As I Grew Older

Table Of Contents

The Poem…………2

About The Author………..3

A Letter To The Poet………4

My Dream……….5

As I Grew Older- by Langston Hughes

It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun—
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky—
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!

About The Author

James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was a young child, and his father moved to Mexico. He was raised by his grandmother until he was thirteen, when he moved to Lincoln, Illinois, to live with his mother and her husband, before the family eventually settled in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in Lincoln that Hughes began writing poetry. After graduating from high school, he spent a year in Mexico followed by a year at Columbia University in New York City. During this time, he held odd jobs such as assistant cook, launderer, and busboy. He also traveled to Africa and Europe working as a seaman. In November 1924, he moved to Washington, D. C. Hughes’s first book of poetry,The Weary Blues, (Knopf, 1926) was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1926. He finished his college education at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania three years later. In 1930 his first novel, Not Without Laughter, (Knopf, 1930) won the Harmon gold medal for literature.

A Letter To The Author

Dear Langston Hughes,

Recently I heard your poem “As I grew older” and I like it, it’s really a wonderful poem because it’s talking about the reality of community in the past and even in our days.

Racism is still prevalent in most countries, it constitute a major obstacle to people in different fields, however you was able to face all the obstacles and the racism and you succeeded in overcoming these difficulties and you ach

This matter needs to be patient, strong, intelligent, and confident in yourself and your abilities, you proved to us that you contain all this qualities and the result was clear you managed to succeed.

Your success proved that everything we want we can achieve it by determination.

My dream is to become a doctor.

I like doctors jobs , I brachiate what they do . they save people  lives , also they do what was impossible years ago. So I encourage to be  a part of this job to safe life and be happy seeing peoples smiles come back after their hope was stolen . i feel sad when I see someone cant cost hospital expenses so as a first step for me as a doctor every needed family for a medical treatment I will be a helper because it makes me so comfortable I hope to become what I dream for.