How is Langston Hughes’s poem “Dreams” both a hopeful and a hopeless poem? Support your answer with quotes from the poem.

Hughes begins by giving readers a simple piece of advice: 'hold fast' to your dreams. These aren't the kinds of dreams you have while deep asleep at night, but rather dreams about your future, things you wish for, or ambitions you want to reach.

The author goes on to describe what will happen if we let our dreams die. He describes life as a 'broken-winged bird that can't fly.' Isn't it some very bleak imagery? In essence, the author is arguing that dreams give our lives purpose and meaning, and that life would be harsh and terrible without them.

Langston Hughes' poetry "Dreams" is a two-stanza poem with an ABCB rhyme pattern that emphasizes the worth of "dreams" by providing two scenarios that revolve around their loss. In a "if" scenario, the opening line contemplates the possible death of dreams, implying that "dreams" do not have to "die" because they can be maintained. Hughes believes that if a person wishes to "fly" beyond the mundane aspects of life to something more adventurous and breath-taking, they should be nourished.

 The second verse, on the other hand, alludes to a more certain course that "dreams" will take in terms of "when dreams go." There is no choice in this language because "dreams" will "go" regardless of what a person does, but the harshness of reality after they do makes "[h]old[ing] fast to" them advisable.

The first half of the opening stanza loses little time in putting the subject of "dreams" front and center, making it clear to the reader what the poem's main theme is. This concept is given focal-point importance in such a way that the reader may easily understand what the poem's point is. Hughes is not reflecting on "dreams," but rather offering guidance to his audience about those "dreams." While this type of interaction with the reader may appear to be informal, it is helpful in demonstrating Hughes' belief in the value of "dreams." They're so vital to him that it doesn't seem worth the wait or formality to risk losing their meaning in consideration. Hughes, on the other hand, expresses his point right away in the opening line, asking the reader to "hold fast to dreams."

This stanza's second line, once again, does not waste time with fancy language or subtle meanings. Hughes, on the other hand, begins his "if dreams die" explanation by explaining why he gave his counsel. There are two points worth noting about the "if dreams die" concept. For one thing, Hughes does not substitute "dreams" for a pronoun, despite the fact that grammar rules would allow "they" to be used in place of "dreams" with no confusion about what "they" refers to. The repeated noun "dreams" emphasizes their importance, as though they are too important to the topic and purpose to be reduced to a pronoun.

You get the point...