In the poem "Dreams" by Langston Hughes and in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the importance of dreams is emphasized. The need for people to have dreams and to keep them alive is also stressed in both works.
In the poem "Dreams" the author uses metaphor and symbolism to express his strong feelings towards broken dreams. He uses metaphor to compare unlike things and make them similar. This technique helps the harsh reality of life without dreams become more evident. An example of this is "life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.", and "life is a barren field frozen with snow." .
The word dream symbolizes more than just a goal that someone wishes to reach. A dream is the desire to better oneself. A dream is what motivates you, what keeps you going when everything else has failed you. A dream has no limits but only those that the person making them has set. In a dream everything is attainable and there is no unreachable goal. Your dream doesn't stop until you do. A dream is what gives you the never ending hope that cannot be found in society. When you make a dream you don't even think about the possibility of failing or circumstances that will prevent you from success. What you think about is life after you have achieved your dream, and that's what motivates people, the guarantee of a better life once that dream is no longer a dream, but reality. As this author has shown, a dream can never fail you, but you can fail your dream. The only thing stopping you is yourself; and clearly life without a dream is a lonely, dark and sad one.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, dreams are what drove most of the characters. The uses of characterization and conflict play into the attainability of these dreams. Their dreams are the only thing that keeps them going, no matter how unrealistic or simplistic they may be. The character Lenny had a dream to tend rabbits .Even though most people would perceive this foolish thing to long over, it's what inspired Lennie.