12 December 2007

Dreams and the Hunsdorfers - Gamma Rays post #3

This is the third homework blog posting and it is due before class starts on Thursday, Dec. 13

So far in The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, we have been introduced to the Hunsdorfer family - Tillie, Beatrice, and Ruth. Tillie is working on a science project, which has gained her some attention at school. Read the following poem by Langston Hughes. Who in the play do you think this poem speaks to the most - Tillie, Beatrice, or Ruth? Who has dreams? What line or lines stand out that seem to speak directly to her situation? Make specific references to incidents in the play and explain your connections.

Dreams

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

- by Langston Hughes

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem has to do with Tillie. The reason why i think this is because she wants to do some much with her life and her family is holding her back. Although i think the poem relates mostly to Tillie i think that it can also go along with the whole family because it talks about not letting your dreams leaving you. In the play Tillie wants to do a science project,but her mother jsut kepps putting her down without really listeing to her. The line that i think relates to this is "Hold fats to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly." I think that this is important and relates to Tillie because her mother is taking her down and wrecking her life.

said Annemarie period 4

Anonymous said...

I think this poem speaks to Beatrice the most. She is the most reluctant person in the family to face the situation she is currently in with her family. She talks about how much potential she had in high school. She remises on how she was the best dancer and student, beautiful, and respected for her hard work. When Beatrice talks to Tillie and Ruth, she talks about those dreams she had. Once her dreams failed her though, she refused to let them go. Like in the poem it says, “Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.” That describes her life; stuck in an unlucky situation, frozen in a crazy life, no goals or money to take her anywhere.
But, as she said, “It all starts with one mistake.” Her life started spiraling downward after making many pitiful mistakes. She got involved into a relationship she probably wasn’t ready for and then got pregnant and became a mother when she wasn’t ready. With Beatrice living in such despair, Tillie and Ruth must suffer the repercussions. They must live in poor conditions with a mother giving up her life. As the poem puts it, “For if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” Tillie and Ruth live under a mom who is not supportive and wants her kids to live in the same misery she does. Maybe that is why Beatrice keeps Tillie home from school sometimes. Also, Ruth constantly has night terrors. Her mental state could be suffering from such a suffocating and harsh environment. It is a shame that two promising girls have to live such a hard life.

Jenna G, Period 6

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem relates the most to Tillie, but it also seems as though Beatrice would say something like it. Tillie has dreams to do different things than her mother expects from her. Although she gets bad grades, she gets into the science fair. She wants to go places with her love of science. She doesn't want to be destined to have the life her mother has. This poem also relates to Beatrice because I think she did let go of her dreams as a kid. She got in a relationship she wasn't ready for and had kids when she wasn't ready. In doing so, she had to give up some of her childhood dreams. When the poem says "For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird," I think it describes Beatrice's life now. She is clearly not happy where she is now. She could have had a better life if she had only held onto her dreams and made them a reality.

Lindsay, per. 4

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem most relates to Tillie. It seems like she is the most poorly treated member of the family and all she can do is dream and hope for the future. Without dreams, Tillie would not have anything to look forward to, she would just do everything her mom tells her to and take it all to heart, and that would be bad because the things Beatrice says to Tillie don't help her in any way. It is her dream to win the science fair, or at least it seems like it, and even though her grades aren't the best, she is in the Top 5. I think that Tillie knows if she lets go of her dreams, she wil probably end up like her mother, and that is not how she wants to be.

Colleen period 4

Anonymous said...

This poem sounds like Beatrice’s and Tillie’s lives. Beatrice sounds like someone who had big dreams and ended up having kids before she could pursue them. Now she miserable and angry at herself when she sees her daughter doing well. Then she takes it out on anything around her, mainly Tillie, Nanny and the poor rabbit. Beatrice reminds me of the phrase “ Life is a barren field, frozen with snow” It’s what she is now because of her poor choices in life. This poem also reminds me of Tillie, Tillie is struggling to hold on to her dreams despite her mom pushing her around and being horrible to her. Tillie clearly wants to make something of herself and she found something that she enjoys. It’s good to have dreams and to aspire to achieving whatever you want in life. If you don’t have any dreams then what do you have?
In the poem they say “Hold fast to dreams for when dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” When you have actual dreams and then wake up its hard to keep a grasp on them before they slip away.This could also be a parallel to Beatrice’s life and potentially Ruth’s future.

Anonymous said...

