— Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred? Does
it dry up like a raisin in the sun
? Or fester like a sore– And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat?
What does Hughes compare deferred dreams to at the end of the poem?
“Harlem” As a Representative of Hopelessness: The poet narrates his disappointment of deferred dreams. The poem begins with a question as he compares the dreams or
goals with a raisin, meat, and sweets
. The poet has used these analogies to evoke the image of a postponed dream.
What becomes of a dream deferred?
— Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred? Does
it dry up like a raisin in the sun
? Or fester like a sore– And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat?
What does crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet mean?
What does “or crust and sugar over – like a syrupy sweet?” mean? What type of figurative language is it?
Something good has become old and doesn’t work anymore
. It is a simile/personification.
What does or does it explode mean in the poem Harlem?
In James Smethurst’s words, Hughes’s poem “both psychologically contextualizes the Harlem riots of 1935 and 1943 and predicts future unrest.” In the larger context of the book, however, two other meanings of explosion are in play—
the rapid growth of a population and the breakdown of a misconception, as when someone
or …
What is the message of dream deferred?
What is the theme of Langston Hughes’s poem “A Dream Deferred”? The poem is
about what may happen when a whole substratum of society is denied an opportunity to fulfill its dreams
, in this case, Hughes refers to African-Americans but it’s more broadly about social inequality.
What is the metaphor in dream deferred?
The metaphor
compares a dream deferred to a bomb
. The momentum for the dream may continue to build and, having nowhere to go, finally explode. Alternately, the dreamer’s anger may cause the dream to explode into action.
What is the main message of the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes?
The main themes in “Harlem” are
civil rights, the American dream, and anger
. Civil rights: “Harlem” mourns the hopes and dreams that Black Americans have had to sacrifice because of racism and discrimination.
What is the message in the poem?
Meaning is the word referring
comprehensively to the ideas expressed within the poem
– the poem’s sense or message. When understanding poetry, we frequently use the words idea, theme, motif, and meaning. Usually, idea refers to a concept, principle, scheme, method, or plan.
What type of figurative language is used in a dream deferred?
The Power of Figurative Language
Written in 1951, Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem” (also known as “A Dream Deferred”) uses figurative language,
primarily similes and imagery
, to create a powerful image of what happens when a wish is left unfulfilled.
Does a dream deferred stink like rotten meat?
The poem suggests that the deferred dream could “dry up” or “fester like a sore”; it might
“stink like rotten meat
… Or crust and sugar over / like a syrupy sweet.” Each of these images suggests something spoiling, losing potency, or outright decaying—which is perhaps exactly the outcome a racist society, hoping to …
Does it stink like rotten meat analysis?
As dreams transform to regrets, it begins to eats at a person and creates nothing but negativity. The smell or thought of it creates a sense of regret that could become anger making a person change their views on the world. …
What does a syrupy sweet mean?
Syrupy things are very, very sweet—probably a little too sweet! … Things that are literally syrupy have the
drippy, sticky sweetness of molasses or honey
. If something is figuratively syrupy, it’s so sentimental that it makes you cringe, like syrupy love songs or syrupy greeting cards.
How does the poem connect to Langston Hughes’s life?
The connection between Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem (A Dream Deferred)” and the play (Lorraine Hansberry derived the title of her play A Raisin in the Sun from the poem) is that
both revolve around the difficulty, in many cases the
near impossibility, for African Americans to achieve what is euphemistically called …
What does the last line of a dream deferred mean?
The final line compares the
deferred dream to a bomb by describing it as something that would be able to “explode.”
The implication, here, is that if the dream of racial equality continues to be denied to African Americans, then the result with be both violent and dramatic, and it will impact everyone, not just the …
What is the mood of the poem Harlem?
One of the tones of the poem “Harlem” is
frustration
. The poets uses negative words like “fester” and “run”, and phrases like “stink like rotten meat” to convey his frustrated tone.
