Hughes powerfully emphasizes the vital importance of holding onto one's aspirations. Without dreams, he suggests, life becomes unable to reach its potential, losing its capacity for hope and movement, resembling something incomplete.
Quote by Langston Hughes: “Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken‑winged bird that cannot fly.”
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken‑winged bird that cannot fly.
Insight
Historical Context
Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance, a period when African American artists and intellectuals were asserting their identity and vision amidst systemic racism, making dreams a crucial theme for resilience and aspiration.
About the Author
American poet, social activist, and leading figure of the Harlem Renaissance whose work celebrated Black American life with warmth, irony, and political urgency. His poetry collections, including The Weary Blues, and his play Mulatto brought Black experience to the center of American literary life.
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