" The sister replied to her brother with attitude, showing that she was not afraid of his "wrath". When she tells him to try and make her into stew, the brother goes and tells the cook and asks him for a pan to make the sister into stew. This poem portrays brother and sister fights in a light and funny way, making it seem as though it really is no big deal. Carroll even wrote, "Moral: Never stew your sister." I started laughing after I read it because it went with the whole different perspective on sibling wars. This poem shows just how dumb and petty fights between family are. I mean, the siblings in the poem began fighting because the girl wouldn't listen to her brother and go to sleep!
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Tongues Made Of Glass
Shaun Shane Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem because of many things. I like the simplicity and depth of the poem. The idea that the poet is trying to communicate is, I think, expressed in such a way that it leaves you in thought about things you never really thought about. I think that what the speaker is saying is that we should be careful of what we say, and personifies this idea by saying that
"if only our tongues were made of glass" people would be more aware wiser of the words they speak. I think that because the speaker chose to symbolize our tongues as glass, they are showing that if our tongues were as fragile as glass, we would not speak harsh words that could break our glass tongues, because if glass breaks into tiny shards in your mouth it will be very painful. |
Lost Generation
Jonathan Reed Rating: 4 stars |
To be honest, when I first read the poem the normal way, I didn't like it. I didn't like the speaker's tone and mood throughout the poem. They sounded impassive and indifferent, giving off the aura of cold and uncaring. It sort of pissed me off, because the speaker was speaking so carelessly of the human race. The speaker says, "in 30 years I will tell my children / they are not the most important thing in my life" and s/he also says
"Once upon a time Families stayed together but this will not be true in my era This is a quick fix society" The speaker says this indifferently, as though they do not care that they did not just say that being together with family is a fairy tale, simply a story that is unrealistic and unimaginable. The speaker's tone made me angry, because I didn't like the little faith s/he had in their race. But then I read the last part of the poem where it said "And all of this will come true unless we choose / to reverse it." I then noticed something. The poem tells a different story if read in reverse. When I read it in reverse, 2 things crossed my mind. One, the poet had a genius and original idea that helped to solidify his message, and 2, I like this poem. After reading it in reverse, my opinion of the speaker changed. The tone when reversed has much more feeling, and a hopeful mood to it. It just made me feel better and made the poem a lot stronger. The words made sense with the change in mood, and leaves the reader with something to think about. |
My Fairy
Lewis Carroll Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem because I feel as though I can really relate to it. It reminds me of my relationship with my parents, or adults in general. There is always somebody (always an adult) telling me what to do with my life. Always telling me "you must not" do this. After reading the poem, I wondered why Carroll would write something like this. Something that didn't necessarily have a happy tune to it. This poem was more in depth, and I think it is like this because Carroll was most likely going through a time where he was no longer in control of his life. When I read it, the vibe the poem gave was suffocating. That's what it felt like after reading the poem. As though somebody held me by a leash, and every time I would try and do something for myself simply for the heck of it, that leash would be yanked, cruelly interrupting me from taking control. For Carroll I think that this poem was a way to convey his feelings of not being in charge of his life. There were so many restrictions for him like, "You must not weep" and "You must not quaff", which goes to show that the speaker feels as though he cannot even do the small things, like cry, drink, and laugh.
Based on the speaker’s tone, which sounds severely annoyed and sad, I can conclude that the speaker is going through a tough time with someone who is constantly saying what can and cannot be done. Towards the end, I can tell that the speaker is getting fed up with all the rule and questions the “fairy” on what they can do, since all the speaker hears is “you must not” do this. The fairy sounds like an annoying, overbearing parent, or a guardian who gives the speaker no freedom. The speaker sounds a little angry when he finally asks what he can do, and probably gets frustrated (I know I would) when the “fairy” says “you must not ask” which I think means to the speaker that freedom over their life is not likely to happen. |
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Dylan Thomas Rating: 3 stars |
I liked this poem a little because I like the idea that the speaker communicates. In the beginning, when I first read the poem, I was confused what they meant when they said, “wise men... good men... wild men...” when the speaker was clearly speaking about death. However after I read the poem twice, I realised that maybe the speaker is trying to say that no matter what kind of person you are you should not “go gentle into that good night.” Which I think means that no matter who you are, you should fight death, or not go willingly without a fight. When I began to understand the poem, I began to think about the speakers life, and why they would write about such a thing. Maybe someone important to the speaker had died without fighting for their life, and that affected the speaker in a way that makes him... fear death in a way. The speaker is constantly telling people, wise, old, wild, and good to fight for their, and not go so easily to the light that is stereotyped as dying.
