A Dream Within A Dream
by Edgar Allen Poe
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
Through my fingers too the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
Thesis: Poe uses mood shifting, repetition and imagery to reflect on his anguish toward the memory of moments that have slipped away during his life.
1) What do you think Poe means by, "all that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream?"
2) To what could you compare the golden sand? What could this be a metaphor for?
3) Why do you think the speaker considers moments in life to be dreams within a dream?
4) If moments are dreams in a dream, what dreams are they all in?
5) Does Poe take on an optimistic perspective or a pessimistic one?
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1) All that we see or seem
ReplyDeleteIs but a dream within a dream.
These two lines could mean that the speaker thinks things are happeneing to fast and they do not appear to be real. This could also refer to things that are to good to be true. As well, there are times in life when we just doze off and dream, maybe we do this all the time? This could also refer to a bigger picture of every individual being a dream within a bigger dream, being the universe. There are a number of things these two lines could mean, based on personal interpretation.
2) "Grains of the golden sand--"
This could be a metaphor for the moments of time. Each grain of sand could be a moment in time and as they slip away, so does time.
3) The speaker could consider moments in life to be dreams within a dream because these moments do not seem real. There are moments when things occur and they feel as if it happened in a dream-like state. It is also possible that every moment you live is like a mini dream inter-connecting you to your overall larger dream. Every person has a different perspective on life, therefore everyone is going to have a different overal dream. Our moments in life are mini dreams that are going to lead us to our bigger dream.
4) For this question, I have two views. My first view is that everyone has their own personal big picture dream. All of the moments they live are just mini dreams pointing them into the right direction to get to their own overall dream. My second view is that all individuals have their dreams, and they all come together to form one large dream, known as the universe. This would be like a universal dream.
5) I feel that Poe takes on a more pessimistic perspective as opposed to optimistic. Throughout the poem, Poe showcases how he feels about the lost time and moments within his life. Poe does not show that he is happy about this, but rather quite sad about it.