An Analysis Of A Dream Deferred By Langston Hughes
analytical Essay
717 words
A dream deferred analysis
A dream is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. Most people use their dreams as a way of setting future goals for themselves. Dreams can help to assist people in getting further in life because it becomes a personal accomplishment. Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" speaks about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. The poem leaves it up to the reader to decide what dream is being questioned. The poem A Dream Deferred discusses the many potential consequences that can occur when a dream is not realized soon enough. These six moments illustrate the different ways that a deferred dream can die, and consequently harm its dreamer. Langston Hughes, the speaker of the poem, expresses his concern over his deferred dreams as they relate to his many ruined goals. The dream may perish in six hypothetical ways, all of which are quite damaging to Hughes as the dreamer.
Hughes shows his fear of having his dreams deferred by portraying only negative possibilities. He speculates that deferred dreams may dry, fester, stink, crust, sag or explode. Hughes never supposes that his dream may wait, patiently and without damage, for its moment to be realized because he thinks this to be impossible. This learned helplessness was likely conditioned when Hughes was a young boy, trying to succeed as the only black student in a white school. While he dreamed to be treated as the other students were, “the teacher singled him out for his brownness, and several of his classmates would climax the day by throwing stones or epithets at him” (Presley, page 2) Hughes had to work harder than the other students to earn the respect of his biased teachers...
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...Hughes finds that he is unable to accomplish what he wishes to, his confidence in himself will perish as do his dreams in the poem. As a writer and as a person, Hughes is composed of his literary successes and failures, or his dreams for success and nightmares of failure. “The poem does not choose the dream but leaves it up to the reader.” From the reflective nature of the poem, a reader can infer that the dream about which the poem is written is of Hughes himself, and his success. In his poem, Hughes considers the many ways that his dreams, and in turn and he, can die.
Langston Hughes explains in his poem that dreams that are not actualized quickly will inevitably die. Though the content of Hughes’ dream is not stated specifically, all dreams are a mirror image of their dreamer. Hughes worries for his own future and expresses that worry through rhyme and similes.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how langston hughes' poem "dream deferred" discusses the many potential consequences that can occur when a dream is not realized soon enough.
- Analyzes how hughes shows his fear of having his dreams deferred by portraying only negative possibilities. this learned helplessness was likely conditioned when he was a young boy, trying to succeed as the only black student.
- Analyzes how hughes' hypothesizing over the ways in which a dream may die suggests that he has experienced the different deaths of his different dreams and is distressed thinking about how his recently deferred dream will inevitably die.
- Analyzes how hughes incorporates rhyme into his poem to create a reflective effect. the poem expresses his feelings about the actualization of his dreams, which contribute to his self-image.
- Analyzes how hughes explains in his poem that dreams that are not actualized quickly will inevitably die. all dreams are a mirror image of their dreamer.
Related
- analytical
- argumentative
- Both poems address the fundamental theme of having a dream. This is the ever-occurring dream that is explored during the Harlem renaissance period; the dream of justice that is deferred. However, even in having the same theme, it is explored and is envisioned by the poets in different ways. In “A Dream Deferred”, Hughes describes the negative potentials of a dream that is delayed, warning that this may be dangerous. For example, he describes how ‘[it may] fester like a sore and then run’ which shows that if this dream remains unfulfilled, it will get ‘infected’ and lead to a greater, more destructive problem (4-5). Also, the dream may ‘crust and sugar over, like a syrupy sweet’, which describes how if a dream is forced to sit idle, it will lose its original goal, and harden into destructive thoughts that are crusted over with doubt, anger and hatred. It is even brought to a greater extreme; where Hughes describes how this dream may simply ‘explode’ (11). This shows the catastrophe that may result from the impatience of African-Americans who really want to achieve this dream of justice. On the other hand, in “My Little ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a cultural movement during the 1920s and 1930s, in which african-american art, music and literature flourished.
- Analyzes how both poems address the fundamental theme of having a dream, which is explored during the harlem renaissance period.
- Analyzes how figurative language is used in both poems to describe the negative aspects of the dream deferred. hughes employs simile, which helps paint a clearer picture for the readers.
- Analyzes how hughes employs a variety of strong verbs and adjectives, which creates an aggressive and angry, almost threatening tone. hughes effectively manipulates the strong tone to encourage blacks to fight for justice.
- Analyzes how both poems had the same theme of the delayment of a dream, but each poet's vision towards this dream is explored differently. both poems fulfilled the role of many distinguished poems during the period.
793 wordsRead More - Dreams Deferred in William Faulkner´s The Sound and the Fury and Sandra Sineros The House on Mango Streetanalytical essayTragedy is an ever present part of life, whether it be illness, inability, death or anything else, it takes its toll on everyone. A very common tragedy found in literature and daily life is the loss of dreams, in Langston Hughes’s poem “A Dream Deferred” Hughes poses the question of what truly happens to a deferred dream: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up… Or fester like a sore… Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over...Or does it explode?” The outcome of lost dreams differs for each individual and their attitude. This is seen throughout America and also in The Sound And The Fury by William Faulkner and The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tragedy is an ever present part of life, whether it be illness, inability, death or anything else. hughes poses the question of what happens to a deferred dream. the outcome of lost dreams differs for each individual.
