Within A Dream By Edgar Allan Poe Analysis

Edgar Allan Poe, born January 19, 1809, was an American poet, widely known for his literature and his belonging toward Romanticism. Born in Boston, he was soon orphaned after the abandonment of his father and death of mother between 1810-1811. In 1827, Poe released his first book, “Tamerlane and Other Poems”. This was not the only one, however, for he released several other books before the death of his older brother in 1831. After his brother’s death, Poe made the decision to become a writer.
“A Dream Within a Dream” written by, Edgar Allen Poe, was published March 31,1849. This poem, being just one of his most notorious works, having only 2 stanzas and 24 lines, depicts the idea of the relationship between reality and fantasy.
I chose “A Dream Within A Dream” because it brought up the relationship of reality and fantasy. This theme is interesting in that the two concepts can be interrelated. When analyzing the meaning of the poem, thinking outside the box was, at times, challenging but enjoyable. Defining the meaning of the poem was almost, if not, a puzzle, an interesting puzzle.

The Poet conveyed the message that life is like a dream.

Throughout the poem there is only one narrator, a man or woman. The narrator is of high importance to the one being spoken too, so possibly a girlfriend or boyfriend. This narrator alludes to the idea that dreams and reality can be one in the same. The narrator says, “You are not wrong, who deem/That my days have been a dream;” (Line 4-5). The narrator explains that the moments spent with her have felt almost, if not, a perfect dream. The narrator also says, in the closing lines of the first stanza, “All that we see or seem/Is but a dream within a dream.” (Line 10-11). The narrator concludes like dreams, reality is not controlled; reality is what you make it, or what you see. Moreover, in the second stanza the narrator

says,
“And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,”
(Line 14-17)
Sand is represented as his dreams/memories. The use of the adjective “golden” represents precious memories. The sand slipping through his fingers can represent precious memories slipping through his fingers. Just like sand slipping into the deep waters, dreams also slip away to places impossible to retrieve. Lastly, “Is all that we see or seem/But a dream within a dream?” (Line 23-24) In the end, the man is fighting for his dreams, but cannot seem to do anything. I believe the overall poem reflects on, dreams as we wake, like memories throughout our lives, may too be forgotten as we age.
Gradually reading on, the tone of the poem changes drastically. In the first stanza the narrator is calm, but as you move on the narrator becomes distressed with his life. He becomes sadder shown on line 18, “While I weep-while I weep!” He is crying realizing how little good memories he has. The structure of the poem has a meter of three. There are mostly three feet in every line. The poem seems to be written in iambic trimeter, resulting in a poem that has a fast paste, that escalates quickly, and that changes tone quickly. Because of this structure, the poem is very interesting to read, as what you expect to happen doesn’t.