Harlem A Dream Deferred Analysis - 762 Words

Throughout most peoples life, they have this idea or goal that they want to achieve. This idea then becomes their dream, but people do not always fulfill these dreams. There are obstacles that come in the way of people being able to fulfill their dreams. In â€Å"Harlem [A Dream Deferred]† Langston Hughes uses imagery and rhetorical questions in order to demonstrate what happens to a dream. The theme that appears through Langston Hughes poem is the theme of not pursuing a dream. Through Hughes poem, this theme is demonstrated and the imagery helps in conveying the idea of having a dream postponed. The speaker of â€Å"Harlem [A Dream Deferred]† asks what happens to a dream that has been put off. The speaker offers some answers to this†¦show more content†¦This is able to create an image of defeat. The speaker describes more and more what ends up happening to the dream. It makes one question whether the dream just sits there like something one would have to take care of. The dream becomes a burden because one won’t forget about it since it is just sitting there waiting for ones action. In the meantime, it will sit till it is acknowledged, but it will become heavier over time the more it is ignored. Lastly, the speaker also says, â€Å"Or does it explode?† (11). This last line makes one think that in the end, you dont pay attention to the dream it would just be non-existent. This line is able to describe that if one is not able to fulfill the dream it will no longer be available. The dream will be gone and one cannot return to it. It gives a sense of hopelessness and how if in the end it just explodes you cannot put it back together again and chase after it, that dream is gone. Although in this poem the speaker speaks about what happens to when a dream is abandoned there is a deeper meaning. The title â€Å"Harlem: A Dream Deferred† gives one a sense that this poem would be black people who had come to Harlem. By the title one can assume that by the word deferred these African Americans coming into Harlem had challenges. These challenges had then led them to postpone their dreams. Langston Hughes writes this poem in the time period when black people were considered inferior and their dreams were moreShow MoreRelatedAnalysis of Harlem (A Dream Deferred) and A Raisin in the Sun855 Words   |  4 PagesIn Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thruRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Langston Hughess A Dream Deferred1028 Words   |  4 Pagescirculated, analysis of the poem must take place. It unveils and discusses the themes, figures of speech, word placement, and flow of the piece, and A Dream Deferred, is no exception. In Langston Hughess poem, A Dream Deferred, the theme is that no really kn ows to dreams if they are not reached, and very realistic figures of speech help convey this idea; the poem can be surprisingly related to Mr. Hughess life through the subtitle and quotes from Langston himself. The meaning of, A Dream DeferredRead More Harlem, An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem Essay1405 Words   |  6 PagesHarlem, An Analysis of a Langston Hughes Poem The short but inspirational poem Harlem by Langston Hughes addresses what happens to aspirations that are postponed or lost. The brief, mind provoking questions posed throughout the poem allow the readers to reflect--on the effects of delaying our dreams. In addition, the questions give indications about Hughes views on deferred dreams. Harlem is an open form poem. The poem consists of three stanzas that do not have a regularRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Harlem 1303 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 1930s - 1960s. He is often credited as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, and â€Å"famously wrote about the period that ‘the negro was in vogue.’† (Langston). Throughout his body of work, Hughes spoke eloquently to the full spectrum of dreams - both their inspirational power and their heavy burden, if not fully realized. His famed poem, â€Å"Harlem (Dream Deferred)† uses heavy symbolism, falling into three definitive categories: 1. Dreams; 2. Food and Domestic Life and 3. Violence and Oppression(Shmoop)Read MoreHarlem: a Dream Deferred1043 Words   |  5 PagesHarlem: A Dream Deferred Langston Hughes Literally Analysis Dreams are aspirations that we hope to reach on our lifetime. They are the day that gives us the drive to live our lives and accomplish our goals. When reaching our goals, we will do anything to get to our destination. But what happens when your dreams deferred and put on hold due to unseen circumstances? Or what do you so when someone tells you that you can not so the things you want to so because of the pigmentation of your skinRead MoreLangston Hughes ´ Memories in His Poems Essay834 Words   |  4 Pagescontributor to the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes was an inspirational poet who highlighted many aspects of the urban life of African-Americans through reflections of his own life and experiences. As a writer, a poet and a prominent activist of the civil rights movement, Langston Hughes was a man that was not only inspired by the world around him but used such inspiration to motivate others. Being that he was also one of the most influential writers during the Harlem Renaissance, HughesRead MoreAnalysis of Harlem by Langston Hughes602 Words   |  3 PagesAnalysis of Harlem by Langston Hughes Through the turbulent decades of the 1920s through the 1960s many of the black Americans went through difficult hardships and found comfort only in dreaming. Those especially who lived in the ghettos of Harlem would dream about a better place for them, their families, and their futures. Langston Hughes discusses dreams and what they could do in one of his poems, Harlem. Hughes poem begins: What happens to a dream deferred... Hughes is askingRead MoreThe Poetry Of Langston Hughes1498 Words   |  6 Pagespoet Langston Hughes, whom by expressing his feelings of oppression in a racist environment, motivated many blacks to learn how to read, play music, and revolutionize civil rights. As a result, this paper will critique how Langston Hughes’ works of Harlem and I Too encouraged Black independence, and how they were used as frameworks for revolutionary concepts such as the achievement of civil rights and social equality. Langston Hughes was an African American poet in the 20th century who had significantRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem Dream By Langston Hughes1909 Words   |  8 Pagesunique way as well. The two pomes are about dreams, the first poem, Dream is about what could possibly happen if we let go of our dreams and don t purse them. The second poem, Harlem is about the possibilities of what could happen when we postpone our dreams. Both poems do not exactly end with a happy ending, for they show the regret that we will be left with, possibly even death. The poem Dream by Langston Hughes is about following your dreams, because we never know what our near futureRead MoreThe Poetry Of Harlem And Women Have Loved Before As I Love Now925 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† is the opening statement of Harlem that grabs the attention of everyone who is reading this phenomenal poem. Of the two poems listed in this essay, this opening statement is more attention-grabbing and is a fantastic hook to being with. Harlem and Women Have Loved Before As I Love Now, are ideally comparable and contrastable. The meanings of the poems and the authors of the poems are some topics that are different in these poems. The style of the poems and length