Chapter5: Poem – As I Grew Older: Langston Hughes.
The poem is about one’s dream in life, the hardships one has to face and how to achieve goals and realise one’s dream; one needs a strong will. Dreaming is easy, but a determined effort is needed to transform the dreams into reality. The poet warns us of the obstacles and challenges that lie in realising the dreams. Hence, the journey is difficult.
Comprehension I
1.What did the poet have a “long time ago", and what happened to it?
The poet had a dream a long time ago, and he had forgotten.
2.What does the poet compare his dream to? Why do you think he chose to make the comparison?
The poet compares himself to a cloud because he is wandering in a state of loneliness, like the cloud.
3.The poet says that he has “almost forgotten” his dream. What made him forget it?
The poet says that he has almost forgotten his dream. He remembers that his dream was not fulfilled as a strong
barrier was created by his fellow white people.
4.“ And then the wall rose”. Is it really a wall that the poet is referring to? If not, what do you think the ‘wall’ refers
to?
No, there is no wall. The wall represents the social barriers and racism that the blackpeople face in the society.
5.How does the poet hope to recover hisdream?
The poet hopes to recover his dream byshattering the wall in between into a thousand lights of the
sun.
6.The poet uses various words to suggest‘light’ and ‘darkness’. List the words.
Crow and Snow, white day and dark night, Sunand Shadow are the words used to suggest light and `
darkness in the poem
7.Describe how the poet brings together thecolour ofhis skin and the state of his mind.
The poet refers to his dark hand to emphasize hisidentity as an African American.
8.Look at the title of the poem. Explainits relevance to the theme.
As the poet grows old, the core themes ofblackness, racism and the poet’s struggle to overcome the
obstacles he faces as a black.