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Dry Up Like A Raisin In The Sun Poem Analysis

Decent Essays

Every story, poem, play, and any piece of literature has at least one of many literary devices in common. Theme remains a constant part of every literary artwork. Modernism literature has themes that touch The Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance, and post-World War 1 realism. Modernism began in 1915 right after the first World War; writers became jaded and bitter with experience. These themes are expressed in “A Dream Deferred’’ by Langston Hughes, “A Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, and “On a Play Twice Seen” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
“A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes discusses what happens to dreams and life goals if they are postponed or pushed back. Hughes poetry theme asks the reader what happens when their dreams die? “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” (Hughes line 3). This theme and the author connect to modernist writing because Langston Hughes is part of the Harlem Renaissance. It also contains a bitter tone much like most modernism: “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (Hughes line 6). The poem conveys to its audience that life goes on even while old dreams are pushed away, regardless of the situation. A similar sad tone …show more content…

Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator describes a play that they have seen so many times that it has become uninteresting and predictable. This theme of decayed of interest is also a sign of depression. The poem talks about the play as if the narrator is actually describing life: “there was an idle day of ours, when happy endings didn’t bore our unfermented souls” (Fitzgerald lines 3-5). This means there was once a time where the narrator did not feel so uninterested in happy endings. The experience has now worn off after so much monotony. “I watch alone—and chattering’s of course spoil the one scene which somehow did have charms” (Fitzgerald lines 10 & 11). Even after all the reprise the last good part becomes spoiled by yet another experience, perpetuating the current boredom into future

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