Vocabulary
What does "shatter" mean?
To break into pieces or destroy completely.
What natural element represents the dream at the beginning?
The sun/light.
What stands between the speaker and his dream?
A wall
Why is the word dream repeated?
To emphasize that it is a key element in the poem.
Who wrote the poem As I Grew Older?
Langston Hughes.
What is the meaning of "dimmed" in the poem?
Became less bright or faded.
When the poet says "I am black", what does he mean?
It means he is Afro-American but it also means that he is a man covered by this shadow of how people look at him.
What happens to the dream over time?
It fades.
What does the poet ask his hands to do?
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
What literary device is used in "my dream bright like the sun"? .
Simile
What does "whirling" mean?
מסתובב במהירות
What does the wall symbolize in the poem?
Racial barriers/obstacles.
What does the speaker want to do to the wall?
Break it/shatter it.
What was "long ago" in the poem?
When the speaker had his dream.
How many stanzas does the poem have?
5
What does the word "rose" mean as used in the poem?
עלה
"I lie down in the shadow"- What does lying down symbolize?
helplessness
What does the speaker use to break through the wall?
His hands.
The poet belonged to an intellectual and cultural revival of African-American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship. What was it called?
Harlem Renaissance
How many stanzas are short?
1
What is the meaning of "smash" in the poem?
– To break or destroy forcefully
What command does the speaker repeat? What does the command infer to?
"Break through the wall!". Fight discrimination.
What could “a long time ago” refer to?
The narrator’s past or the past of history.
What is inferred by the fact that the wall touched the sky?
it means you can’t see anything beyond it. You can only see the wall that prevents the poet to attain his dream.
When was the poem published?
1926