Romance Sonambulo Theme of Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
Check, check, and check. The speaker of "Romance Sonambulo" has all three of these things, with plenty to spare. Unfortunately for him, what's lacking is the fulfillment of any of these things. Still, that doesn't stop him from pursuing his desires in the face of frustration and denial. Is his persistence just him being stubborn and blunt-headed, or is this poem instead trying the tell us something about the importance of having dreams, hopes, and plans, even if they never come to fruition?
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
- Why does the speaker not achieve his dreams in the poem? Is he a bad planner? Do you think he'll ever achieve his dreams? Why or why not?
- Do you think that the speaker could have climbed up to the balcony without the help of a friend? Why or why not?
- Why do you think the speaker wants to climb up to the balconies after he's denied his dream of dying in his own bed?
- After what happens in the poem, do you think the speaker will try to climb to the balcony again?
- What makes you say so?
Chew on This
The poem shows us that the acts of hoping and dreaming are more important than actually fulfilling those hopes and dreams.
The poem demonstrates that no dream can be attained without painful self-sacrifice. What's that? Put this into more motivational poster-speak? Okay, then: "No pain, no gain" (insert image of Rocky doing sit-ups here).