I feel as though the speaker keeps giving people reasons why they shouldn’t die and give in easily, like “their words had forked no lightning” and “Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay.” I think that the speaker is disappointed or angered at the fact that someone important in their life died without fighting, and I think that the speaker’s father is dying because the speaker says, “And you, my father, there on that sad height,... Do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light.” Now that the speakers father is on the verge of dying (I think), the speaker pleads with him to fight death, and not to give in, because I think that the speaker might be alone if their father dies. And because nobody wants to be alone in this world, the speaker begs his father, and all people regardless of who they are, to fight for their life, because it is something special that should always be fought for. |
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
Mary Elizabeth Frye Rating: 4 stars |
I like this poem. The speaker is trying to console someone, most likely someone important to them. The speaker mostly sounds happy and comforting, because s/he says,
"I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glints on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain." I questioned why the speaker would use such words to comfort their loved one, but then I realized that the speaker is trying to tell their loved one that the speaker can be found in the little things. If the loved one ever feels lonely or sad, then they would just have to look around and they will find the speaker's spirit and soul with them. They are never truly alone. I like the way the speaker comforts their special person, because it is truly a different and happier way to look at it. The speaker, in the beginning and end, tells their loved one "Do not stand at my grave and weep/ I am not there. I do not sleep." I think that the speaker means to say that they aren't truly buried in the ground. The speaker soul is instead free and can be found everywhere, they just have to remember to look, and that they are never alone. The speaker, along with being comforting, is a bit demanding of the other party, stating a bit harshly "Do not". In the beginning I thought that the speaker was bit bitter of dying and possibly irritated with the other person for crying, because they were still alive. However, after thinking about it, I changed my opinion. I think that the reason that the speaker sounds a bit harsh in the beginning to the end is so that they can give off the impression to their loved one that their is nothing to worry about. You know how there are those people in the world that are always calm and collected and become frustrated when people cry over spilt milk? I think that the speaker is one of those people, and that when the speaker says "do not" in such a demanding way, they make the other party feel better, as though reassuring them that they are not alone. |
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes Rating: 4 stars |
I like how the mother describes her life to her son. The words she uses to symbolize how her life is was cool. The mother in the poem is telling her son that life for her "ain't been no crystal stair." She didn't have an easy life. However, you can tell from the way the speaks talks that they are no shrinking violet. The speaker has a strong will and personality despite their hardships. In fact, I believe that it is because of those hardships that the speaker is the way they are. Going through such difficulties in life helped the speaker build up character and gave them experience. Because the speaker went through this I feel as though they truly living, because they know and understand both the good and bad side of life.
I wondered why the speaker had such a difficult life. "It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor Bare." Maybe the speaker was poor and and orphaned with no parents. Or maybe it was because of their gender or skin? There are so many possible reasons why the speaker may have had such a hard and grueling life. Instead of a smooth, pretty, and fragile looking (like crystal) life, they had one filled with splinters. The speaker's life was broken and bumpy, probably painful as well. However, you can see the speaker's resilience and determination to live, because they never gave up. The speaker says, "I'se still climbin', / And life for me ain't been no crystal stair." The speaker repeats these lines, signifying their importance. The speaker is saying that regardless of all the splinters and bumps in their life, they want to live. That even though their life "ain't no crystal stair" they are still going to be climbing, and they aren't going to turn back when going gets tough. The speaker's tone is determined, and after reading the poem, I also feel a bit courageous, as though I can conquer anything that gets in the way of me being happy, like the speaker. I feel that because the speaker didn't give up on her trek through life, I shouldn't give up either. |
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe Rating: 5 stars |
Something I like about this poem is how the speaker conveys the overwhelming love they have for Annabel Lee. The speaker is constantly saying how strong and powerful their love is. The poem's narrator describes his love for Annabel Lee, which began many years ago in a so-called "kingdom by the sea", which I think could be a representation of how their home was like a kingdom. Even though they were young, their love for one another burned with such an intensity that he says “the angels, not so happy in Heaven, went envying her and me / that was the reason / that the wind came out of the cloud by night, chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.” It is they were happier than the angels above that the narrator believes the seraphim (which I’m pretty sure is a being from Heaven) caused her death. I think that blaming Annabel Lee’s death on the jealousy of the angels helps the speaker justify Annabel Lee’s death. However, angels are not supposed to be envious and kill, yet the speaker portrays them in such a way that they do not seem like angels anymore. Why would the speaker chose angels as the killers of Annabel Lee? Maybe the speaker chose angels as killer to show either their love was so great, it rivaled that of angels in Heaven and the demons in Hell, or to show even the most angelic of creatures were jealous of a beautiful love that they couldn’t obtain. Regardless the reason, the speaker explains Annabel Lee’s death as the result of angels jealousy.
