Response To Dreams By Langston Hughes

The stanza starts out with a repetition of the first line. Again, Hughes starts off by stressing that one should hold on to their dream (line 5). His word choice of “fast” suggests that one should hold their dreams tightly. The repetition serves to suggest the enthusiastic tone propelling to hold on to dreams. Then, Hughes transitions into another conditional of the dream leaving (line 6). The term “go” is used to personify the dream and serves to show a similar idea to a dream being lost forever (2). Life is compared to a “barren field” (line 7). If a field represents a thriving place for agriculture, a barren field represents an environment where plants are not grown and a state of dismal emptiness. Perhaps, the imagery implants the message that life is empty when dreams are gone. The metaphor indicates the absence of inspiration and creativeness similar to the emptiness that is present in a barren field. Again, the barren field is linked directly to when dreams are gone (6) similar to the same format in the first stanza. The idea is continued with the use of hyperbole that the “barren field” is frozen with snow (line 8). The hyperbole of being “frozen with snow” exaggerates the image of cold, bleak world. In essence, Hughes adds detail to add to the lifelessness of a barren

Second, the writer’s usage of symbols provides clear insight into Hughes’ message that dreams give value and purpose to our lives. The “bird” in stanza one is a symbol of liberty, courage, and delight. To explain, Hughes is simply saying, if one stops dreaming or pursuing dreams, then he or she will live a life that lacks value or purpose. In the second stanza, the speaker gives the reader an image of a barren field with frozen snow upon it, representing a life with no production. In general, Hughes is making it known to his readers, that anyone who does not hold on to his or her dreams, will live a barren, futile life.

In his poem, Hughes focuses on the prospect of what happens after dreams are delayed. He questions whether said dream “stinks like rotten meat, or crusts and sugars over— like a syrupy sweet,” describing how it could either spoil or age into something

In Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thru after losing control of the plans they had in mind. I will attempt to break down each character’s dream and how they each fell apart as the play went on.

Now his dream takes a rest under a tree and remains unfulfilled. Langston Hughes is simply saying that his dream is to dance during the day, and to rest at

Langston Hughes wrote a poem about a dream he once had in which he was not able to view the dream until he broke through a barrier in front of him. This poem was called, “ As I Grew Older.” Langston Hughes is telling us that barriers should not stop us from our dream. In the text, he demonstrates many literary elements, including metaphors, imagery, and theme. Metaphors stand out the most during this poem.

Hughes’ intellectual use of structure through tone, similes, and spacing is what makes “Harlem” one for the ages. “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Hughes 236) Hughes begins this poem with a proactive yet innocuous question about dreams. It forces the reader to go outside the poem and contemplate what they would do without hope.

Throughout the poem Hughes asks and makes statements about what would happen if a dream we had was deferred. Will the dream be set aside and be forgotten or will the dream explode like he says in his last line of the poem. Everyone has a different mind and different set of goals. Dreams may be a beautiful thing but they can destroy you within if you do not reach a dream you have that’s why we latch onto hope.

“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or faster like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode”. (Langston Hughes, Harlem)

Dreams are the driving force of America today, as it has been in the past. Every person has some sort of dreams and goals, some might be big or some might be small, but they all have a dream. Although in life everyone has dreams and goals, there are obviously more struggles for some different ethnic than for others Americans. Langston Hughes is one man’s expression of his dreams during difficult time. During that time, America was place of slavery, poverty, oppression, and lies. Hughes points out that thus image of America has always been nonexistent, and begins with appeal of letting America be the America it once was (Hughes, pg. 1072). During that time that Hughes wrote the poem, America was ruled by simple rule; the strong crushes the week and the rich crashed the poor. Hughes wrote this poem as a reprehensive of all the people, no matter how hard they try, they cannot have the

Are dreams alive? Within the thought-provoking and inciteful poems, “Dreams” and “Dream Deferred” Langston Hughes uses repetitions, binaries, and strands to bring alive the human subconscious that is often overlooked in daily life. Although the poems attempt to impart wisdom concerning subconscious decision making, the fundamental message is about the importance of seeing the silver lining and seizing opportunities before they become a regret.

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 meaning of, "A Dream Deferred," is that no one really knows what happens to dreams that are not fulfilled. The poem starts with the line, "What happens to a dream deferred?" and this plainly asks what happens to dreams that have not been paid attention to. The next line in the poem is, "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore and then run?" meaning does a dream simply wither away until it is no longer prevalent, or does it sit and stew until it becomes unbearable enough that it is fulfilled out of convenience. The following stanza is, "Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet." This means that dreams could possibly be attainable, but people put them on the figurative back burner making them "rot" and "smell" like a constant reminder. A scholarly review written by Marie Rose Napierkowski proves my point by saying, "With the smell of rotten meat, Hughes suggests that dreams deferred will pester one

Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is basically about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. Hughes probably intended for the poem to focus on the dreams of African-American in particular. However, it is just as easy to read the poem as being about dreams in general and what happens when people postpone making them come true. What I got from the poem was that the longer you put your dreams on hold, the more the dreams will change and the less likely they will come true.

The simile he use is ''For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow''the effect is life become plain and feels like it frozen in snow because life with dream is full of life and hope with out that life bares nothing. He uses personification to say that dreams can leave and can