The Poem Dream Variations is written as a free verse by an African-American poet Langston Hughes. The persona of the poem is directly involved with the culminating tension and this could be a black slave who is hopeful and yearns for freedom. The persona is directly involved and this is why he refers to himself in the first person by saying, “to fling my arms wide” (Hughes In. 1). This poem portrays the very social situations going through at that time. The poem was written at the time of slavery and oppression. This can be reflected in the first stanza which the narrator is feeling trapped both mentally and physically and all he wants is to break free pr loose.
The tone used in the first line is still maintained in the second line and this cold reflect the social hierarchy of the time where the blacks were dominated over by the whites and all they need was a new way of life. The comparison of the first and second line in the following stanza reflects the attitude of the speaker. the first stanza talks about the wish of the speaker which is to one day dance in the sunlight and this can mean there is somehow a kind of shame to dance and show off themselves to the world . The second stanza is the total opposite of this in that the speaker desires to be in the face of the sun. In that they want the world to look upon them. This is a true refection of the African American feeling during this time of degradation and enslavement of the