A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow
--You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand
--How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave
all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

The poem i chose used many hyperbole. It is an exaggerated statement to put it simply. The hyperbole is "O God!". It is used repeatedly at the last end. Also "How few!" and " weep--while weep" All these are exaggerated statements . It is to show how the subject feels at that time. The writer use hyperbole to create a clearer image of which the subject feels. "Oh god!"Portray the subject as panicky and"weep--while weep shows how sad the person really is.

The poem also used personification. Personification is a technique that gives inanimate object in the poem human traits or characteristics. In the poem , personification is used on the sand. "How few! yet how they creep." Creep is used to describe how the sand disappears from his hand. It shows the sand slowly disappears and nothing the person could do. the sand takes on a human trait which is to move slowly or creep.One more example of personification is "pitiless wave". Pitiless wave describes the wave as cruel because it wash away the sand the subject loves. The wave takes a human form of having a trait which is cruel.There is another instance where an inanimate object gains and animal characteristics. It is "Yet if hope has flown away." Hope has taken a bird's trait which was to fly. It shows hope is flying out of grasp, meaning, quickly vanishing.

I like this poem because it is simple yet it shows helplessness of the subject even though he may be in a dream. There is very good used of hyperbole. It exaggerates the subjects feeling by using "Oh God!" to describe his helplessness and panic. His description is very well done using words like "Surf-tormented"shore and "pitiless wave.Personification is used effectively to bring out the traits of the inanimate objects. It is related well to the objects. It paints a very clear picture for the reader. The focus of the storyline is the writer panic of not able to save the sand . It is clear from the hyperbole to exaggerate the helplessness. The story flows very smoothly and rhythm very much. However, the description is the part of the poem that I like the most.