Analysis of “A Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe

Analysis of “A Dream Within A Dream”

by Edgar Allan Poe

Introduction

Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. Poetry has been known to employ meter and rhyme, but this is by no means necessary. Poetry is an ancient form that has gone through numerous and drastic reinvention over time. The very nature of poetry as an authentic and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define.

According to Herman J. Waluyo (1995) in his work Teori dan Apresiasi Puisi, he describes a poetry is one of literary work which uses the beautiful words and also has the sententious meaning. The beauty of poetry is formed by an intrinsic elements. Which it devides to be two kinds, those are the physical and psychological elements. The physical elements in poetry are the imagery, diction, figurative language and rhyme. Whereas the psychological elements are like theme, atmosphere. and tone.

According Herman J. Waluyo’s theory (Teori dan Apresiasi Puisi:1995), the poem divided two, they are physical structure and psychological structure.

1.      Physical elements :

1.      Diction is the selection of words which was written in the poem because the words show the meaning, rhyme, and context of the poem.

2.      Imagery is word or structure of word that describe imagery experiences.

3.      Concrete words is to make the words in the poem is more concrete. If the writer make the word to be concrete, the reader can imagine, see, and listen what the condition in the poem.

4.      Figurative languange is languange which is used by the writer to describe the meaning of the poem.

5.      Rhyme is the equation of the sound in poetry, either at the beginning, middle, or the end of lines of poetry.

2.      Psychological elements:

1.      Theme and Messange is part of poem. Theme is main problem of poem which the writer describe. Message is something that the reader can conclude after they read the poem.

2.      Feeling/Atmoshpere is the reader’s feeling after they read the poem.

3.      Tone is the writter’s attitude in the poem

The researcher will use Herman J. Waluyo’s teory to analysis a poem “a Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe  to know how an intrinsic elements that contain in this poem. To get clearer and more details about it, will be presented on the analysis below.

Analysis

In a poem the researcher will analysis physical and psychological elements in the poem “a Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe according to Herman J. Waluyo (1995) in his work Teori dan Apresiasi Puisi.

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 none,

I 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

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?

                                                              

Physical elements

1.      Interpretation

The interpretation of this poem “A Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe is asomeone who has a dream but he can’t raise in reality. He feels dream in within dream and he can’t found the way to get his dream.

“That my days have been a dream”

“Yet if hope has flown away”

“In a night, or in 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”

2.      Imagery

The imagery of this poem is the Author wants to show his dream which not to raise. The Author show his feeling is sadness, frustation, and desperation in his life.

“while I weep—while I weep”

“O God! Can I not grasp”

“Them with a tigher 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”

3.      Rhytem

The rhytem of this poem is in first stanza lines one, two, and three are same (brow, now,avow). Lines four and five are same (deem, dream). Lines six and even are same (away, day). Lines eight and nine are seven (none, gone). But lines ten and eleven are same with lines four and five (deem, dream, seem, dream). In second stanza, lines twelve, and thirteen are same (roar, shore). Lines fouthteen and fifteen are same (hand, sand). Lines sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen are same (creep, deep, weep). Lines nineteen and twenty are same (grasp, clasp). Lines twenty one and twenty two are same (save, wave). Lines twenty three and twenty four same with lines ten and eleven(seem, dream).

4.      Diction

Diction of this poem is surf-tormented  shore and the pitiless wave.

“Of a surf-tormented shore”

“And I hold within my hand”

“O God! Can I not save”

“One from the pitiless wave”

5.      Figurative language

Personification

Grains of the golden sand

This lines called personification because the sand can be compared to sand in an hourglass.

Metaphor

Of a surf-tormented shore

This lines called metaphore because as the water in the sea slowly but inexorably pound away at the physical exsistence of the shore.

One from the pitiless wave

This lines called metaphor because the author regard the wave is “pitiless” the temporal nature of the water by weeping in tandem with the falling of the sand.

Psychological elements

1.      Theme

The theme of this poem is a dream within a dream which not same with reality and a dream which can’t someone get.

“all that we see or seem”

“is but a dream within a dream”

2.      Feel

The feel of this poem is frustation, desperation, and sadness.

“of a surf-tormented shore”

“and I hold within my hand”

“while I weep-while I weep”

“o God! Can I not save”

“One from the pitiless wave”

3.      Tone

Tone of this poem is empaty because in this poem the author shows about his sadness and he was frustation because his dream is not same with reality of his life.

“in a night or in day”

“In a vision or in none”

“Is it therefore the less gone”

4.      Atmosphere

The atmosphere of this poem is disturbing.

“one from the pitiless wave?”

5.      Moral message

Moral message of this poem is the life has been a dream but that everything can become a real if we afford to get it.

Conclusion

The poem “A Dream Within A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe uses the theories from According Herman J. Waluyo’s theory (Teori dan Apresiasi Puisi:1995), according the theory, there are two structures of poem. They are psysical structure and psychologycal structures. This poem tells about someone who has a dream but he can’t to raise his dream. In this poem has two figurative language there are personification and metaphore. The feel of this poem is sadness, desperation and frustation because in this poem the author tells about his sadness when he has dream but a dream within a dream.