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Harlem Langston Hughes Literary Devices

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In 1951, well known poet Langston Hughes wrote one of his most famous poems “Harlem.” (Hughes, Langston. "Harlem." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.) By the use of simile, imagery and metaphor, we see Hughes portray to us the struggle and limitations that African Americans went through when striving for the American Dream.
Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, United States. ("Who Is Langston Hughes? Everything You Need to Know." Langston Hughes,Childhood Life & Timeline. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.) He spent a great deal of his childhood in Kansas with his grandmother, Mary Patterson Langston, after the separation of his parents. Following the death of his grandmother, Langston …show more content…

One literary device that is throughout the entire poem is a simile. It begins in lines two and three with him saying “Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?” From him saying this, we notice from the very beginning that Hughes is comparing deferred dreams of other things that could be put off or ignored until a later time. He is using this comparison to help us comprehend that African American dreams have been put off and ignored, just as if a raisin would dry up in the sun if it was ignored or put off. That isn’t the only comparison Hughes makes to deferred dreams, He compares a dream to a desiccated raisin left too long in the sun, a pus-filled open sore left unattended, ignored meat that begins to smell, and cracked, crusty candy forgotten instead of eaten. ( "Please Do a Line-by-line Analysis of the Poem "Harlem" by American Poet Langston Hughes." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2017.) He makes this wide amount of comparisons to clearly get the point across. All these negative things, that are nearly forgotten about comparing exactly to the dreams that are dreamt of him and other African Americans.
Imagery is used throughout this entire poem in order for us readers to imagine exactly what Hughes wants us to imagine. He wants us to see directly what happens to dreams deferred. On lines nine and ten, Hughes says,”Maybe it just sags, like a heavy load.” By saying this he is demonstrating …show more content…

The poem is upright and down to earth. I feel as though Hughes does this in order for us to understand that he is being blunt about his emotions when writing this poem. He wants us to comprehend his true feelings and know that he is being honest when creating this awareness of African Americans when talking to us, the readers.
Langston Hughes wasn't the only African Americans who felt betrayed by America. Four years after Hughes wrote this poem this problem still was not solved. In 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for breaking the segregation laws by sitting in the front of a Montgomery city bus. Many more African Americans felt the same betrayal from the very place they live in. This shows us that Hughes’s awareness of the limitations that African Americans face should be taken seriously.
African Americans faced many trials in life way before the 1900s. It didn’t begin nor end with Langston Hughes and his story. Hughes wrote this poem to create an awareness of what was happening. He wanted the readers to understand his story in hopes that they would help him make a difference and stop what was happening. Though it didn’t stop and it still hasn’t today, Hughes excelled in his task. Us, the readers, have comprehended what he was trying to tell us. We understand what African Americans faced and are aware of what could still be happening in our world around us

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