It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun—
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky—
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
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Circumstances in life can separate us from our dreams but they can
be recaptured irregardless of our current age, for a dream is not truly gone until either it or us is dead...
Eddy -
Isn't this poem great?!
From guest Isabella (contact)
This poem is great! I like how it speaks in chopped phrases. I also like the contrast between light and dark. -
As I Grow Older
I wonder if anyone, other than myself, will recite this poem on Inauguration Day?
Charley Noble -
Without him (and others who spoke up) there would be no tomorrow.
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Could he awaken just for one hour tomorrow !
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Great poem.
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For many people in the US a dream was not something that could be achieved because of laws and customs that made their dreams impossible or even unlawful, holding certain jobs or professions, exercising legal rights...such as voting, attending schools, shopping in stores...there was a brutal dehumanization of Black people in the United States denial of basic freedoms; and yet there were strong people and they had dreams; and life in the US usually stamped their dreams into impossibilities. Hughes was a man with aspirations and talent; and he knew what was happening all around him in his life and the lives of others. He watched mediocrity gain success because of the color of skin and talent...vast talent...die on vines. Many accepted the caste of second class citizenship and waited for change, or hoped things would not worsen...lived in fear; Hughes seemed to live in regret for the conditions, and with the knowledge that a society still hobbled and limited so many of its own people for ignorance and bigotry. He saw the wasting of lives and wrote about it many times, this is a fine example of his courage and his art....PK
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Best I could find was a reference that it had been published in the 1920's. Which, if that is true, would make it an early poem by Hughes. Hopefully someone else can pinpoint the exact date for you.
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as i grew older
From guest rinu sulthana (contact)
"As i grew older"is a typical poem which employs a simple but effective rhythm.The repetative mode, the ironic tone,the light-shadow contrast and the element of social protest are all characteristics of his verse.Growing up is for the Black man in America a painful process in the course of which he is made to shed all his dreams.As he comes of age he discovers that he is the only shadow destined to live in darkness in the social sphere. -
LeAndrez Holmes
From guest LeAndrez Holmes (contact)
It is a great poem, one of the best I have every read. This poem inspires me to do something. -
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Great poem!
From guest Cecilia (contact)
This poem is great and he does a good job portraying the way he feels, and many people can see what is going on in this time period. The way he shows segregation by putting up a wall is a really good analogy. -
Very Nice.
The dream is not important but the light..dont give me sun or moon, Give me light.the darkness of sorrow is everywhere.No dreams are available,only bulk of darkness...
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!
..here the poet has used a very strange voice, strange sound, strange words,...Help Me.the are beautiful words and the poem is also a beautiful one..but still this call for help makes me think, how can I help some body to take him to light..out of darkness...what if all of us are in darkness...and an other thing is also there, Is darkness realy as dark as we believe, is only light the solution of the problem...what if life is darkness and death is devine..light..wht if we discover after reaching the so called light that light is Darkness and Darkness is Light..black light..what if white is blach and black is white..well this poem open many ares of thinking.Great poetry. -
the poem
From guest Tempestt Rhodes (contact)
i think that the poem really speaks to me because when it is the time that you can tell that you are getting to the age of death or maybe you feel like death is right behind you it really scares you to know that your life is almost at its endpoint. -
literature
From guest madonna francis (contact)
Was also wondering if the "wall" refered to in the poem is the"racial mountain" that HUGHES so famously talked about -
LITERATURE
From guest madonna (contact)
WAS INTERESTED IN THE CONTRAST OF THE TWO POEMS as i grew older and dream deferred,was curious about the dates of the two poems -
What a great poem to ponder. Dreams are so powerful, yet the cares of life and the outside, negatives of social pressures can push our dreams away. The first two lines got me: "It was a long time ago./ I have almost forgotten my dream." As a wife and mother, it is so easy to put aside my desires and dreams because I have children to raise and a household to run, plus the demands of work, etc. YET, inside, just like Hughes' poem states, there is that dream that from time to time reminds me it wants to be brought to life. I would encourage anyone to do a mini study of Hughes' life. I think you would be surprised that his mother was a source of much bitterness; that he made the decision to live on his own at a young age to continue his education (talking about high school years) and lived on hotdogs and rice much of the time; that he had suicidal thoughts; that he experienced the Spanish Civil War, lived in France, went to Russia...a very full, rich, life...and yet, he always struggled financially. Many of his poems were not always accepted, but thank God, he kept going. I write all this because I think this poem really captures how Hughes was able to continue in life. He had a passion for writing (operas, plays, news columns, etc) and despite the racism of his time, he continued his course; we reap the benefits by enjoying his works.