This poem can basically relate to any member of the family since they are dealing with the same problems in their life with no goals. They don't plan on the ways to improve their lives. However, I think this relates the most to Beatrice. The dream she talked about to Ruth showed a lot about her. Her dream started with a beautiful scenario. It showed her fantasies, like having the best horse, wearing beautiful clothes and selling finest fruits. Then, suddenly, she didn't hold on to her dream and took a wrong turn that led her to nowhere. Her life was frozen on one place. She became lonely. She describes her daughters as "stones" tied around her neck that keeps her from having a better life. I specially like the part, "For when dreams go, Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow." It perfectly describes the situation Beatrice is facing. She was not ready to be mother. Now she had to face her weaknesses everyday of her life, and her life was frozen. She had no plans for better life. When Tillie won the Science Fair, she was not happy for her. Instead, she was yelling at how everyone would laugh at her. Perhaps, if she didn't take a wrong turn, she wouldn't have to live such a life. She should have hold on to her dreams and do what was right.

Anonymous said...

This poem, is about Beatrice. Earlier in the play, we read that she once had many dreams. She made the mistake, as she says, of marrying the wrong person. In the final stanza, "For when dreams go, Life is a brren field of snow.", It's like Beatrice's dream of She is a wealthy vegetable "seller", and she turns down the wrong road, and it's a deserted town. Beatrice's former dream, ike in the poem, has "died". Her life is nothing but a "broken-winged bird".
-Sean H Per. 4

Anonymous said...

This poem, is about Beatrice. Earlier in the play, we read that she once had many dreams. She makes many mistakes, like when she said, she married the wrong person. In the final stanza, "For when dreams go, Life is a barren field of snow.", It's like Beatrice's dream of when she is a wealthy vegetable "seller", and she turns down the wrong road, and it's a deserted town. Beatrice's former dream, like in the poem, has "died". Her life is nothing but a "broken-winged bird".
-Sean H Per. 4

Anonymous said...

I think that the poem applies most to Beatrice. For one thing she explains how she used to have dreams where she would end up all alone except for a glimpse of her father. At this point in her dream she’s in “a barren field, frozen with snow” because she’s all alone and scared. She also explains how she has high dreams of opening up a business of some sort perhaps a vegetable stand or a tea shop. She apparently was unable to maintain these dreams after she hastily married the wrong man and her life fell apart. All her dreams died, “For if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” Her dreams have died and are now “broken-winged” and cannot ever become reality. If she tries hard enough she can still make her dreams come true but it will take a lot of effort and believing on her part.

Anonymous said...

This poem by Langston Hughes is a great poem for the way Beatrice’s life turned out. According to her, she was the best dancer in school and had the self acclaimed best legs. Her dream was to be a great dancer, maybe even famous, but as she told us, her dreams were shattered when she woke up from her fantasy and married the wrong person and ended up alone with her two kids. Her dream of what she could be when she was older became “A barren field, Frozen with snow.” When her dream died her life was like a “broken-winged bird.” Birds with broken wings don’t get better easily, and in order for Beatrice to achieve her new dreams of owning a tea shop she will have to have a great deal of determination.
Mike R, Per. 6

Anonymous said...

I think this poem speaks most to Tillie and Beatrice. It speaks to Tillie because she obviously has dreams of making a career out of her scientific acumen. I believe it is telling her to stick with it and keep holding on because without it her life will be without meaning and if she losses science, in the words of Beatrice what else does she have? The lines that I think speaks to her is the first four lines because they are speaking of losing dreams as if to warn against it. I believe this speaks to Beatrice too because it basically illustrates her life. Beatrice had said that she had also had dreams when she was younger but these dreams were dashed and now she leads what she sees to be an empty life. The lines that I think speak to her are the last four lines because much like her life when she lost hold of her dreams her world started to freeze over and lose meaning.

Dom D -Per 4

Anonymous said...

The poem is applicable to all three women in the play; but it pertains to Beatrice the most. At moments throughout the play, Beatrice describes her childhood, and everything she wished she could be become, and how bright her future was. She wanted to be a dancer, run a tea shop, or drive her father’s fruit cart. Unfortunately, these dreams were abandoned; they managed to slip farther and farther away until they were unattainable. Her life became the same as the poem dictated, a “barren field
Frozen with snow,” and she was powerless to stop it. Eventually she simply succumbed to the inevitable, and resigned herself to the life that she made based upon her decisions. It is important to realize that Beatrice’s life is a direct result of her own decisions; everyone has a hard time at one point in their life, it is simply whether the person has the character to dig themselves out of the hole in which they have found themselves and begin rebuilding their live, continuing down the path that leads to their dreams. Even if she tries to pass the blame off on some one else, Beatrice is responsible for her own actions. I think that Beatrice still dreams, and still wishes to better her life, like when she started to clear the house off, and started talking about opening a tea shop. Her dreams can still be realized, all she must do is put the effort into realizing them.

Anonymous said...

