In the poem “The Old Man Dreams” by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Holmes demonstrated that an old man longs to become young again. Holmes supports his message by writing the poem as an extended metaphor comparing youth to old age. At the end of the stanzas, he reveals that the old man not only wanted to become a young boy again, but he also wanted to be a father and husband. In conclusion, it can be understood that the theme of Holmes' poem is to be forever young and to be with your loved ones. Oliver Wendell Holmes used imagery, symbolism, and rhyme to illustrate the character's desire to become young again. We can also believe that the purpose of this poem was to show the thirst for youth that man seeks. This poem also shows that Holmes was a romantic writer because the idea of ​​this poem is untouched youth versus the sophistication that comes with age. Holmes' greatest literary tool that he used throughout this poem was imagery. By using pictures we can see what the old man wanted. For example, the old man says: “I would rather laugh, a boy with shiny hair, than rule, a king with a gray beard” (About.com). This quote from the poem defines the imagery. The boy demonstrates youth. This also shows that being young is a happy time because the color yellow symbolizes happiness and youth. Holmes used the role of a gray-bearded king to paint the picture of old age. shows how dull and dull old age can be. It also compares two different socio-economic aspects using a boy and a king. He says that no matter how much money and power he has, young age is always better than the socio-economic benefits he gets from it. old age. By comparing these two symbols, we can see...... middle of paper ...... the gluttony of youth and the boredom of old age He also hid symbols throughout the poem to keep the focused reader and. so that the reader can pay attention to every word and detail. The use of his rhyme system kept the poem in a lilting flow that made it easy to understand. The rhyming pattern also made the reader feel the happiness of young age that the old man wanted, and it also made the reader feel the sadness of old age that the man did not want. Although Holmes described the old man as someone who wanted youth, he also added other details explaining why the man wanted youth. By adding being a husband and father into the poem as well, it added another angle as to why the old man wanted to become young again. Therefore, it can be concluded that the general theme of Oliver Wendell Holmes was indeed the greatness of youth and the happiness it brought to the old man.