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The poem’s form is small and compact and its size belies the enormous message carried within. Hughes’s speaker doesn’t address a minor or secondary issue, but they illustrate the singular, essential importance of hope. As the chain of symbolism indicates, dreams symbolize hope, and hope represents the key to an active life. The short form of the poem contrasts with the crucial pertinence of hope, and the tension enhances the weight of dreams.
Due to the concise length, the speaker puts pressure on the reader to fill in the gaps. With a longer poem, the speaker can explain in detail the consequences of a hopeless life. The lyrical form makes the poem less didactic. While the speaker expresses the drastic consequences of losing hope, the reader must provide the context and draw conclusions from the two dispiriting metaphors. The form then turns the poem into a collaboration between the speaker and the reader.
The almost identical stanzas reinforce the wisdom and methodology of the speaker. The poem isn’t messy—it’s quite neat, and its organization reflects the speaker’s thought-out message. The meter furthers the exacting
By Langston Hughes
Children’s Rhymes
Langston Hughes
Cora Unashamed
Langston Hughes
Harlem
Langston Hughes
I look at the world
Langston Hughes
I, Too
Langston Hughes
Let America Be America Again
Langston Hughes
Me and the Mule
Langston Hughes
Mother to Son
Langston Hughes
Mulatto
Langston Hughes
Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life
Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston
Not Without Laughter
Langston Hughes
Slave on the Block
Langston Hughes, Timothy Zahn
Thank You, M'am
Langston Hughes
The Big Sea
Langston Hughes
Theme for English B
Langston Hughes
The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain
Langston Hughes, Aleron Kong
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
Langston Hughes
The Ways of White Folks
Langston Hughes, Meghan Quinn
The Weary Blues
Langston Hughes
Tired
Langston Hughes