Taming the Beast in the Dream Dreams have long been the basis for in-depth analysis, their meanings interpreted and reinterpreted. Some people believe that dreams reflect our repressed emotions, providing a necessary outlet for the negative aspects of our reality. Others find answers through dreams, believing that dreams provide simple solutions to seemingly complex problems in our lives. Louise Bogan, in her poem “The Dream,” describes a dream that expresses both repression and resolution. It's a poem about fear, and Bogan's message - the message of the dream, in fact - is that fear can be tamed through trust. In the first stanza of the poem the speaker describes the frightening dream she had. Bogan introduces the symbol of a powerful horse that embodies the fear and punishment brought from the speaker's childhood, fear and punishment that has been "held for thirty-five years" (3). Bogan effectively uses metaphorical language when describing fear personified in the horse as it “poured through his mane” (3) and punishment as it “breathed through his nose” (4). The source of his fear is unclear, but it may be that the horse is a symbol of life that can be both beautiful and terrifying. The image created when the speaker tells us, "the terrible horse began / to paw in the air and aim at me with his blows" (1-2) describes a sense of entrapment as life corners her and she vomits repressed fear and punishment. , emotions that need to be addressed. The speaker's shame at her cowardice is clear in the second stanza as she describes how she "lay on the ground and cried" (5). It is at this point that Bogan introduces another symbol into the poem, a woman who "leaped upon the reins" (6). The strength and the stranger's court...... middle of the sheet ...... the meaning is clear, the last line contains three successive iambs in "lower your head in love". Furthermore, after a routine abab rhyme scheme in the first three stanzas, Bogan introduces a new tension in the last stanza with an abba rhyme scheme. The word “love” rhymes freshly and unexpectedly with “glove,” just as Bogan’s poem emphasizes that with trust comes peace, often equally fresh and unexpected. Louise Bogan points out in her poem that life is rarely as predictable as we are. We might like it, but it must be faced, regardless of our fears. Like the speaker, we may be surprised by the kindness and peace we find when we face life head on, offer it our love, and surrender to its power, just as it surrenders to ours. Works Cited Bogan, Louise. "The dream." The Riverside Literature Anthology. Ed. Douglas Caccia. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1990. 730.