Racism in Harlem by Langston Hughes

The use of figurative language definitely adds to the poet's message, in a big way. Hughes asks "What happens to a dream deferred" and in that line he uses alliteration. He doesn't say what the dream was, but the reader knows he is alluding to the dreams of Black Americans because the title "Harlem" represents a community in New York City that is heavily populated with Black folks.

One of Hughes most famous poems, “Harlem(Dream Deferred)” had a great impact by posing lots of questioning. According to critic Tom Hanson, this poem is just that simple because it gives a bunch of undesirable answers to the same question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Hanson also says how this poem refers almost completely to an unsolved problem (Hanson, Harlem). The poem gives four rather unpleasant interrogatives and one declarative answer followed by the sixth possibility, “Or does it explode?” which is supposed to be a question to make a reader really think. There are several ways to interpret the meaning of the final line, and the most sensible explanation is, the African American community is “deferring dreams” and in doing so their dreams explode in terms of the chance to act is gone. Some may say Hughes presented an unattractive view

Langston Hughes was the leading voice of African American people in his time, speaking through his poetry to represent blacks. His Influence through his poems are seen widely not just by blacks but by those who enjoy poetry in other races and social classes. Hughes poems, Harlem, The Negro speaks of rivers, Theme for English B, and Negro are great examples of his output for the racial inequality between the blacks and whites. The relationship between whites and blacks are rooted in America's history for the good and the bad. Hughes poems bring the history at large and present them in a proud manner. The injustice that blacks face because of their history of once being in bondage is something they are constantly reminded and ridiculed for but must overcome and bring to light that the thoughts of slavery and inequality will be a lesson and something to remember for a different future where that kind of prejudice is not found so widely.

According to Jean Wagner in Black Poets of the United States, the dream that Hughes writes of represents the democratic ideal of liberty and equality; the history of the dream is actually the history of the founding and building of America. The dream of black people has always been closely blended with the American dream, which is not yet a reality for all (Anstendig & Hicks 239).

Hurston’s words express the presence of racism even after the time of slavery had passed. She shows that the feeling of whites being superior to blacks still existed through the minds of white people. She even showed, through Mrs. Turner, that people with both white and black backgrounds chose to consider themselves white in order to feel superior. Mrs. Turner even sought out Janie as similar to her, because she was “fair skinned”. Here, Hurston stresses discrimination as a major part of the human condition. She shows, that over time, discrimination will never cease as long as the history between ethnicities exist. Her belief is related to God, seeing all human beings are equal before God, a belief that is occasionally overlooked. All human

Langston Hughes was a successful African-American poet of the Harlem renaissance in the 20th century. Hughes' had a simple and cultured writing style. "Harlem" is filled with rhythm, jazz, blues, imagery, and evokes vivid images within the mind. The poem focuses on what could happen to deferred dreams. Hughes' aim is to make it clear that if you postpone your dreams you might not get another chance to attain it--so take those dreams and run. Each question associates with negative effects of deferred dreams. The imagery from the poem causes the reader to be pulled in by the writer's words.

The poetry of Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of Harlem, is an effective commentary on the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900ís. In much of Hughes' poetry, a theme that runs throughout is that of a "dream deferred." The recurrence of a"dream deferred" in several Hughes poems paints a clear picture of the disappointment and dismay that blacks in America faced in Harlem. Furthermore, as each poem develops, so does the feeling behind a"dream deferred," growing more serious and even angry with each new stanza.<br><br>To understand Hughes' idea of the"dream deferred," one

The term identity is defined by Webster’s dictionary as being “the state or fact of remaining the same one or ones, as under varying aspects or conditions” however in exploring the concept of Identity in black literature, we can find no definite explanation or definition. We can try to accept that it has been rooted in social situations that are generally more discriminatory, such the institution of slavery. In some way shape or form, the average or normal African American is confronted with the question of where do I fit in amongst the white society? The problem with African American Identity has many dimensions, such as community, class, and color.

When researching the phrase “self-awareness”, one definition seems to be very common. That is, “an awareness of one's own personality or individuality”(Merriam Webster). One day the class was put to the task of coming up with our own definition of self-awareness, and I had completely drawn a blank, and could not seem to come up with anything. After class, that assignment really intrigued me, and I wanted to think what self-awareness meant to me. Some time had passed but it finally came to me; to me, self awareness is when someone knows their worth as a person, as well as knowing where they stand in society. It is when they realize who they are, how they got to be where they are, where they belong, and they are conscious of their feelings. All throughout multiple works by Langston Hughes, multiple characters’ success at achieving self-awareness is evident through different quotations.

“I swear to the Lord I still can 't see Why Democracy means Everybody but me..” This is a quote from a well-known poet by the name of Langston Hughes who served as a prominent figure in African American history and is known for maintaining a significant role in one of the most culturally influential periods for African Americans -The Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance describes a significant era in time where hundreds or artists, writers and musicians living in Harlem came together to form a vibrant, creative community. Hughes along with many other talented and innovative African American creators and politicians such as Marcus Garvey, Zora Neal Hurston and Jean Toomer used their voices, words, instruments and paint brushes from

“Breakfast in Virginia” is a short story written in 1963 by Langston Hughes, an American poet, and author, a time where racism still existed. The story is about two black soldiers who had been traveling on a long and hard journey. They were starving, so they went to the train’s dining car. An elderly white man, whose son was also a soldier, invited the two boys to join him. A steward walked over and said that the two soldiers were not allowed to sit there. The white man, who was ashamed, not of the steward, but of the system the steward was required to follow, invited the boys to have breakfast with him in his room, where he talked about how much he admired the bravery of soldiers. He treated the two as his equals, not anything less. Hughes

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.

The poem “Harlem” by the famous Harlem Renaissance poet, Langston Hughes, possesses many different types of figurative language, as well as an emotional reflective tone. In the poem, Hughes questions what becomes of a dream that is put away or delayed, and now wants to know what becomes of the dream is taken over by outside forces? He contemplates that these forgotten dreams could dry, fester, stink, crust, or explode. It is not a very lengthy poem, but it is truly an emotional one with a powerful question longing to be answered. In “Harlem”, Hughes illustrates how “dreams deferred” both punctures and frustrates the American spirit.

Hughes placed a particular emphasis on Harlem, an area in New York that was predominately Black, which became a Mecca for many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900's. Hughes has a theme in most of his poetry, in other words his writing style was to write poetry that is called "dream deferred". His use of a "dream deferred" focus in several poems paints a vivid picture of the disappointment and dismay that blacks in America faced in Harlem. Furthermore, as each his poems develop, so does the feeling behind a "dream deferred," his words make the reader feel the growing anger and seriousness even more at each new stanza.

Langston Hughes poem Harlem “Harlem” the theme of this poem is pursuing dreams, not letting go till it comes to the path. But nevertheless, if you pursue afterward your dreams, that doesn’t mean they are bound to come true. Many blacks didn’t have their dream come true. African American dreams were deferred, thousands of blacks believed as