This poem seems to relate to Beatrice the most. For one, she talks about how she wishes she could open up a store and buy a nice new house with a large garage. secondly, she tells Ruth about a dream she has about her and her father riding on a vegetable cart and being happy together. Her dreams are relatable to a �broken-winged bird� because she never was able to fulfill those dreams and goals she had. Her life is like a �barren field� for she too is stuck in the life that she created.
Sean S. Per. 4

Anonymous said...

To me this poem fits Beatrice's life the most. Like everyone growing up, she had dreams of what her life would become. She was one of the most popular girls in school, she had a lot of spunk and she dreamed of being a dancer. Then she made a few bad decisions and her life went completetly down the drain. It's like the poem says, "Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly." She ended up hating just about everything in life, sometimes even her own daughters. She believes that if her own life is miserable, everyone else's should be too. She hates seeing her daughters do better in life than she did, and she tries to make them see that they aren't better than she is and never will be. Peter per.4

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem speaks to both Tillie and Beatrice. Tillie and Beatrice are more alike then they might seem. This poem speaks to both of them because they both had dreams of what they wanted their lives to be like. Beatrice was a great dancer and that was her dream. That dream slipped away from her as she got older and that is what this poem shows. What this poem says and is warning about is exactly the dream that Beatrice had that she allowed to die. Beatrice is living proof of this poem.

This poem also speaks to Tillie, because like Beatrice, she has a dream. She has a big passion for science and learning, which is her dream. She actually wants to go to school and do experiments to further her education. She has a dream and a lot of potential. What this poem is saying is that if Tillie lets her dream die, she will be left with nothing. This poem speaks to both of those women because they share similar events in life.

Maria Period 6

Anonymous said...

This poem speaks to Tillie and Beatrice, but I think it speaks to Beatrice more. This poem is saying that if you have dreams, you can’t let them go or give up on them because then you will have nothing to live for. This relates to Tillie because she has dreams. She is a very good scientist and loves to learn, especially about science, but Beatrice won’t let her, perhaps because she couldn’t follow her dreams of becoming a dancer. “For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow”. When Beatrice was younger, she was a great dancer, but she let go of those dreams and then became a mother so she could not fulfill those dreams, so now, she is crabby and bitter. Now, when she sees Tillie doing very well in school and with all of this potential, she doesn’t want her to be successful because she wasn’t.

Megan Period 6

Anonymous said...

Tille, Beatrice and Ruth all have dreams of their own, and nightmares. This quote is speaking towards Beatrice and Tillie in my opinion. Its speaking at Beatrice because it is saying that you let your dream slip away and now its gone. She should have gone after what her dream was and fufilled it. Now Beatrice is a "broken-winged bird" and can't fly, meaning she is stuck with the life she has and can't do anything about it. It is also speaking towards Tillie because her mother is holding her back from the dreams she wants to accomplish in her life, like going to school and entering a science fair. She doesn't want to end up like the 'broken-winged bird" in the quote and should act fast before her dream dies because of her family.

Anonymous said...

The poem by Langston Hughes reflects on how Beatrice could have been a successful person and had dreams to do so until she had two kids and could not complete her dreams. Tillie is doing well in school Beatrice starts to become jealous of Tillie when she placed in the science fair because Beatrice was never really successful in high school. One of her daughters is now popular in the school and she was and then became a loser. Another reason that this poems reflects on Beatrice is that the dream that she had when she was younger and she looked up to it until she had Ruth and Tillie. After that she really did nothing other then being jealous of her daughters. “For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.”
Andrew Per.

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem can apply to anyone in the Hunsdorfer family, because all of them have problems of their own, but I think that it most applies to Beatrice. Beatrice is the one who had the dream, and it is one of the clearest memories of her childhood, even though it was just a dream. If she forgets about the dream, then she is ignoring most of her childhood.
In the poem, it is basically saying that if you don't hold on to your dreams, then you are losing part of your life. This rings true for Beatrice, because she feels that her life has gone completely wrong and she hangs tight on to this dream. in a way, Beatrice's life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly, and a barren field, frozen with snow.

Anonymous said...

I think this poem is about Beatrice. She makes a few mistakes like she said she married the wrong person, that's why I think this poem is about her because earlier in the play she said she had many dreams. It's about Beatrice because it says that you let your dream slip away and now its gone. "Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly." Beatrice doesn't want her daughter to be better than her so she doesn't help her succeed in life because she knows that she screwed up in life and doesn't want her daughter achieving more than she did.

kendall

Anonymous said...

In my opinion this poem relates to Beatrice and Ruth. Beatrice's dream was about her going off and having her own vegtable stand and selling all her own things; but then she takes the wrong path in life and does not succed. The verses the go along with Beatrice are "Life is a broken winged bird" and "Hold fast to dreams". Ruth had a dream about when she saw someone dieing. When this dream was explained in the book it sounded like it was reoccuring. This may be the reason the Ruth is so crazy; she is tramatized by what she saw. In the poem the verse "Life is a barren feild frozen with snow." Ruth is frozen with this memory and it haurts her all the time.

