The poem is not brief; it is made up of 17 stanzas ranging in length from one to fifteen lines long. Hughes identifies the individuals and groups that have not enjoyed the freedom and promise that America flaunts. He speaks not only on behalf of black people, but also the Native Americans who were driven from their land, and the white man “sold to the machine.” He suggests that even those individuals who can make a living without facing discrimination are not living the dream because they are sell-outs; they’ve become greedy and mean.
Throughout much of the poem, Hughes calls America out on its false promises, which is sad because it was built by immigrants in search of something better than they had experienced. However, by reminding us of this, he points out that there is hope because we ARE people with dreams and we can take back the land so it can be beautiful again. It is not America that has failed us; we have screwed up.
I like how free the free verse really is. I like the variety of the stanzas, the occasional question, and the parentheses that suggest Hughes is talking on a few different levels. He writes from a variety of perspectives: himself, other groups, and the voice of the American dream.
I enjoyed reading your free response to this poem about freedom. The poem seems very timely in our day, as well! You make a good point about Hughes' technique of using parentheses to indicate that he's talking on several levels at once. It's free verse to express a free American spirit, and yet the poem also uses some form--primarily repetition--to hold it together, something like the "litany" form that "Alabanza" uses. Great woodcut image!
ReplyDeletewhen individuals like poets pay attention to things like the american dream, it makes me wonder what people like hughes would say about it now. it some ways that quote-unquote "dream" has always been the same, but i can't imagine it's in as pure a state as it was when the country was first getting started.
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