James Weldon Johnson
James Weldon Johnson was an early civil rights activist, a leader of the NAACP,
and a leading figure in the creation and development of the Harlem Renaissance
and a leading figure in the creation and development of the Harlem Renaissance
Analysis
he is a fantasist, he loves to daydream and it is a complete fantasy. He daydreams that one his boat "the sails are spun of golden threads" because he may not have to many pricey things in real life. Daydreaming of things that will never happen like scented air "made by the mermaids as they comb their golden hair." He just like having things his way and daydreams can do that for him. he can control people and what happens, in the daydream "[his] galley-slaves are sprightly elves" and he will lay back "and let them row [him] wherever they will adown stream.
The love for the day dreams are caused by the amount of power he has in them.
Devices
Alliteration:
"I love to sit alone and dream, And dream, and dream."
dream is repeated to ensure that people know that dreaming is the main purpose of this poem hense the title "Mid-Day Dreamer".
Irony:
"my galley-slaves are sprightly elves."
pertaining to older people, sprightly means lively; full of energy. old people being full of energy is ironic because they are the ones without energy or lively at all. so person who is expected to not have energy actually has alot of it.
"I love to sit alone and dream, And dream, and dream."
dream is repeated to ensure that people know that dreaming is the main purpose of this poem hense the title "Mid-Day Dreamer".
Irony:
"my galley-slaves are sprightly elves."
pertaining to older people, sprightly means lively; full of energy. old people being full of energy is ironic because they are the ones without energy or lively at all. so person who is expected to not have energy actually has alot of it.