What happens to a dream deferred? Langston Hughes, a pivotal voice of the Harlem Renaissance, grapples with this haunting question in his poignant poem, "As I Grew Older," a powerful exploration of the dashed hopes and enduring sting of racial discrimination in the face of the American Dream. This incisive analysis delves into the poem's layered meanings, uncovering how Hughes masterfully employs metaphor, symbolism, and stark imagery to depict the crushing weight of systemic racism on the individual spirit. Unpacking the poem's structure, the essay reveals how each stanza serves as a step in the narrator's disillusionment, from youthful idealism to the harsh reality of a society that denies him full citizenship. The unfulfilled promises of the Declaration of Independence – life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – are starkly contrasted with the lived experience of Black Americans, highlighting the hypocrisy at the heart of the American Dream. The exploration extends to Hughes's powerful use of stylistic devices, including alliteration, chiasm, and anaphora, demonstrating how these techniques amplify the poem's emotional impact and underscore its urgent call for social justice. The recurring motif of the "wall" serves as a potent symbol of the barriers erected by racism, while the yearning to "break through" echoes the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement and the enduring fight for equality. Furthermore, the analysis connects Hughes's work to the broader struggle for civil rights, drawing parallels with Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a truly equitable society. Beyond the poem itself, the essay considers the broader discrepancies between the American Dream and the lived realities of many Americans, examining issues such as economic inequality and the justice system. Discover how Hughes's timeless words continue to resonate today, challenging us to confront the enduring legacy of racism and strive for a more just and equitable society where the promise of the American Dream is truly accessible to all. Explore the themes of identity, race, social justice, and the elusive nature of the American Dream through the lens of one of America's most important poets. This critical analysis offers fresh insights into Hughes's artistry and the enduring power of his message.
Thema II: The American Dream: Langston Hughes
1. In his poem “As I grew older” Langston Hughes depicts a very negative image of the notion “American Dream”. The poet metaphorizes his own experiences of racial discrimination and thus also his experiences containing the reality of the American Dream in four steps that can be outwardly seen as four stanzas.
In the first stanza of his poem, that serves the function of an introduction, Hughes refers to his original positive image of the American Dream. Stanzas two and four deal with the reality of the American Dream, with the fact that its opposite is often the truth. The last stanza somehow rounds off Hughes’ image, it contains the attempt of trying to escape from the dark sides of the American Dream, if necessary with the help of violence, but this attempt often ends in failing and not reaching the aim or the origin of the American Dream completely.
2. The poem “As I grew older” by Langston Hughes contains many contradictions between its subject and the Declaration of Independence. One main aspect, the poet tries to deliver, is the discrimination of coloured people living in America nowadays. The Declaration of Independence offers all people living in America certain unalienable and God-given rights. Liberty and individual rights shall be guaranteed for everybody. The poem expresses the opposite. By regarding the second and the third stanza, you can easily read between the lines that all these personal rights, such as “life”, “liberty” and the “pursuit of happiness”, are not valid for all people living in America, the so-called nation of unlimited possibilities. Not all Americans live up to the law, that is also expressed in the Declaration of Independence. It seems as if Langston Hughes really had to suffer from discrimination and racism. All his hopes and his dreams have been covered by these problems, he could not really live the American Dream. This main aspect that can be found in the Declaration of Independence has also been expressed by Martin Luther King. A historical reference to Martin Luther King can be seen in the last stanza. (“My hands! Break... wall!”, ll. 26/27) Langston Hughes tries to break out of this system, he somehow tries to overcome all his problems, the nation’s problems, exactly as Martin Luther King did. The guaranteed rights of liberty and life are thus not valid for all Americans. “Pursuit of happiness” is also not fulfilled. The Declaration of Independence promises this right, but how can anybody live a happy life being discriminated by people living in his own country? The “can-do-attitude” also fades: One important aspect of the American Dream is having this pioneers’ spirit, having a very strong will to reach all imaginable aims. Sadly, this “can-do-attitude” fades if somebody isn’t even able to live up to his own nature. (ll. 15-17: “The light of... wall.”) These aspects are the reasons why Langston Hughes criticizes the American nation and thus the American Dream so heavily. He wants to be “free at last”, as Martin Luther King expressed it in his address “I have a Dream”.
3. The poem “As I grew older”, written by Langston Hughes teems with stylistic devices, such as alliterations, chiasm, comparisons, caesura, opposites, enumerations, metaphors, anaphoras, epiphoras, personal pronouns, historical references, a paratactical sentence structure and parallelism.
