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Transcript

"As I Grew Older"

It was a long time ago.

I have almost forgotten my dream.

But it was there then,

In front of me,

Bright like a sun—

My dream.

And then the wall rose,

Rose slowly,

Slowly,

Between me and my dream.

Rose until it touched the sky—

The wall.

Shadow.

I am black.

I lie down in the shadow.

No longer the light of my dream before me,

Above me.

Only the thick wall.

Only the shadow.

My hands!

My dark hands!

Break through the wall!

Find my dream!

Help me to shatter this darkness,

To smash this night,

To break this shadow

Into a thousand lights of sun,

Into a thousand whirling dreams

Of sun!

Theme and Conflict and Type of Poem

  • Theme: Prejudice and discrimination

"As I Grew Older" by Langston Hughes

  • Conflict: The speaker once had a dream to but he is stopped by racial discrimination
  • Type of poem: Free verse

Birth of the Dream

  • 2nd line implies Hughes has seen better days

It was a long time ago.

I have almost forgotten my dream.

But it was there then,

In front of me,

Bright like a sun—

My dream.

  • Hughes' simile comparing his dream to the sun inspires images of light

Presentation by Natalie Chayet

Introduction of Prejudice

And then the wall rose,

Rose slowly,

Slowly,

Between me and my dream.

Rose until it touched the sky—

The wall.

The speaker has his dream, then encounters prejudice, or the "wall"

Struggling with Prejudice

Racism

Double meaning:

  • Black= defeat
  • Black= race

Shadow.

I am black.

I lie down in the shadow.

No longer the light of my dream before me,

Above me.

Only the thick wall.

Only the shadow.

"Sun" (dream) disappears

Analysis

Hughes' dream is now blocked by the "wall" of racism

  • Langston Hughes tells a story of defeating racial prejudice using imagery, similes and metaphors
  • The light of his dream is barred by a wall, but eventually his hands break the wall and he reaches his dream

Breaking Through the Prejudice

  • The use of "black" characterizes the prejudice as racism, and his "dark hands" at the end of the poem break the race barrier

Hughes' "dark hands" break the wall of prejudice & reunite him with his dream

My hands!

My dark hands!

Break through the wall!

Find my dream!

Help me to shatter this darkness,

To smash this night,

To break this shadow

Into a thousand lights of sun,

Into a thousand whirling dreams

Of sun!

Bibliography

Bloom, Harold. "Langston Hughes: Evolution of the Poetic Persona." The Harlem Renaissance. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. 40. Print.

http://www.poemhunter.com/langston-hughes/biography/>.

<http://pixabay.com/en/person-silhouette-sunset-rock-598191/>.

<https://www.flickr.com/photos/75227967@N00/98193355/in/photolist-9FgsT-GDTLC-97Kq8X-4nAJsC-3QR65q-4w21gr-dq4K6-4KEUxS-pK1giR-4T4acH-GHKtY-Cw46Y-qrWHST-5dCJB6-6EbVN5-4kiXSY-bPXFDV-5Q5ZaQ-5gbGVQ-7CD596-rwRRvb-bTCJR4-7RxnP5-5g7okT-7W3gTx-4zZkjG-893DYd-nmVM5s-rZwfU7-99tqDR-3oUzLY-4WZ1Vt-3kGsgL-Gx6Zy-39vuo5-8ebef7-duEEG-tabWx-9HucbW-9o2zLr-dSxDPA-6znbp1-8DtndX-7BSqZm-8ykYnD-6yGzsK-62kpeq-5AYpu5-2Vw7wA-2tGYjx>.

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