Dreams by Langston Hughes

Dreams by Langston Hughes

​- Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

 

Hold fast to dreams

For when dreams go

Life is a barren field

Frozen with snow.

Type here

What does this mean?

“A broken-winged bird that cannot fly”

(lines 3-4)

Image being painted for the reader

Analyzing Figurative Language

Type here

What does this mean?

“A barren field frozen with snow”

(lines 7-8)

Image being painted for the reader

Analyzing Figurative Language

Multiple Choice

The speaker believes that dreams lost:

• Grow more powerful

• Stay alive with enough hope

• Never truly disappear

• Will be changed in a negative way

Multiple Choice

Which type of figurative language is used in the line below:

"Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."

• simile

• pun

• metaphor

• repetition

Multiple Choice

Which type of figurative language is used the in the line below:

"Life is a barren field frozen with snow."

• alliteration

• flashback

• simile

• metaphor

Multiple Choice

What is a possible theme of the poem?

• Dreams can lead a person in the wrong direction.

• Dreams can be difficult to achieve.

• Dreams can give people a purpose in life.

• Dreams can disappoint people.

Multiple Choice

In this poem, what types of figurative language were used?

• similes and idioms

• cliches and irony

• metaphors and repetition

• onomatopoeia and puns

Multiple Choice

What is the meaning of "barren" in the following:

"Life is a barren field"

• cold

• large

• dry

• empty