Even so, the speaker and Annabel Lee’s love is strong enough that it extends and lives beyond the grave and the narrator believes their two souls are still entwined. The speaker says, “And neither the angels in Heaven above nor the demons down under the sea can ever dissever my soul from the soul of the beautiful Annabel Lee...” I think that the speaker is saying that even after death do them apart, the speaker will continue to love Annabel Lee. After Annabel Lee died, I feel as though that is when I really see how deep the love that the speaker and Annabel Lee had for one another. The speaker says, “For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee; and the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee;” This shows how much the speaker loves Annabel Lee, because the speaker sees a part of her everywhere. I think that the memories that the speaker has of Annabel Lee makes it seem as though she had never died. Every night, he dreams of Annabel Lee and sees the brightness of her eyes in the stars. The speaker also says that every night he lies down by her side in her tomb by the sea, and I think that lying side by side, it brings back happy memories, and maybe fills in some emptiness that the speaker has inside. I think this because all throughout the poem, I feel as though Annabel Lee was the speaker’s refuge from the sadness of being alone. Just a thought. |
As I Grew Older
Langston Hughes Rating: 5 stars |
I really like this poem. I like how the poet uses his words to create a vivid image for the reader, and convey what he is trying to express. The title, "As I Grew Older", gives the reader a bit of a heads up that this poem is going to sort of be a tale through time. Just from reading the title, you will know that there will be a comparison between two time periods, most likely time periods significant to the speaker's life. Simply from the title I know that I will be reading about a turning point in this speaker's life that affected them in some way.
After reading the poem a first time, I linked the title and poem together, and saw a connection. The speaker is talking about the dreams and hopes he had as a child. The speaker says, "But it was there then, in front of me, bright like the sun- my dream." Why did the speaker choose to present his dream in such a way? Why would it be shining like the sun and in front of him? I think that maybe the speaker chooses to show his dream in such a way to signify how important his dream is to him. Perhaps it’s because when he was younger, his hopes and dreams were so strong, and nothing seemed impossible. In this part, I feel as though he is talking about the innocence and freedom of children. Children can dream big and not be discouraged because they believe in their dream. For children, their dreams are "bright like the sun" and constantly shining, and that light never seems to dim. Children have the freedom to dream whatever it is they want, and they will not be hindered by other peoples' opinion, or self-doubts, or insecurities they might have about themselves. That is the freedom and innocence that children have, and what the speaker once had. Also, the fact that the light of the speakers dreams are in front of him could show how the speaker’s dreams are like a guiding light, showing the speaker his path or helping the speaker remain focused on the “light” of his dreams. It’s nice way to think about dreams, and I think it’s something that everybody can relate to. For me personally, my dreams are really important to me because they are the base of who I am. Without my dreams, I’d be one of those lost souls with no purpose in life. However, he grew older, and the speaker says, "The wall rose, rose slowly, between me and my dream." In the beginning, I questioned what the speaker meant when he was saying “the wall”. I think when he says "the wall", he means it figuratively, in the sense that a mental "wall" or barrier "rose slowly" between him and the shining light that was his dream the more he grew. I believe that the wall was created by other people's opinions, his self-doubt and insecurities in his dream. This wall was only growing as he grew, because his mentality changed as he grew into adulthood. He began losing all his color that made him, him. He says, "Shadow. I am black. I lie down in the shadow. No longer the light of my dream before me, above me." Here, I feel like he is saying that as he grew older, the wall that had grown tall from people's criticism and disbelief and his own self-doubt, over-shadowed him completely. There was no light shining above him, no longer anything to differentiate himself from the rest of the world. He became a "shadow" of his former self; he no longer had the dream, or "light", to help him keep going. His "light" was blocked by this huge wall that increased as he grew out of the innocence of having unlimited and untouchable dreams. But then, I read the ending, and truthfully I think the ending is my favorite part. The speaker says, “My hands! My dark hands! Break through the wall! Find my dreams!” I think the speaker’s hands signify the freedom and power to “break through the wall” to find his dreams and create a future for himself. And I really like the concept of having power in my own hands, and using my own hands to show the world that I can do anything that I set out to do. I think there could be two meanings when the speaker says “My dark hands!” The speaker could mean it literally of course, in the sense that his skin color was dark, which would then be maybe one of the insecurities that built up the wall between him and his dreams, and would be something he accepted and used them to accomplish something in his life. Another thing the speaker could mean is that his hands, which once held power in them, had become dark due to zero contact with the light of his dreams. Maybe being away from his dreams for so long led him to become dark with despair, because he is lost without his dreams to guide him. And then the speaker says, “…to shatter this darkness, to smash this night...” and I feel as though the speaker is motivating himself to do take back his life from those who try to bring him down. Like he is telling himself that it is time for him to reclaim that light and find his path once more. I love this poem because I love the tone and mood of perseverance and determination that the speaker has shown from the beginning to the end. It makes me feel as though I can also do anything using my own hands, and that I will also have the satisfaction of accomplishing something with my own power. |