A Dream Deferred - the Poetry of Langston Hughes

The only major shift that occurs in Dreams Deferred, happens on the last line of the poem. Hughes compares dreams to other things using similes. These similes are not instantaneous, they happen and worsen over time. i.e(Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?/Or fester like a sore). But on the last line, he compares dreams deferring to something that doesn’t need time. An

Langston Hughes was the most famous poet from Harlem, writing during the 1920’s and 1930’s. Hughes wanted to show the lives of the black community through his poems and the things they faced in America at that time like racism. He would compare the ways African American experience was different from the white Americans. At the time he was writing, slavery was over for sixty years already, but blacks were still treated unequally everyday. African Americans had a dream that was being held back from them, called a deferred dream. What is a dream deferred? Langston Hughes relates his sequence of poems, “Lenox Avenue Mural,” to this question. It is said that, “The “dream deferred” is the dream of African Americans: a dream of freedom, equality,

Can you imagine having a talent that you have been waiting so long to show an audience? The speaker in this poem tells the audience how it feels. In Langston Hughes short poem Harlem the speaker quizzes the reader on what happens when a dream is postponed. The tone of the poem is informative, curious and exciting. The speaker asks the reader short, simple metaphorical questions pertaining to the possible end results of a dream postponed. The poem title says a lot about the tone and the dream the speaker is referring to, which is the American Dream blacks pursued in the Harlem Renaissance.

“Harlem”, also known as “A Dream Deferred”, is a poem by Langston Hughes published in 1951. The four stanza, free verse poem is composed of six questions and one declarative sentence. This poem reflects the post-World War II mood of many African Americans. The Great Depression and the war were over, but for many African Americans their dreams, whatever particular form it took, were still being deferred. Through this poem Langston Hughes examines the possible effects caused by the dream, when they are constantly deferred. As Hughes explores what happens when dreams are put on hold, the speaker uses a series of similes that compare the act of deferring dreams. To catch the reader's attention, the writer also made sure that specific words and questions stood out. As a result, the

First of all, it’s a poem. With a lot of questions. Its central question, however, is "what happens to a dream deferred?" meaning basically "what happens when your dreams don’t come true?" only Hughes’s version sounds better. He poses a couple of graphic suggestions: do the dreams dry, fester, run, stink, crust, sugar, sag, or explode? If we make like kindergarteners and play a little game of, "what doesn’t belong," the word explode fits the bill. While the other verbs deal with decay, waste, or extinction, explode is considerably more active, more powerful. No wonder Hughes chose to use it

A dream is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. Most people use their dreams as a way of setting future goals for themselves. Dreams can help to assist people in getting further in life because it becomes a personal accomplishment. Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is speaking about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. The poem leaves it up to the reader to decide what dream is being questioned. This poem was created during a time of need, and during a time of frustration for people of color. Civil rights and freedom were questioned, but African American took the oppression they faced and created an event in history known as The Harlem Renaissance. This paper will discuss how Langston Hughes’ influences

During the Harlem Renaissance, many look towards big cities to pursue their dreams. Langston Hughes, a famous poet, knew how important dreams were and he saw dreams crumble during his times. Dreams are a big deal in life because people set dreams to give themselves hope. When their dreams crumble, their spirits die as well because they have nothing else to strive for. In Harlem, Hughes uses vivid imagery and similes to illustrate how dreams deferred upset and defeat the human spirit inside one’s self.

When I read “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes, I felt like he knew how it felt to put off a dream for so long. How he described the dream when putting it off for so long, what happens to it and how it hang on to you until you either completely forget about it, or you finally complete the dream. When I read “Hope” by Emily Dickinson, I felt spiritual when she was referring hope as a bird. She best explains hope as a being that is always inside of you, waiting to be let out, to when it’s at the worst moment ever and it’s still there, helping you through, always giving and never wanting. When I read “maggie and milly and molly and may” by e.e.cummings, at first I was very frustrated and sort of confused when reading, because it doesn’t seem

After poetry is written, published, and circulated, analysis of the poem must take place. It unveils and discusses the themes, figures of speech, word placement, and flow of the piece, and "A Dream Deferred," is no exception. In Langston Hughes's poem, A Dream Deferred, the theme is that no really knows to dreams if they are not reached, and very realistic figures of speech help convey this idea; the poem can be surprisingly related to Mr. Hughes's life through the subtitle and quotes from Langston himself.

