Jumat, 15 Januari 2016
Langston Hughes’ Concept of Dreams : Dream of Freedom
Dream is one of important things that needed by human to face and run the world. Dream is not a kind of trivia, and it existences are questionable. Dreams could help us to make our life better than before. It?s very simple to have a dream, it will be exists in your mind by some way such as : look around, think and understand it. But it?s not so simple, the challenge is : How to raise your dream ?. Because, realize it or not, everyone?s going to forget some of their dreams day by day. It?ll happens and it caused by some factors. Langston Hughes, a black poet from America wrote so many poems about dreams, ? and He was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s, which brought the New York African-American arts community into prominence ? and one of his poems titled ?Dreams?, published in 1932 in the collection ?The Dream Keeper and Other Poems? draws dreams and the effect of losing them. This poem used metaphores to voice the meaning and combines 2 distinct motifs that were evident in His poetry throughout his lifetime. The first, second, and fourth lines of each stanzas have 4 syllables while the third is longer showed as the emotional climax. This poem tells everyone to hold on to their dream, and writes that without dreams, life is meaningless and hopeless. That?s just one of 74-poems made by Hughes that talk about dreams, actually I?d love to discuss 4 poems of Him, such as : Dreams, Dream Variations, Dream Deferred, and The Dream Keeper, and make me realize that I couldn?t find the answer what is the dream concept of Him. It makes me courious and search another poem by Langston Hughes ? there are 74 of 879 poems that explicit references to dreams ? and conclude about freedom and equality concept in His works.
First of all, Hughes? ?Dream Deferred? has caught my eyes. This poem contained with questions about dream itself. Actually just a simple but meaningful poem.
what happens if dreams deferred ?
does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun ?
or fester like sore ?
and then run ?
does it stink like rotten meat ?
or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet ?
maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
or does it explode ?
does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun ?
or fester like sore ?
and then run ?
does it stink like rotten meat ?
or crust and sugar over
like a syrupy sweet ?
maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
or does it explode ?
This poem is outdated and well-known as ?Harlem? too, because related to Harlem Reneissance which happened in 1920 till 1930s. It was a cultural explosion that took place in New York City and many works made by Black people are voicing about freedom and equality. This meaningful poem is related to another poem titled ?Long View : Negro? which made by him too. In 1865, the 13th amendment to the Constitution of U.S. outlawed slavery. However, one hundred years later, ? this poem was published in 1965, too ?, African-descended people are still seeing oppression everywhere upon Blacks. This poem reflects upon how little has been accomplished in the century and expresses frustation. Because the dream is deferred a hundred years, and it makes every single of black people sick of it. What is their dream ? They want to be equal in this world without differenciation and they want to have freedom. This dream is shows clearly in Hughes? ?Dream of Freedom? , published in 1964 , stanza three and four :
Unless shared in common
like sunlight and like air,
the dream will die for lack
of substance anywhere.
the dream knows no frontier or tounge,
the dream no class or race.
the dream cannot be kept secure
in any one locked place
like sunlight and like air,
the dream will die for lack
of substance anywhere.
the dream knows no frontier or tounge,
the dream no class or race.
the dream cannot be kept secure
in any one locked place
This dream today embattled,
with its back against the wall--
to save the dream for one
it must be saved for all--
our dream of freedom
with its back against the wall--
to save the dream for one
it must be saved for all--
our dream of freedom
I love these last 2 lines, and anyway, in this poem, the dream of freedom is the ideal that must motivate the others to fight fairly and remember, to save the dream for one it must be saved for all. Moreover, the dream of equality shows in Hughes? ?I, too, Sing America?.
Freedom and Equality. Now, those are two concepts that I saw in Langston Hughes? poems. And these concepts are received by readers because I belief that the voices? in Hughes? poems speak out to the audience with powerful words. And these concepts are shown in His another poem titled ?I Dream A World? with of course, a discussion of social justice. This poem finally answer my question, what kind of dream that He wants actually.
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn,
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom's way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind
Of such I dream, my world.
Peaceful world with Freedom and Equality. No more war. No more slavery. A beautiful world with love and joy. And the speaker is really want it to be real, not just a dream. Nowadays, it seems like these dreams are going to be true day by day. Maybe if He could take a look from the heaven, He?ll smile and be proud of Himself.
His thinks of African-Americans, His voice for racial equality, and His dreams for the future are really meant in this world, and it inspires others to unite and make them true. And the worthful that mentioned in 1960s, the dreams that occupied his poems reflected the needs, the hopes, and aspirations of a community more global than just Harlem residents. Moreover, the dreams that he wrote about are not just dream, it?s more than phantasies, imagination, or hallusination. That?s for future and perhaps not be deferred. Langston Hughes is really shout out the other dreamers around the world to join together and make this world as a nice place where we could enjoy together like in the world that Hughes? dream of.reff : http://idiot-reading-log.blogspot.com/2012/06/langston-hughes-concept-of-dreams-dream.html Tags:
Langganan:
Posting Komentar (Atom)
0 Responses to “Langston Hughes’ Concept of Dreams : Dream of Freedom”
Posting Komentar