The poem “Dreams” comes from Hughes collection “The Weary Blues,” which describes many aspects of inequality and life in a segregated America. He discusses music, pride, and suffering throughout the collection, making it resonate deeply with the ideas of African-American suffering and pain. This helps us when analyzing the specific poem “Dreams”.

This poem is about holding fast to one’s passions and dreams in life, because life is fleeting and we may never get a chance later to pursue them. Without a dream or a passion in this life, everything becomes dark and bleak. This poem seems to be the antidote to much of the other poetry in his collection, because it is offering a solution to the pain and dissatisfaction he feels. By encouraging the reader to pursue one’s dreams, he is giving them an opportunity to escape suffering and inequality—at least temporarily.