A very important stylistic device that can only be seen by regarding the whole poem is the paratactical sentence structure. With these easy sentences Langston Hughes tries to make his poem readable for everybody. He tries to convey his idea in a way that everybody is able to understand. This paratactical sentence structure sometimes even has elliptical references (l 21: “No longer the... me”). Maybe the poet uses these elliptical sentences to deliver the message to all the readers that something is missing in his life as an American. Thus he puts emphasis on the fact that not all Americans have the same God-given rights and that not all Americans live up to their original creed, they only claim to do so. Another very important stylistic device is the use of the personal pronouns “me” and “my”. Langston Hughes uses them to serve as an example of all coloured people living in America. This poem could be valid for all coloured Americans in the same way. Langston Hughes uses very many comparisons and metaphors to put stress on his message. For example, the use of the comparison “Bright like a sun” (l 6) shows the importance of the American Dream for the poet, not only the comparison points out this importance, but the use of the bright vowels existing in the words “bright” and “like” intensifies the urgency of his statement. The key-word “dream” metaphorizes the hope Hughes once had and the importance the American Dream still has for him. Several metaphors can be seen by reading the poem. Hughes uses the word “wall” (l. 8) as the metaphorical equivalent for hopelessness. All his hopes, he once had, finally faded and got lost behind this huge wall. Another metaphor that delivers the same message is the word “darkness” (l. 29). The use of the image of touching the sky (l. 16: “Rose until it... sky”) underlines the hopelessness of this situation, it intensifies the meaning of the metaphor “wall”. The opposite that begins in the second stanza forms another important part of the poem. The poet uses it to focus on those parts of the American Dream that have to be corrected. Langston Hughes likes using repetitions and parallelism (l. 12: “Rose slowly, slowly”; ll. 18/19: “Shadow. I am black.”; ll. 30/31: “To smash... shadow”) to put emphasis on the importance of changing something. He addresses everybody personally to undergo a change in his personal thinking. Another important stylistic device is the caesura in line 6. Langston Hughes uses it to attract the readers’ attention, he pauses to make them listen to him and also to put all emphasis on the words “My dream”, the key-words of the poem. Other important stylistic devices Hughes uses to focus on all the lacks of the American Dream are anaphora (ll. 19/20: “I am... I lie...”; ll. 25/26: My hands! My...”; ll. 30/31: “To smash... To break...”; ll. 32/33: “Into a thousand...”), epiphora (ll. 9/10: “Rose slowly, slowly”; ll. 11-15: “... my dream... my dream.”), enumerations (ll. 13/14: “Dimming, Hiding”; ll. 29-31: “Help me... of sun”) and chiasm (ll. 8/9: “... wall rose, rose slowly”). One of the most important stylistic devices is the use of the exclamations in the last stanza. Langston Hughes really wants all the American people to change something now, he wants them to demonstrate against government, he wants them to “Break through the wall” (l. 27), he wants them to find their dreams (compare l. 28). He wants all the people living in America to live up to the expressions he uses in the last stanza. As I’ve already said in number two, this last stanza is furthermore a historical reference to Martin Luther King. Hughes criticizes the same points of the American Dream as King did.
4. There are several other discrepancies between the American Dream and reality except the problem of racism and discrimination. One huge discrepancy refers to the right of liberty. I have a friend living in Florida and he told me that it is almost impossible not to go to jail once in your lifetime. The law in America is much stricter and the punishments are much more serious. The right of life is closely connected with these punishments. The government is allowed to kill people for murders or manslaughters. In my opinion this law doesn’t fit in with the right of life. By killing people for manslaughter and murder, the government puts itself on the same level with the murderers.
Preguntas frecuentes: Thema II: The American Dream: Langston Hughes
What is the main theme of Langston Hughes' poem "As I grew older" regarding the American Dream?
Langston Hughes presents a negative view of the American Dream in his poem. He uses his experiences with racial discrimination to depict the reality of the American Dream, which often contrasts sharply with its promised ideals.
How does Langston Hughes' poem relate to the Declaration of Independence?
The poem highlights contradictions between the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the reality for colored people in America. The Declaration promises unalienable rights like liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but Hughes suggests these rights are not equally accessible to all, due to discrimination and racism.
What stylistic devices are prominent in Langston Hughes' "As I grew older"?
The poem utilizes various stylistic devices, including paratactical sentence structure, personal pronouns ("me" and "my"), comparisons, metaphors (e.g., "wall" for hopelessness, "darkness"), repetition, parallelism, caesura, anaphora, epiphora, enumerations, chiasm, and exclamations. These devices serve to emphasize his message and evoke emotional responses.
How does the paratactical sentence structure contribute to the poem's message?
The use of simple, direct sentences aims to make the poem accessible to a wide audience. It allows Hughes to convey his message of inequality and the unfulfilled promises of the American Dream in a clear and understandable manner.
Why are "me" and "my" important stylistic devices?
The use of "me" and "my" serves to personalize the experience, making the poem relatable to all colored people living in America who have faced similar discrimination and challenges in achieving the American Dream.
What is the significance of the metaphor "wall" in the poem?
The "wall" represents the barriers and hopelessness that Hughes and others face in achieving their dreams due to racial discrimination. It symbolizes the obstacles that prevent them from fully participating in and benefiting from the American Dream.
What does the poem's ending, with its exclamations, signify?
The exclamations in the final stanza reflect a call to action. Hughes urges Americans to confront injustice and inequality, to "Break through the wall" and strive for the realization of their dreams and the true promise of the American Dream for all.
Besides racism, what other discrepancies exist between the American Dream and reality?
Beyond racism and discrimination, discrepancies include limitations on liberty due to strict laws and punishments, a decline in the "pioneers' spirit," and significant class distinctions that make upward mobility difficult for those in disadvantaged circumstances.
How do class distinctions affect the pursuit of the American Dream?
Significant class divisions in America can hinder the "can-do-attitude" associated with the American Dream. People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds often face greater challenges in escaping poverty and climbing the social ladder, making it harder to achieve the promised equality and prosperity.
What is the overall message that Langston Hughes conveys in his poem regarding the American Dream?
Langston Hughes provides a critical perspective on the American Dream, highlighting its unfulfilled promises and the pervasive impact of racial discrimination and social inequality. He calls for change and a renewed commitment to ensuring that the American Dream is accessible to all, regardless of race or socioeconomic background.
- Quote paper
- Heike Barkawitz (Author), 2000, The American Dream - Langston Hughes, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/98266
