Analysis of Harlem Renaissance Poem: "Dreams"

For my AP English course we were assigned to choose a poem from the Harlem Renaissance and analyze it. I chose the following poem:

Dreams

Langston Hughes, 1902 - 1967

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

I would first like to analyze the poet Langston Hughes. He is an African America male who would have been in his 20's during the Harlem Renaissance, and 24 when he wrote "Dreams."

This poem itself is written in free verse containing two stanzas and 4 lines in each. A factor that holds the same is the beginning line of both the first and second stanzas is the repeating phrase, "Hold fast to dreams." The second lines both start with the word, "For." The third lines both start with the word, "Life." Then the final line of each stanza connect back to their previous line.

"Hold fast to dreams" can be translated to mean hold tightly onto dreams. But the term "hold fast" is also used in the Bible, I haven't personally read the entire Bible to realize this, but on this website it explains where it says it and what it means: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/holding-fast-the-word-of-life-in-2010. And from this link it says that holding fast means to have your attention fixed. But the term "hold fast" is also used in the Navy. This link will tell you about how people in the Navy would get tattoos that say "hold fast" and it is a meaning of holding tough: http://alchemytattoola.com/traditional-hold-fast-tattoo-come/. All of these 3 meanings go well with how people were feeling about their dreams during the Harlem Renaissance, and Langston used this language to appeal to all readers feelings. Many African Americans during this era were wanting to hold tight onto their dreams, focus their attention on their dreams, and also stay tough when going after their dreams. Langston repeated the line twice because what the African American's believed in during the Harlem Renaissance was the most important dreams aspects in their life.

Then the second lines of both are actually very similar, "For if dreams die," and "For when dreams go." The first line seems a big more negative though because it says die. The first stanza's second line is basically saying that when you give up on your dreams, "Life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." A broken winged bird that cannot fly is a bird that may be in pain from a broken wing, and it cannot fly or go anywhere without his wing. The African Americans dreams are the same way if they would have given up on them they are in pain from an unhappy life of incomplete goals, and they will not get better without having a dream to reach for. Then the second stanza's second line is saying that when dreams go they are getting completed or progressing and no longer a dream that is needed, or they are dreams that are going in and out of the African Americans lives. When dreams start to go, "Life is a barren field frozen with snow." A barren field is calming and completed of their crops that were harvested and snow is frozen which locks the current scenario in play. Which when the African Americans finally were being uplifted during the Harlem Renaissance they felt complete in a way during their life and the freedom seemed to be locked down or frozen, or the period of time felt as if it froze. 

I feel that this poem has a very deep and complex meaning behind it, and the word choice that the poet uses gives a lot of room for the poem to relate to many parties, as well as many situations. This poem just happens to be from and for the Harlem Renaissance but this poem honestly relates for anyone who has a dream. This poem can be a motivation to anyone who is working towards a specific goal or even a specific dream. This poem is easily tailored to any situation. I believe and would like to share "Dreams" with modern students in today's society because this poem shouldn't be limited to popularity for the Harlem Renaissance but for everyday motivation!