Dreams Revealed In Langston Hughes Harlem

Thesis statement: Hughes wrote this when Jim Crow laws were still imposing an bitter segregated society in the South. There were still lynchings of innocent African Americans, there was no Civil Rights Movement, there was no Civil Rights legislation yet, and Blacks couldn't eat at lunch counters in the South. Harlem, however, was not at all like the South in terms of blatant, legal segregation. However, racism was very much in place in many places in America. Blacks were second class citizens, their children attended schools that were ill-equipped, and the dreams of Black citizens were not being realized in this period.

Dreams are something all humans share in common and they manifest the realization of our lives. They have a great influence over our essence and can provide colossal amounts of courage and strength to accomplish our greatest desires. However, when we do not have dreams to fight for our lives become meaningless and sorrowful, nevertheless this is the situation many people face throughout their lives. Broken dreams have become a popular theme among writers because a connection can be made with the theme and because there one’s truth can be faced. Whether dreams are forgotten or unaccomplished, there is a theory by philosopher Carl Jung that states, “Nothing has a stronger influence psychologically on their environment, and especially on

The short but inspirational poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes addresses what happens to aspirations that are postponed or lost. The brief, mind provoking questions posed throughout the poem allow the readers to reflect--on the effects of delaying our dreams. In addition, the questions give indications about Hughes' views on deferred dreams.

Langston Hughes, a gentleman of color who was a leader to the African American community is a poet, who according to an editor of “Harlem Renaissance” portrayed the truth rather than a sugar-coated version of how life was in Harlem, the hub of the black community. Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” describes how colored people live in poverty, in the poem “Dream Variations” Hughes’ dream was symbolized by nature, and in the short story “Slave on the Block,” racism and life of a domestic slave are shown from his point of view. The time when these pieces of work were created was an era when black artistry was opening the eyes of white America to how poorly Afro Americans were treated; this movement was called the Harlem Renaissance, as said in “Harlem Renaissance”. In this movement, Hughes was a force of nature that pursued equality among all races, yet still maintaining integrity and pride. White America was not a welcoming place for people of melanin, white people were not sentimental or generous with them so people say it was more described as, “The cold, uncaring atmosphere of the United States were for blacks discrimination, racism, and often brutal treatment were a feature of everyday life” (“Dream”). Not only did Hughes have to endure the pain of this treatment but so did all colored people.

In our journey through life, we all have certain expectations of how we would like our lives to be. All of us strive to reach a certain level of self-actulization and acceptance. It could thus be said that all of us live a dream. Some of these individual dreams inevitably become the collective dream of many people. In "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)", Langston Hughes makes use of symbolism as well as powerful sensory imagery to show us the emotions that he and his people go through in their quest for freedom and equality. By using questions he builds the poem towards an exciting climax.

Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” has to do with a dream that has been put off and what happens to it. This dream happens to be the American dream for African Americans. Hughes wrote this poem in 1951 when America was still heavily racially segregated. African Americans were only associated with slavery so that instantly rendered them as second-class citizens in the eyes of the law. It is assumed that the poem’s title is named after the New York neighborhood, Harlem, a place where African Americans found sanctuary from the racial oppression they faced everywhere else in the country.

Many writers during the Harlem Renaissance have used their writing to speak with a unified voice. But there were many African American writers and critics from the Harlem Renaissance that were very brutal and strict on the way that Langston Hughes depicted black life in the time era that viewed as unnecessarily exposing the “dirt” in their lives. Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem” illustrates an image of human response to an unresolved dream. In “Harlem” Langston Hughes uses diction and stanza form to demonstrate how “dreams deferred” can discourage and antagonize the human

Both “Harlem” and “That Evening Sun” avoid featuring the violent, dramatic depictions of racism typical of other creative works, but that does not lessen the impact of their messages on the topic. “Harlem,” for instance, begins with a deceptively simple question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Hughes 1). When viewed through a racial lens, a ‘dream deferred’ appears to allude not to violent and dramatic forms of racism, but rather the small disadvantages placed against African Americans via “harmless” laws and cultural norms. These laws and norms eventually add up to insurmountable odds that prevent African Americans from achieving their dreams. Due to the systematic racism African Americans faced at the time “Harlem” was written – and the slow efforts to eliminate this insidious form of racism – many had to give up their dreams of attending college, moving out of poor neighborhoods, or becoming financially stable. Their deferred dreams are described in the poem as having varying and disappointing fates

In “Harlem”, Hughes is speaking of a dream deferred, in which he sheds light on how African Americans cannot faithfully follow their dreams by using contrasting imagery. “Harlem” reflects on the lack of opportunity for African Americans in the U.S. because they were not allowed to follow their dreams as easily as whites were able to. Hughes used questions in almost every line to draw the reader in by making them think and analyze the meaning themselves. “Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet,” is contrasting imagery that Hughes used to provide a gruesome image versus a sweet image.

Dreams can be either a blessing or a curse. Dreams, driving people everywhere to work their hardest and be the best they can be so maybe one day they may achieve it. Dreams have to ability to eat out of the people’s souls keeping people wondering if they dream may ever happen after always being set aside. The poem “Harlem, A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes perfectly describes the agony of postponed dreams. In the story A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Walter Lee Younger’s dream to own a liquor store takes on the appearance of images described in “Harlem, A Dream Deferred” such as rotten meat and then starts to crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet, then finally after being thrown aside for so long the dream may explode.

The dream deferred is not going to go away if it is not being cared for; making readers think of their own dreams and of the actions that need to be taken, to ensure the realization of their dreams. Later on, Hughes writes “Does it stink like rotten meat”; in the quote above, the meat is in its worst state. In this case, what is being represented is the emotional state of a person. Dealing with obstacles in the way of achieving a dream, can bring out ugly characteristics of a person if it is not handled correctly. Hughes notes “Or crust and sugar over-

Dreams are hopes that people hope to accomplish in their lifetime. When trying to achieve these goals, people are willing to do anything. But, what happens when a dream is deferred? A dream pushed aside can disappoint a person in the deepest way. It is likely to spread throughout their thoughts and becomes a burden. In the poem “Harlem,” Langston Hughes, through literary devices, introduce a strong theme through a short amount of language Hughes is asking what happens to a dream that is being put off.

The Harlem Renaissance sought to revitalize African American culture with a focus on arts and literature and creating socioeconomic opportunities (Harlem Renaissance). This temporal setting, predominantly the influence of the Harlem Renaissance, of Hughes’s life explains the purpose of Hughes’s writing: to express the oppression of African Americans and the imperfections of Hughes’s America and to heighten African American morale during his life through his writing.

One of the leaders of the Harlem renaissance, Langston Hughes, used his writing to shape American History. One of his poems, “Harlem (Dream Deferred)” asks the question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Hughes uses Similes, Metaphors, and imagery to express a message about how postponed dreams cause destruction. “Harlem” uses imagery to draw the reader in and create an experience for all our senses. Hughes writes, “Does it stink like rotten meat?”

At first glance, the poem ''Harlem'' by Langstone Hughes appears to be just a simple poem about thwarted dreams and desires. However, this poem is much more than what it first appears to be. This simile drenched poem is actually a reflection of the constant struggles for acceptance and equality faced by African Americans, during an era when racism played a large part in the average mindset of society. The title of this poem is named after a predominantly African American neighborhood in uptown Manhattan. This neighborhood acted as a sort of sanctuary for the African American people, in a racist society. The people who lived in Harlem had far more opportunities to freely express themselves and to escape segregation. Langstone Hughes's cleaver