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?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
So what does happen to a dream deferred? I wonder if Langston Huges ever got his answer? Hughes "Harlem" can be understood as a metaphor for the state of the Afro-American community durning the 1950's. The speakers contemplation about what happens to a dream deferred is symbolic for the questioning of what will be next for black people. Although blacks had freedom they most definitley did not have equal rights; they were being treated as second class citizens and they were fed up with it. The underlying racism towards people of color in America left many feeling hopless and angry, this poem is meant to illustrate that frustration. Titled simply "Harlem" we immedietly understand who this poem is about; as Harlem in the 1950s was something of a Mecca for the African American community. The dream that is being deferred or ignored is one of equal rights; the dreamer (the Afro-American community) is not sure what will happen if hir dream (of equality) is not fufilled. The last line makes it clear to the reader that the speaker has a prediction about what will happen to the dream; it explodes!!
Langston Hughes captures his understanding of the social issues of his time; he proves that he understands the opionions of his people and he expresses these frustrations to the world through this poem.
So what does happen to a dream deferred? I wonder if Langston Huges ever got his answer? Hughes "Harlem" can be understood as a metaphor for the state of the Afro-American community durning the 1950's. The speakers contemplation about what happens to a dream deferred is symbolic for the questioning of what will be next for black people. Although blacks had freedom they most definitley did not have equal rights; they were being treated as second class citizens and they were fed up with it. The underlying racism towards people of color in America left many feeling hopless and angry, this poem is meant to illustrate that frustration. Titled simply "Harlem" we immedietly understand who this poem is about; as Harlem in the 1950s was something of a Mecca for the African American community. The dream that is being deferred or ignored is one of equal rights; the dreamer (the Afro-American community) is not sure what will happen if hir dream (of equality) is not fufilled. The last line makes it clear to the reader that the speaker has a prediction about what will happen to the dream; it explodes!!
Langston Hughes captures his understanding of the social issues of his time; he proves that he understands the opionions of his people and he expresses these frustrations to the world through this poem.
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