DE/RECONSTRUCTING REALITY: THE DREAM MOTIF IN THE POETRY OF LANGSTON HUGHES

 

Hend Hamed Ezzeldin

Asst. Prof., Ain Shams University, Egypt, hendhamed@alsun.asu.edu.eg

 

 

Abstract

This research paper underpins the significant role played by dreams in the construction of reality in the poetry of the American poet Langston Hughes. Being a member of the Black community, Hughes recorded the nuances of Black life and the frustrations they faced, struggling to find a place in a world that would rather deny their very existence. He dreamed of a world that would treat all humans equally and would give voices to all minorities and ethnic groups. Dreams were a means of reconstructing as well as deconstructing reality for Hughes, and a 'positive' means of escapism from the brutal world without. In his dreams, the poet was able to live his desired-for life and enjoy the harmony within until time would come when his dreams will be part of a reality lived by all human kind. The function of the dream, herewith, is to deconstruct the ruthless reality where the poet lives and reconstruct a parallel reality where every noble thought becomes plausible. The dream becomes not only that of one black American, but a collective dream for all the Blacks and by extension, the whole human race.

Keywords: Dreams, Reality, Deconstruction, Black, Hughes