In the 1900’s African Americans were still not experiencing the freedom that they were expecting. Langston Hughes was one of the most successful African American writers during the Harlem Renaissance who wanted to make a difference. Langston Hughes conveys the same central idea through two unique poems. The central idea that Langston Hughes portrays through “I Too”and “Dream Variations” is that we are all the same inside, no matter the color of our skin. “I Too” written by Langston Hughes, during The Harlem Renaissance, depicts that African Americans during the 1920’s are still being persecuted even though they are supposed to be free.
Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem: Dream Deferred” and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men share a similar theme. Certain circumstances cause dreams to be impossible to achieve, and all people endure this in different ways. In “Harlem: Dream Deferred”, the speaker suggests that deferred dreams can “crust and sugar over-- / like a syrupy sweet” (Hughes 8-9).
It also shows how all people should be equal, but the way they were then isn’t how it should’ve been. These pieces of evidence show the similarity between Langston Hughes and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. views because both convey the need for equality amongst all Americans. They both feel the same way on how each person should be treated, and that’s with no consideration of their race, religion, or gender. Hughes
¨ It`s not the future you're afraid of. It`s repeating the past that makes you anxious ¨ -unknown . What is fear? Is it not knowing what will happen next ? One wrong decision could ruin your whole life.
Hughes mentioned that it was impossible for African Americans to dream big, due to the overwhelming amount of oppression and racial violence that they were subject to on a recurring basis during the Jim crow era, and the years leading up to the Harlem Renaissance. Furthermore, Hughes claimed that if the dreams of an individual were deferred a numerous amount of times, then those deferred dreams will end up wilting away, and eventually exploding, before disappearing from that person's consciousness indefinitely. (Berman, "Analysis of A Dream Deferred"
One may ask how a poet can use such vivid similes and descriptive imagery to describe a dream postponed. In “Harlem” Langston Hughes employs similes versus everyday life occurrences to make sense of what can happen to a dream that is in delay. His implementation of realistic symbolism captivates the reader which draws you in, inviting the reader to explore a darker theme of an unrealized dream. “Harlem” connects with people who may have to set aside their dreams while battling an uncertain future. What happens when things don’t go the way you dreamed it?
For example, Langston Hughes says, “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Hughes). This means, what happens when a dream is ignored? This poem was written in a time with feelings of segregation and discrimination toward blacks in America. In addition, Hughes says, "Does it dry up" (Hughes).
During the 1900s, there were many famous authors who wrote about African Americans and Civil Rights. This was what was going on during this time period. Segregation and discrimination towards blacks was increasing. Two famous authors were Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou. Langston Hughes wrote the poem “I, Too, Sing America.”
At this time, the dream was equality and being accepted as citizens of the United States. Hughes felt that this goal of liberty and quality for African Americans was very hard to reach or match. A poem that resembles this thought well is titled “Youth”, where Hughes writes, “We have tomorrow… Bright before us… Like a flame” (Hughes 39). This poem has a lot of analysis towards the American Dream.
What happens to a dream deferred? … the poem “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes explores the topic of deferred dreams and connects to the reader because everyone has lost dreams. Many people have interpreted the poem in different ways. Nike's “A Dream Deferred” and Khandi Alexander's “A dream deferred” are examples of different interpretations and artistic expressions of Hughes’s poem. These different interpretations are essential to understand because it shows how the meaning of words can change when different contexts, sounds, and visual elements are used.
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).
Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou were African Americans alive during the period in American history when minority groups were fighting hard for their rights and respect among the country. These two authors used their writing skill to shed light on how African Americans felt throughout this period of time, opening many people’s eyes to how the oppressed truly felt. The civil rights movement could have had an entirely different outcome if it weren’t outspoken individuals such as these two. In Hughes’s well known poem “I, Too,” Hughes talks about how the people that mistreat him will soon regret everything they’ve done and will realize the true potential of him and everyone like him.
In two poems “Sympathy” written by Paul Laurence Dunbar and “Caged Bird” written by Maya Angelou talk about a poor bird that is trapped in a cage and wants to be free. It longs for everything that the free bird has but it cannot achieve it. In both of the poems, there is a use of comparisons between freedom and nature. It is also interpreted from the poems that the use of a song is a form of coping for the birds. Both of the birds sing for their freedom and sing through their pain.
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.
His metaphor puts a final image to the struggle of oppression during the Civil Rights Movement and what happens to a black man or woman when a dream is deferred. Hughes wants his readers to not only imagine but feel how African Americans felt during the Civil Rights Movement when he wrote this poem. He wanted to convey the pain, anguish, disrespect, and ultimately, the conclusion of what may happen to a dream that continues to be deferred. What would happen to a dream deferred?
