Analyzing A Dream Deferred In The Poem Harlem By Langston Hughes
The Impact of the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an artistic and cultural movement during the 1920s and the 1930s. It was sparked by a migration of nearly one million African-Americans who moved to the prospering north to escape the heavy racism in the south and to partake in a better future with better tolerance. Magazines and newspapers owned by African-Americans flourished, poets and music artists rose to their feet. An inspiration swept the people up and gave them confidence.
Langston Hughes was a very famous poet but also a dreamer during the 1920s when discrimination and racism were main problems in the society. He was a civil right activist who proposed the idea of equal opportunities between all races by writing poems, books, and playwrights; many of his famous literatures affected Americans in many crucial ways. Hughes’s main idea against the society was equality however he discovered that it is difficult to change people’s “norms” and stereotypes. Therefore, his humorous and serious type of writing effectively appealed to many audiences which eventually played a big role of achieving racial equality and equal opportunities.
In both of the poems Langston Hughes uses figurative language to convey the theme but in “Harlem” he stresses the importance of not putting off your dreams. While in the other poem he talks about perseverance. In the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes the theme of the poem is to not put off your dreams. Hughes uses simile and imagery to convey the theme of deferred dreams.
What exactly happens when a dream is deferred? What are the long lasting effects if a dream is lost? In the poem, Harlem, by Langston Hughes, it questions lost dreams by asking, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun, Or fester like a sore-- And then run?”. August Wilson explores the ideas of deferred dreams in his play, Fences, as characters experience setbacks in their life goals and must cope with loss. Wilson explores the common life experience of deferred dreams, that can be perpetuated within families of color, in his characters, Troy, Cory, and Rose.
In the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, several similes are used to portray the reality of dreams. Hughes employs effective metaphors, inviting us to visualize a dream and what may happen to it after it passes from conscious thought. Could a dream dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or even fester like a sore? (Hughes, 1951, p. 631).
The poem “Harlem” seems like a simple poem that talks about a dream that fades away. The poem is more symbolic than it seems though. The three sentences that have a huge impact on this poem’s symbolism are spread out through the poem. A reader needs to keep in mind that the speaker is talking about a dream in these sentences. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”
The theme that I want to write about is the theme of not pursuing a dream. This theme is seen through the poem, Harlem: A dream deferred. The words being used by the speaker in Langston Hughes poem are able to describe this theme. Throughout the poem, the speaker asks rhetorical questions in which pertain to the title of the poem.
Langston Hughes uses images of oppression to reveal a deeper truth about the way minorities have been treated in America. He uses his poems to bring into question some of Walt Whitman’s poems that indirectly state that all things are great, that all persons are one people in America, which Hughes claims is false because of all the racist views and oppression that people face from the people America. This oppression is then used to keep the minorities from Walt Whitman in his poem, “Song of Myself”, talks about the connection between all people, how we are family and are brothers and sisters who all share common bonds. He says, “ And I know that the spirit of God is the brother of my own,/ And that all the men ever born are also my brothers,
One of the first literary analysis pieces I accomplished this year was “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. In “A Dream Deferred,” Hughes reciprocates various rhetorical questions multitudes of times to get the reader thinking about the text. We were to analyze the poem and explain what the author was conveying in these precised literary devices. I decided to emphasize this piece of work because it demonstrates my understanding on rhetorical devices. What amazed me remarkably, was the way the author gave hope to the reader through a repetition of rhetorical questions about a deferred dream.
“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? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Genevieve Mahoney Mr. Mischinski English 10 - American Studies 2 March 2018 A Raisin in the Sun: An Analysis of The Kismet of Dreams Deferred “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry details the Youngers, a zealous black family, struggling to make their dreams come true in the slums of Chicago. Langston Hughes’ poem, "A Dream Deferred
Everyone has dreams, but the thing is most people never accomplish them. Some people put off their dreams to the side because something more important than their dreams comes forth. They believe that is better to put their dreams to the side or give up on them and allow their dreams to fade in their minds. In “What happens to a dream deferred?” by Langston Hughes, the poet uses the title, tone, diction, and selection of detail, to express how people are affected by deferred dreams.
In the poem “I, Too”, the author Langston Hughes illustrates the key aspect of racial discrimination faces against the African Americans to further appeals the people to challenge white supremacy. He conveys the idea that black Americans are as important in the society. Frist, Hughes utilizes the shift of tones to indicate the thrive of African American power. In the first stanza, the speaker shows the sense of nation pride through the use of patriotic tone. The first line of the poem, “I, too, sing America” states the speaker’s state of mind.
Democracy is a government in which the supreme power is held by the people. The definition of democracy is viewed differently or similar based on your perspective. In both poems “Democracy” by Langston Hughes and,”Democracy” by Sara Holbrook, both used strategies to describe their perspective. On how democracy is defined to them, which had the different and similar perspective on democracy 's meaning.
What would happen if the dreams you most desired were at risk of never coming true? In the poem, "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, he uses figurative language to convey the importance of what happens when a dream is deferred for too long due to oppression. Not only does Hughes uses similes to help the reader understand the author 's point of view, but also metaphors and imagery. "A Dream Deferred" was written in a time where oppression was not only harmful but also a painful way of life for Hughes and hundreds of other Americans. In this poem, he uses imagery to convey just how desperate those Americans felt at that time with what was happening in the world, and what would continue to happen if nothing was fixed.
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