A Dream within a Dream Analysis

A Dream within a Dream
by Edgar Allan 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 —
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to 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?

Summary of A Dream Within a Dream
Popularity: This poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe and was first published in 1849 in a magazine, The Flag of Our Union. The poem is famous for the way it presents the human predicament of life and transitory dreams. The poem comprises the deep feelings of the speaker, the anxious state of mind and the existential crisis of life and dreams.
"A dream within a dream" Representation of life: The poet states that his life is merely a dream within a dream. Although sad, he knows that nothing in life is tangible or permanent, everything he owns has to come to an end, it also means that, like dreams, life goes on at lightning speed and no one can grasp anything, in the first stanza the poet presents love and deep feelings when separating from his potential lover. After saying goodbye to his love, he thinks that his union is nothing more than a dream. However, in the second stanza, the metaphor of sand highlights that there is no iron grip on reality and time. It's just over whether a person accepts reality or not. The expression of sadness runs through the poem. What enchants the reader, however, is the poem's universal appeal to dreams and dream-like situations.
Most important themes in A Dream Within a Dream: Frustration, the existence of life, and grief over passing life are some of the main themes of the poem. These themes are evident in both stanzas. The first stanza shows sadness as the speaker says goodbye to his beloved. However, her departure leaves him questioning his existence. Traumatized by this event, he mourns the passing nature of life that has brought despair and grief. In the second stanza he is still sad and holds grains of sand in his hand. No matter how hard he tries to hold it, the grains of sand slip away. Ironically, he compares human life to this fall of the grains of sand. He questions God to bring him to the reality of life, since for him it is nothing more than a dream within a dream.
Analysis of literary devices in "A dream within a dream"
Literary resources are used to contribute richness and clarity to the texts. Writers use them to make their texts attractive and meaningful. Edgar Allan Poe has also used literary devices to make his poem stand out. The literary devices used in this poem are given below.

Metaphor: The entire poem is an extended metaphor, since the speaker says that life is a dream. He explains how the dream enters our mind using a metaphor on line sixteen where it is said as, how they crawl, comparing sand to a crawling object.
Symbols: A symbol is a brand, sign, or idea that is used as a conventional representation of something. Poe has used symbols to clarify meanings. For example, the falling of the grains of "sand" is a symbol of the passage of time.
Image: The use of images makes the reader visualize the feelings and emotions of the writer. Poe has used images that appeal to the sense of sight such as “kiss on the forehead,” “grains of golden sand,” and “ruthless waves.” These images help readers feel the same pain the poet felt.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in the same lines of poetry, such as the use of / d / in "May my days have been a dream." And the / g / sound in "Grains of the golden sand."
Consonance: The consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds such as the / d / sound in "I have in my hand" and the / l / sound in "While I cry - While I cry. ”
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of / i / in“ In a night, or in a day ”and / or / in“ De surf-tormentado ”.
Personification: Personification is attributing human characteristics to non-human things or objects. The poet has personified hope in the sixth line where he says, "Hope has flown." Here he gives a human quality to hope and the ability to fly.
This literary analysis shows that with the help of the above resources, Poe has made his thematic line of the transitory life of understanding very clear. Furthermore, the effective use of these literary devices has given readers the opportunity to choose multiple interpretations of this simple text.

Analysis of the poetic resources in “A dream within a dream”
The poetic and literary resources are the same, but some are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Estancia: A stanza is a poetic form of some verses. This poem consists of two stanzas with twelve verses in each stanza.
Final rhyme: The final rhyme is used to make a melodious stanza, as in the first, second and third lines of the first stanza, the words that rhyme are "eyebrow", "Now" and "confess".
Repetition: There is the repetition of the verse, "But a dream within a dream." Poe has improved the musical quality of his poem with the help of repetition.
Restraint: Verses that are repeated at a distance in poems are called a chorus. Similarly, the title of the poem, "A dream within a dream" is repeated with the same words in the first and second stanza respectively; it has become a chorus.
"A dream within a dream" usage quotes
These lines can be quoted when talking about a personal experience or temporary joy.
“And in my hand I hold
grains of golden sand.”

These lines can be used to emphasize the importance of hope in one's own life and its effectiveness in maintaining the mood during a crisis.
“Yet when hope has flown away in one night ist
In a night, or in a day, in a vision or in none.