The poem uses the use of sound from the very start. With the words “dreams deferred”, and “Does it dry up?” In addition to that it also uses the words “syrupy sweet.” This poem uses Rhyme with the words sun and run likewise with meat and sweet and with load and explode. The symbolism is communicated through similes "dry up like a raisin in the sun," and, "stink like rotten meat." To talk about meter, the poem is a rundown of inquiries and the first stanza alongside the last one are comprised of one line and the second stanza is seven and the third is just two. The syllables in every line appear to be conflicting with one another a few lines having seven syllables and others running from three to

“A dream is a wish your heart makes”, says the infamous song. No truer words can describe what a dream is than those mentioned once upon a time. The poem Harlem (Dream Deferred), is a short poem written by Langston Hughes after World War II, after the Harlem Renaissance. Countries were forever tainted with blood, many struggled to move on and soldiers lacked any real sleep. It was a time far different than the current century with people being more racially divided than ever. Outrageous acts against humanity were committed because of race. It was a never ending struggle for equality and justice for both women and for race. Also, it was the time of the Civil Rights Movement in America, where African Americans peacefully claimed their rights

While some of the poems by the Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes harbor a melancholy attitude echoing that of the Negro Spirituals, Hughes’s work can mainly be seen as the turning point for how the motif of dreams would be portrayed in the works of prominent black authors and figureheads. Langston Hughes was the beginning of the positive portrayal of the dream. At the time, Hughes flourished within his community and it wouldn’t be until many years later that the full breadth of his work would be celebrated. He inspired the likes of Lorraine Hansberry and Martin Luther King Jr. to bring his message to the nation. The dreams expressed by Hansberry and King Jr. reflects those of Hughes’

“Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” – Langston Hughes (Hughes 2,1-4). Dreams are a subset of today’s forever changing world, and without them there would be no advance. Because of the importance of dreams, one can only imagine the possibilities of what may happen when these fantasies are not pursued. “Dream Deferred,” by Langston Hughes, brings awareness to those thoughts when viewing African Americans. Hughes, a very influential individual, provides a voice for these peoples, which is hardly ever issued. The text and author are products of the Harlem Renaissance, the time of the advancement of African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance is an impact on the “Dream Deferred,” and speaks of dreams

It is true that people often dream widely and unrealistically. But some people dream about basic human rights such as dignity, freedom, liberty, equal rights, and access to education. Socio-economic and political conditions sometimes put people in dire situations where they do not have access to such fundamental human needs. For such people, achieving their dreams is especially important, as the shattering of their dreams may lead to the shattering of their lives altogether. One can think of numerous such people, but one glaring example is the case of undocumented students in the United States who dream about equal rights and access to higher education. These students struggle with a lot of problems in their lives and some of those problems are beyond their control. It is important therefore that the government and the public build mechanisms that would allow the dreams of these students come into realization.

“What happens to a dream deferred?” Langston Hughes provokes in the first line of his poem “Harlem,”. Since the dawn of time, people have had dreams, ambitions, and goals on how they want to live their lives. Human beings have always wondered what their purpose is and how they should fulfill it. I, like those before me, am no different in that sense. I am a girl that has the heart of a child and has dreams that soar beyond the conceivable stars. Ever since I was young, I allowed myself to dream as high as I wanted and I believed that if I set my mind to a task I could complete it; now I am older, and I have the ambition to chase these goals until my collapse. However, I have found throughout my teenage years that while your brain may be set on one path, life has a tendency to throw obstacles at you that may get in the way of the plans you had for yourself. In Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem,” the persona speaks of dreams that were deferred, and I can relate to this concept strongly as I have had to put a dream of my own on hold in the past.