2. In this paper, the writer wants to analyze a poem, entitled
“Dreams” written by Langston Hughes. The purpose of this
writing is to analyze the use of figurative language that very
dominant in this poem, personification and metaphor. The
other purpose is to analyze the extrinsict element that
involved in this poem about the importance of dreams.
3. “Dream” written by Langston Hughes is a poem that
has a magnificent meaning in life. He expresses his
ideas with beautiful words using figurative language
about the important of chasing our dreams in our
lives.
4.
5. James Mercer Langston Hughes was born at February 1, 1902, in
Jouplin, Missouri. When he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his
mother and her husband, Hughes began writing poetry. In November
1924, he moved to Washington D.C. His first book of poetry, The Weary
Blues, that was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926.
Hughes is particularly known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of
black life in America from the twenties through the sixties. His life and
work were enormously important in shaping the artistic contributions of
the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. He refused to differentiate between
his personal experience and the common experience of black America.
He wanted to tell the stories of his people in ways that reflected their
actual culture, including both their suffering and their love of music,
laughter, and language itself.
Langston Hughes died of complications from prostate cancer in May 22,
1967, in New York City. In his memory, his residence at 20 East 127th
Street in Harlem has been given landmark status by the New York City
Preservation Commission, and East 127th Street has been renamed
“Langston Hughes Palace”.
6. 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
7. Berpegang teguhlah pada mimpi
Yang tak mampu untuk terbang
Karena jika mimpi itu mati
Hidup bagaikan seekor burung bersayap patah
Berpegang teguhlah pada mimpi
Karena ketika mimpi itu hilang
Hidup bagaikan ladang tandus
Yang beku oleh salju
8.
9. Personification means giving the qualities or abilities of a person (human) to
something or idea. Something or idea is made to think, do something, or fell
something like the human being do. In another meaning, personification means
“mempersamakan benda dengan manusia, benda mati dibuatdapat berpikir, dan
sebagainya seperti manusia.” (Rachmat Djoko Pradopo,Pengkajian Puisi,
1993:75).
The example of personification like in Mary Oliver’s poem, When Death Comes
:
“when death comes and takes all the bright coins from his purse
to buy me, and snaps the purse shut…”
In that line, Oliver uses personification to describe death does human activities to
have money and make a purchase to buy the soul of the speaker.
10. Metaphor is a kind of figurative language that indirectly compare things
essentially unlike. “In metaphor the comparison is implied- that is, the
figurative term is substituted for or indentified with the literal term”
(Perrine, Sound and Sense, 1963:65).
The example of metaphor like in Shakespeare’s poem, Sonnet 18 :
“Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?”
In that line, Shakespeare uses metaphor to compare between love of the
speaker and the day in summer season.
11. Based on “The Interpretation of Dream” by Sigmund
Freud, dream is the subconscious message which is
abstract against the conscious mind. This message
contains desire, fear, and the other emotional activity,
until the emotional activities that completely
unconscious. The purpose of dream experienced by
human is the dream as the tool of satisfying or fulfilling
desires (wish fulfillment) from the encouragement of
natural instinct that can not be accepted by society, such
as aggression, violence, or sex encouragement.
12. For Freud, the logic laws that organized the conscious world
are not used when a person sleeps and enters into the dream
world. In the dream world, humans are free to roam and
adventure in the fantasy world without caring for the norm or
prohibition of human society, as when in the conscious
condition. This fantasy liberation is a way to the center of the
subconscious, where the dream becomes a key to the door of
the deepest desires of self.
13. Freud thoughts that humans are selfish animals who
have the aggressive encouragement and desire for
seeking pleasure. Then, humans learn to press that
animal encouragement when become an adult to be
able to adapt with the society. But we as a human
were never really able to conquer that primitive
instinct.
14. According to his book, the structure of human personality
consists of three parts :
"id" as animal self containing the nucleus of soul
"ego" as a rational self
"superego" as a representation of the pressure from the
community about what is right (the ideal ego) and what is
wrong (the conscience)
Self "id" has been formed since human were born, while
"ego" and "superego" form after the need of survive and
adapt with their social environment. "Superego" and "id"
often conflict each other.
15. “Struktur kepribadian id-ego-superego itu bukan bagian – bagian yang
menjalankan kepribadian, tetapi itu adalah nama dari sistem struktur
dan proses psikologik yang mengikuti prinsip – prinsip tertentu.
Biasanya sistem – sistem itu bekerja bersama sebagai team, di bawah
arahan ego. Baru kalau timbul konflik diantara ketiga struktur itu,
mungkin sekali muncul tingkah laku abnormal.” ( Alwisol, Psikologi
Kepribadian: Edisi Revisi, 2014:17
One of the psychologist named Carl Gustav Jung said that dream plays an
important role in the process of adjustment to build inner balance. With
this, dream can also become a teacher if there are some aspects of
personality that should be changed.
16.
17. “Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly”
In the first stanza there is a personification in second line. That line is
personification because the poet gave the attribute of human being to the
dreams that dreams could die if dreams are not pursued seriously. The
fact is that dreams cannot die because it is an ambition or desire, not a
human being
18. “Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow”
In the second stanza there is a personification in second line
too. That line is personification because the poet imagined
that dreams could go if dreams are not pursued seriously. The
fact is that dreams cannot go everywhere like human being.
19. “Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly”
In the first stanza there is a metaphor in third line. That line
is metaphor because the poet compares between life and a
broken-winged bird if dreams are not pursued seriously. It
means that our lives can not reach our purpose to get our
happiness if we can not hold on to our dreams.
20. As mentioned in literary review above, the purpose of dream
experienced by human is the dream as the tool of satisfying
or fulfilling desires (wish fulfillment). In this poem, Hughes
tells the reader about the purpose of dreams as the tools of
reaching happiness in life. This is mentioned in first stanza,
“Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly”
In that stanza, Hughes indirectly tells the reader about the
purpose of dreams to get happiness in life. If people do not
hold on to their dreams, their lives will be like a broken-
winged bird that can not reach and fulfill their desires and
destination in their lives.
21. “Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow”
In literary review too, it is mentioned that dream plays an important role in
the process of adjustment to build inner balance. In this stanza, Hughes tells
the reader that life without dreams is like a barren field frozen with snow. It
means that life will be empty without dreams. If life is empty because people
do not have any effort to reach their dreams, they do not have any lesson that
got from reaching their dreams. From lessons that got from reaching dreams,
people can change their personality if it is not suitable during reaching their
dreams. It means that if they do not have any dreams, they can not change
their lives to be a better person because they do not have any lessons during
reaching their dreams.
22. Based on the discussion above, the author can get two
conclusions. The first conclusion that this poetry made by the
poet to encourage the reader to pursue their dreams,
ambitions, or desires. No matter the troubles comes, the
reader have to keep chasing their dreams. Because. If it’s too
late, life will be nothing.
The second conclusion, we can analyze that Hughes two
figurative languages to make the reader understands about
the important of reaching dreams. There are personification
and metaphore.
23. Alwisol. 2006. Psikologi Kepribadian. Malang: UMM Press.
Damon,P., Espey,J., & Mulhauser,F. 1966. Language Rhetoric and Style.
USA: Mc-Graw Hill.
Freud,Sigmund. 1900. The Interpretation of Dream.
Pradopo, R. D. 1993. Pengkajian Puisi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada
University Press.
Perrine, Laurence. 1963. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry.
New York: Harcourt, Brace World.
Wellek, Rene., & Warren, Austin. 1949. Theory of Literature. New York:
Harcourt, Brace and Company.
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