HSC English First Paper | Unit: 10, Lesson: 2 | Dreams | Dream Poems

Introduction:

William Wordsworth (1770-1850), the great Romantic poet, considered poets dreamers because they have the ability to turn "our wish, our power, our thought" into "a deed." Poets give voice to what we desire and strive hard to achieve. They write about the dreams of lovers, men of action, patriots, social reformers, workers and just about anyone given to imagining a better tomorrow for themselves and for others.

In the previous lessons we've learnt about different aspects of dreams. In this lesson, we will read two poems, written by two poets from two sides of the Atlantic. While D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) was an English novelist, poet and essayist, Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was an American poet, novelist and playwright. Hughes was also a leader of the Harlem Renaissance which attempted to bring changes in the lives of the Black people in the 1920s.

1. Before reading the poems, you must carry out a couple of warm up activities.

□ Find out more about Lawrence and Hughes from Wikipedia (on the Internet). Lawrence was more famous as a novelist, so write down the names of five of his novels.

□ Present your findings in a group to the class.

2. Now read the two poems and answer the questions that follow.

A. Dreams' by D. H. Lawrence

All people dream, but not equally.

Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind, 

Wake in the morning to find that it was vanity.

But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people, 

For they dream their dreams with open eyes, 

And make them come true.

B. 'Dreams' by 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.

3. Answer the following questions:

a. What type of dreams is Lawrence referring to in his poem?

b. Why does he consider them dangerous?

e. What is the meaning of 'dreaming with open eyes'?

d. What is Hughes telling his readers to do?

e. Why does he want his readers to hold fast to their dreams?

f. Why, according to Hughes, are dreams so important in our lives?

g. What type of dreams do the two poets highlight?

4. What are the meanings of the following words and phrases?

a. a broken-winged bird

b. barren field

c. frozen

d. recesses of the mind

e. dusty

f. make something come true

g. vanity

5. What parts of speech are the following words?

a. fast

b. winged

c. snow

d. equally

e. vanity

f. true

6. Write a summary of both the poems in 150 words each.

If you want to read the next lesson of this unit please click the link below:
Lesson 3: I Have a Dream