Anonymous said...

The poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes is about the positive aspect of having dreams. When people give up on their dreams their lives become empty. I think it could relate to both Tillie and Beatrice because Tillie has hopes and dreams to be successful whereas Beatrice had hopes and dreams but gave up on them and is now unhappy. Beatrice also tends to be mean and controlling to the people around her.
Josh period 4

Anonymous said...

"Dreams", by Langston Hughes, can be applied to Beatrice as a message of shared knoledge, whereas it can also be applied to Tillie as a message of warning. Beatrice's dreams became forsaken; her wings of the past that had once potential are now broken and perhaps severed off. She may now live happily with what remains, if she so chooses, but her dreams of wealth have long since escaped her and the husband and family left her alone for reasons soon to be discovered. A flightless bird she became; a bird isn't a bird without its wings. Without her wings, she couldn't soar the long journey to the south and free herself from the callousness of winter, originating from an unforgiving sky so distant that its emotion could only be expressed in the form of bitterly cold yet complex specks of ice. By this, Tille has been warned. Under a morbid mother, she's currently a young girl who goes to school quick mindedly with dreams of prosperity and love awaiting her. Fending off her foe with an innate mastery, her wings are still sound. Conversely, Ruth's wings have been significantly injured, but if she tries hard enough, she can endure the pain and maintain a flight, with pain from the damages alleviating over time.

Anonymous said...

I believe that the poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes, can be reflected towards any of the members of the family but more specifically towards Tillie and Beatrice. Tillie is the only member of the family who seems to have a dream and something to work for. Although she struggles with school and gets bad grades, she is passionate about science and is very talented in that area. Her love of science gets her into the top five of the science fair at school. Her "bird" still has its wings and is about to take flight while Beatrice, on the other hand, does not. Her dreams were crushed long ago and she can't let go of the past. She takes out her frustration on those who are close to her and anything else she possibly can; like the rabbit and Nanny. "Dreams" by Langston Hughes takes on different meaning depending on the aspect of those who read it. For Tillie; forewarning, and for Beatrice; familiarity.

Anonymous said...

I think that this poem is directed towards Tillie. Tillie has dreams of succeeding in science, and showing her mother that she isn't a disgrace to the family. In this situation, the sentences "hold fast to dreams for when dreams go, life is a barren frozen with snow" it is saying to Tillie that if you let go of your dreams, there is nothing in the future that can make you feel as good as when you believed in your dreams. For example, when Tillie was put down by her mother, she didnt get discouraged, but if she did, nothing would have been the same. She wouldnt be in the postition that she is in now.

Anonymous said...

I think this poem is best related to Tillie because she has dreams and her family might get in the way of them so the poem is saying don't let go of your dreams because if you do then life won't be as good as is could be. Something that could relate to this poem is when she wants to go to school and her mom won't let it's saying that she shouldn't stop liking school because her mom and sister don't like it.

Jordan
perod 6

Anonymous said...

the poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes i think is written for Tillie beacuse she has dreams to be a scienetist at one point. but at the same time her mother is trying to stop her from acomplishing her goal at the same time.

kyle per6

Anonymous said...

I think this poem speaks the loudest about Tillie, because she is the only one of the three who really has held on to her dreams. Tillie really wants to go to school and be a scientist and she does whatever she can to convince Beatrice to let her go. If Tillie lets go of her dreams she will most likely end up like Beatrice a broken winged bird.

Anonymous said...

This poem speaks about Beatrice. Beatrice has dreams of bigger and better things. She had dreams of being a dancer and opening up her own tea shop.

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

These lines explain Beatrice. Her dreams died and now she cannot fly. She is completely miserable living a life that she doesn't want. She Let go of her dreams and now it seems that she can never get them back.

Anonymous said...

i beleive the poem mostly speaks to tillie and how her dreams are almost being crushed by her family. She wants to make something of her life and she cant seem to do that with the dysfunctional family she lives in.
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird

I think this part mostly speaks out and is speacial because tillie shouldnt let her dreams go because of environment she was put into.
Pat period 6

Anonymous said...

I believe Tillie has the most dreams. She's consistent in what she does and acts towards her dreams constantly. She's very smart and wants to do something in the future with science. Her dreams of becoming famous or her name being known are running through her head all of the time; especially when her mother or sister is putting her down. Tillie just wants someone to know who she is and appreciate her for that and that is a huge dream of hers because she never is treated well. All she wants to do is contain a good life. If Tillie doesn't follow her dreams... then she's stuck at home in her own misery.
"a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."

Theresa p4