Page 46 - Point 5 Literature Program Option 1 Teachers Guide (2) (1)

meter or rhythm of the poem is dictated by the speaker’s emotions. reading the poem aloud
a few times will bring out these feelings. at the beginning the speaker describes a childhood
dream and the rhythm of the poem is steady. Then he encounters a wall of oppression –

notice how lines 8 and 9 are extremely short, only one or two words, breaking the steady
rhythm to convey flashes of emotion and slow down the pace of the poem, emphasizing
the painful tedium of this time. as the speaker gets more excited about breaking free from
oppression, there are more words in a verse and the rhythm speeds up. The strong (stressed)
syllables of lines 20 to 23 are emphatic and also convey an important theme of the poem,
finding the strength to overcome oppression. like jazz, however, the overall effect of the
poem is one of effortlessness. while the speaker is very emotionally involved, he nevertheless
remains cool, relaxed, and in control.
The poem is also part of the genre of protest poetry. The struggles of his ancestors and of

the times he lived in are themes Hughes had in common with other Harlem renaissance
writers. Hughes paints a vivid picture of the plight of african-americans in his day, and their
continued social oppression. The literal meaning of the poem is that because the speaker
is black, racism, prejudice, limited opportunities and discrimination hold him back from
achieving the dream that he had when he was young, optimistic and naive, and didn’t know
how prejudiced the world was. He felt free as a child to dream about achieving great things
but as he grew older, his dreams were obstructed by the world and its cruelties.
The language of the poem is mainly figurative – the overriding imagery of the poem is light
and darkness – firstly a simile (bright like a sun), then metaphor and symbolism, comparing
racism, prejudice, discrimination, and all of the obstacles the world throws in his path, to
a thick wall that kept rising until it touched the sky, blocking out his dream (the sun) and
making it impossible to achieve. The diction also echoes suffering in the use of assonance – the

repeated ‘o’ sounds are a reminder of ‘oh, oh, oh’ when people are in pain. He speaks of the
despair that his suffering brings as a shadow – he lies down in the shadow, weary with defeat.
These symbols of sun, wall, shadow, light and darkness extend through to the end of the poem
as he commands his hands to help him break through the wall so he can reach his dreams.
The only literal language in the poem is I am black and dark hands, strikingly blunt as the
core of the issue and the only reason for the oppression he is suffering. It is ironic that these
same hands represent the power that can bring him to his dream. The final ten lines reveal a
fighting spirit and contain a powerful mix of light and dark images. The speaker believes he

can break through the barrier of being born with a black skin in a white-dominated society.
Thus the poem ends with tremendous hope and strength. It also suggests that, even for older
people who seem to have lost sight of a dream, it is never too late to fight for it – even in the
face of oppression. People must believe in themselves and stand up for themselves. although
this poem is clearly directed at the african-american community, its lesson is universal:
even if the odds are stacked against you, you can harness your inner strength to change your
circumstances and reach your dream.

46 as I grew older