Jocelyn VelazquezOctober 12, 2012

Ms. HamptonPeriod 4

American Literature My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell Poem Analysis

In the Contemporary period which has taken place since 1970 to present day, people

were beginning a new period and a new millennium and media culture interprets values.

People believe that the voices of all cultures, ethnic groups, gender, and nationalities should be

heard. Poetry is universal and speaks to all people regardless of their background. They also

believe that writing can be to teach a lesson, to criticize, to inform or strictly to express. In the

poem My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell by Gwendolyn Brooks it is talking about

how she keeps her dreams and works in her mind wishing that one day she is able to

accomplish her dreams. She keeps them inside her mind because she doesn’t want to forget

them, she will be strong until she returns from her painful journey. The author uses the literary

devices such as capitalization, metaphor, and allusion, the poem in order to make the white

society to feel guilty and her message to them is that the white society kept African American

people from accomplishing their goals.

In the poem the author uses the literary devices of capitalization, allusion and a

metaphor. When Gwendolyn Brooks is talking about that she feels incomplete she says “And

none can give me any word but Wait” she capitalizes the word “Wait” to put emphasize in the

word because she is saying that the world is keeping her from accomplishing her goals and is

making her wait because she is seen as less from other people.since she is African American

Another literary device she uses is a metaphor when she states “I hold my honey and I store my

bread”. She is comparing her dreams and works to honey and bread because honey is rich and

pure and her dream is pure and it’s the only thing she wants in this world. She is comparing her

Jocelyn VelazquezOctober 12, 2012

Ms. HamptonPeriod 4

American Literature My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell Poem Analysis

work to bread because it might symbolize hard work and struggles. Finally she uses the literary

device of allusion. Her whole poem is alluding to the civil right movement and the struggles her

and many African Americans had to face. All these literary devices were meant to make people

feel guilty for putting African American people down from succeeding and having to struggle in

the world just because of their skin color. They had to wait to get equal rights and be treated

the same as others. Many African Americans had dreams but had to put them aside.

In the poem the emotion of guilt helps deliver the message that white society is

making the dreams of the author and other African Americans impossible to accomplish their

dreams. When the author says “I label clearly, and each latch and lid I bid, Be firm till I return

from hell”. This quote is saying that she is putting her dreams aside in her memory for she

won’t forget from when she comes back from the painful and hard journey or obstacle she has

to face. When she says hell she is referring to a world that is holding her back from her dreams.

When she stays “Hoping that, when the devil days of my hurt drag out to their last dregs and I

resume on such legs as are left me, in such heart”. So she is saying when she is done fighting

for equal rights she will go back to trying to reach her goals that will take hard work and the

world will recognize all her work she has done like her poems and writings she has written with

her heart and also others will do it to.

The message that Gwendolyn Brooks is sending to the audience reflects the belief that

voices of all cultures, ethnic groups, gender, nationalities should be heard. She speaking out for

Jocelyn VelazquezOctober 12, 2012

Ms. HamptonPeriod 4

American Literature My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell Poem Analysis

everyone could know the kind of struggles African Americans had to face in a society that is

holding them back from reaching their goals and dreams. All their hard work isn’t enough for

them to be accepted but they’ll go through “hell” to get equal rights. The message also reflects

the belief that writing can be to teach a lesson. The lesson that is taught is that one should

never forget their dreams. When the author says “As I can manage, remember to go home my

taste will not have turned insensitive to honey and bread old purity could love” This shows that

the author will always remember her dreams and her hard work.

In the poem My Dreams, My Works Must Wait Till After Hell is intended for the

white society to feel bad and guilty of the oppression against African Americans. She uses

capitalization, metaphor and allusion in her poem to cause emotion in the reader it teaches

readers to not forget their dreams no matter how much pain obstacles they have to face.