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his hands, his BLACK hands...
From guest ruth hunter (contact)
..his hands holding a pen enable him to live his dreams....being able to express one's self in poetry is an escape from slavery of the mind....for all of us. -
seems he had dreams to accomplish... which he had almost forgotten...
as he grew older... he gained the hope and maturity to attain his dreams... but the reality hurdles had been sky high... in those days...
and he motivates himself to change the darkened reality... into optimistic days of bright hope... -
What a beautiful beautiful poem!!! I love this! This is more like me... striving for my dream. I love this!
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This is a beautiful poem. I have never read of any of this poet's works, but he has made a good first impression on me. Anyway, I really liked this.
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I think this poem is going to tell peopkle how this poem will make mr hughes happy<2
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this poem talks about discrimination.this poem took place after slavery was abolished but somehow slavery was still there.
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I like this poem.I agree with what you say about the wall and i would like to touch more on the subject. I believe it is the people around him are building this wall as he grows up, beacuse of his color, and while they were building this wall around him he fell into depression, but was able to regain himself find his true meaning in life, and break thorugh to find the sun once more just as when he as an inncoent child but noe of course he is a grown man who has expericened the moral delimas of life.
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Jesus, that's the greatest poem. It tickles me all over! Huggls! Jesus!
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I was truly touched by the emotion he expressed throughout the whole poem, it made me want to see langston in person and show how much affection i show towards him, that's right i wanted him on me, and if any one thinks thats wrong forget you, I love him! and forever shall he live in my heart!
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Actually, the wall represents him growing up, the wall that grows slowly is him growing up, hence the name "As I grew Older" The wall rose slowly. His skin color isn't exactly the main issue this time, but his allusion to it could be another brick in the wall. At least this is what I believe, since it makes the poem make perfect sense.
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Innocent voice, craving for deserved freedom. The poet, while sharing the unpleasant feelings in simplicity, has managed the impact of a genuine expression.
Well written. -
I like how he puts the dream of becoming something in his life, that has been restricted by the segragation of the blacks in his time, into this piece.
Even though many did achieve something in their lives back then, it was an up hill battle for them all the way.
Well spoken! -
I think he is saying that because of his skin color, he is unable to reach his dreams. I mean think about the time period he grew up in.
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This is a metaphysical expression of some sort of nightmare or intense imagination. the poet has, through his power of imagination started reading some abstract signs of something terrible that’s going to happen or had happened in the past.
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i don't know what to say. wow..he is a talented poet and i do like his poems. in fact, i am gonna use his poems in working on my thesis. who's gonna help me???
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I absolutely love your comment on this poem.
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wow this is so very very good i do agree this is a master piece.
that is for sure I was totaly speel bond with your words here. I realy did so like this so very very much. i thank you for sharing it -
I was - impressed with this poem. Who would not be? At the same time, with the history of this type of poetry being as rich as it is, I found it somewhat lacking in its...content? I dunno, Im a moron, just not really feeling like clapping my hands or anything.
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/Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun! /
wow i really like how you put that..wow..!
~Jen -
i love the emotion splinted in this piece...the wheel turning as years go by...the depression of his proclaimation as black, lying in shadow. its like he is trying to not die, to wake up from the nightmare of death and get back to the light...the feeling of franticness is nerveracking...but beautiful. it gives me shudders!
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Strong solid voice spinning and running with such emotion and tears of loss.......WOW, I love it!
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Langston is a a word master. I can see the images he uses to portray coming from the darkness to the light. It is no wonder he was declared the Black Poet Laureaute of American Poets. I love his works and they inspired me as a yongster. I am a Clevelander and it is most encouraging to know that Mr. Hughes wrote a lot of his collection right at Karamu House, a theatre I have performed at on many, many occassions. I feel blessed to be enhanced and enriched by his kindred spirit
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Wow, the incredible, succinct language of this switfly moving poem speaks to me as I might be at the stage Hughes was when he wrote this poem. Although the ending of one's earlier dreams is an ageold theme he carried it out masterfully.
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