A wise, thoughtful man once said, “Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out” –John Wooden. Many people can agree with this statement and can relate to it very easily. Simple statements, like these, can produce a lot of power. The saying about the glass half full or half empty comes to mind: if you stay positive and never get too down on yourself, then everything will work out. Based on a true story, Margarita Engle uses symbolism and imagery, to create vivid images and demonstrates how one girl’s courage changed music, in the poem “Drum Dream Girl”.
Dreams are aspirations that reflect a human’s wants and desires in life. They are a fundamental element that drives human beings to achieve the impossible. Dreams
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In the poem, “Drum Dream Girl”, Millo had to have courage and strength to strive for what she believed in. In the story, theme is the message that is trying to be told. Theme is everywhere in a story, and Millo’s character was able to share a powerful message. The illustrations by Rafael Lopez captured the musicality of the island by using colorful colors and the surreal dream images that inspire young Millo to pursue her love of drums. “Warm blues and purples swirl against hot pinks and bright oranges – every spread is full of motion, with some of the illustrations requiring a ninety-degree turn, as if the book itself has got to dance.” (Gershowitz). Combined with the outstanding illustrations, Engle incorporated “ear-pleasing onomatopoeia (the “boom boom booming” of sticks on a timbale), copious descriptive adjectives, and thoughtful alliteration, with both lots of hard ds and softer, rolling rs appearing throughout: “Her hands seemed to fly / as they rippled / rapped / and pounded / all the rhythms / of her dream drums.” (Gershowitz). The rhythmic text tells Millo’s story and its significance in minimal words, “with a lyricism that is sure to engage both young children and older readers.”