Compare and Contrast the ways in which “I, Too” and “As I Grew Older” Explore the Motif of Dreams

Langston Hughes explore the motif of dreams in both poems however, it is compartivley more visible and explicit in ‘As I Grew Older’. In this poem, Hughes uses repitition of “dream” throughout the poem which establishes it as a motif where as in ‘I, Too”, Hughes implicitly explores this motif. Hughes refers to “[forgetting his] dream.” in the first few lines of the single stanza poem to establish early that he has a dream but it is slowly fading. Furthermore, he utilize an extended metaphor of a wall that rises, blocking the speaker’s dream of living in a non-racist where there is equality and freedom. This can be seen in ‘I, Too” as he talks about his hopes to one day “be at the table”. Hughes uses the setting of a house compounded with the table to not only establish the speaker’s role as a domestic worker but also because a house is an intimate place where a family lives. The effect of this is that it reflects the sense of togetherness but the persistent distance that remains between black and white people. The uplifting, hopeful tone and imagery takes this idea and portrays it as a dream. For example, the speaker refers to himself as ‘the darker brother’ which links to the bigger idea of family but the audience also sees the double consciousness as white people will still see him as African American regardless of the fact that he views himself as American. Another example is when the speaker mentions “[he will] grow strong” which refers to the increasing strength of the African American community during the sgregation at the time. This provides the impression that he is not worried and truly believes he will achieve this dream. Hughes contrasts this constant hopeful tone with the multiple shifts in tone in the poem ‘As I Grew Older’. The first third of the poem starts with a hopeful tone but transitions into a more sad, anxious and angry tone. Finally the tone reverts to a more optimistic tone. This presents the motif of dreams as something that we can lose sight of and in this context, it presents the barriers between black and white people in society.