Dream Song Number 5 Essay

Dream Song number 5 takes place in three different locations and features only one major character, Henry with several minor ones that are mentioned in passing. It also has an omniscient narrator. Each stanza of Dream Song number 5 occurs in a different place. The first in a bar, the second in a plane, and the last in an unidentified but confining place. In the first stanza, Henry is unhappy and drunk. He is even compared to St.Stephen who was stoned to death. The word “stoned” can refer to the act of stoning but in this case it means under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The second stanza seems to be the complete opposite of the first. In the second, Henry is very happy, almost ecstatic about flying on an airplane. The last stanza has a very frantic feel though it provides few details as to where it takes place. In this stanza it is implied that Henry is tied up or restrained in some way but nothing is certain. The drastic switch in emotions between stanzas suggests that the person dreaming is not mentally sound and having issues stabilizing their own moods. The mood of the poem is created through the author’s use of repetition and unorthodox grammar and language. In the first
Take out the reference to an airplane and this poem could take place in almost any century. Relating to Hamlet, Dream Song 5 is similar in mood and imagery. In both works, the main characters experience depression and seem to be heading down the path of mental instability. Hamlet also features several scenes with religious imagery. The psychological dimensions of this poem are vast because the mental state of every reader differs. Depending on how the reader can relate to Henry changes the overall psychological analysis of the poem. A reader who relates to Henry will view his actions and the outcomes very differently from a reader who only sees Henry as crazy or even a reader who remains as neutral as the