The speaker of "A Poem of Changgan" sure doesn't have any grand plans. All she wants is for her sweetheart to come back from his long journey. The problem is, she doesn't really have any control over whether her hopes and plans will actually come true. That's because she has no idea where her sweetheart is exactly, or even when he's coming back. But that doesn't keep her from dreaming about it. After all, many of us dream and hope about what we want, not necessarily what we can actually ever have.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes and Plans
- Does the speaker have any hopes or dreams beyond her husband's return? Why is the husband's return so important to this speaker?
- This poem ends without resolving whether the speaker's hopes and dreams will come true. Why do you think there is lack of resolution at the end?
- Are this speaker's hopes and dreams so limited because she is a woman? Why doesn't she have hopes and dreams that don't involve her husband?
Chew on This
The speaker of this poem has no control over her hopes and dreams, since they're all tied to her husband's return.
Actually, the speaker of this poem has control over her hopes and dreams. For one, she can choose not to tie her hopes and dreams to her husband.