- Analyzes how mr. and mrs. compson are self-destructive in their dreams, despite america's economy in peril and unemployment rate high.
- Analyzes how the "american dream" is hard to achieve, but many women who dream of being independent, not needing to rely on a man to thrive in life see more difficulties in achieving it.
582 wordsRead More - The Harlem Renaissance History: I Too, Too Am Americaargumentative essayAlthough the speaker does not let it get to him he actually laughs and says “Tomorrow, I’ll be at the table” meaning one day where he will sit at the table and be equal also after he says that he says “They’ll see how beautiful I am” showing her will have his own identity in the white community. Another poem that is relevant to the theme Hughes wrote is the poem "What happens to a dream deferred?" in this poem the speaker asks what happens if dreams are postponed. The speakers offers answers to the question such as “if they fester like sores” or they “rot like meat” but, in the end he ask if they explode which is the answer to his question meaning that dreams can come true such as how the speaker probably dreams of having their own dream and
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the harlem renaissance was a time when culture, social interaction, intelligence, and creativity kicked off. famous writers like langston hughes, countee cullen, james weldon johnson and others made this time an unforgettable moment in history.
- Compares the poem "the song of the smoke" and "my country 'tis of thee."
- Concludes that langston hughes, claude mckay and james weldon johnson all went through similar struggles and trials but ultimately they all had the same goal of having a country where everyone has equal rights and equal treatment.
- Analyzes how langston hughes' poem "i, too, am america" talks about how the speaker is sent to the kitchen when the guest come in the whites house because of his race and appearance.
1058 wordsRead More - Unfulfilled Dreams Exposed in Hughes' Harlemanalytical essayHughes, Langston. "Dream Deferred." Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Ed. Thomas R. Arp. Ft. Worth: HBJ, 1998. 637.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the different emotions that people feel when a dream is "deferred" in hughes' poem "harlem."
- Analyzes how hughes' poem "harlem" is only a small part of an extremely long poem within the book.
- Analyzes how hughes' uniqueness is his ruthless exclusion of extraneous embellishments, resulting in a lean, spare, and uncluttered style. his work transcends time because he is expressing the feelings of negroes in black ghettos throughout america.
- Analyzes how hughes uses the dictionary meaning and connotative meaning to describe his emotions.
- Analyzes how hughes uses the connotative meaning for the word "fester" in the poem, which is to become a source of pain or anger.
- Analyzes how the poem "harlem" gives an imaginative description of what a person with "deferred" dream can become.
- Analyzes how hughes uses inflammatory images to produce a cool, controlled anger. these people "fester" because their "deferred" dream still hurts them, and they do not how to deal with it.
- Analyzes how hughes' "harlem" is not about a dream, but about unfulfilled people.
- Cites richard bizot's "harlem." masterplots ii: poetry series. vol. 3. ed. frank n. magill.
- Describes hughes's "dream deferred" and jampersad’s “langston hughes”.
1141 wordsRead More - Analysis of Harlem (A Dream Deferred) and A Raisin in the Sunanalytical essayIn 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 thru after losing control of the plans they had in mind. I will attempt to break down each character’s dream and how they each fell apart as the play went on.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hughes' poem gives vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. the central theme of the play is the pain each character goes through after losing control of their plans.
- Analyzes how the writer describes ruth younger as a hardworking mother who has had an thought life up until this point. she is in constant disagreement with her husband's ideas and believes that bringing another child into this sad existence is impossible.
- Analyzes how the character of walter lee younger values money above all else and ties his self-worth to how much money he has in his bank account.
- Analyzes how beneatha younger, the sister of walter, dreams of becoming a doctor, but her dreams don't line up with what her family believes she should be doing.
- Analyzes how the final character who sees her dreams shattered is mama. lena younger has led a hard life and has seen her husband die.
- Analyzes how harlem is closely tied to the rash of disappointments that each member of the family faces.
865 wordsRead More - Analysis Of The Poem Harlem By Langston Hughesanalytical essayWhat is a dream? One might say it is a thought or feeling that people experience when they are asleep. Though this is true, a dream is also a wish someone hopes to accomplish. The real question is what happens if dreams are not pursued? In the poem, Harlem by Langston Hughes, the speaker is indirectly discussing what occurs when a dream is ignored.
In this essay, the author
- Explains what a dream is and how it can be ignored in the poem, harlem by langston hughes.
- Analyzes the title of the poem and the time period in which langston hughes wrote it.
- Analyzes how the second line answers the opening question with, "does it dry up". people know what happens to objects when they dry out. the african-american community felt small and powerless
- Analyzes how line 3 questions, "like a raisin in the sun?" and how lorraine hansberry's "a raisin in the sun" captures the deferred dreams of black families living in chicago during the 1950s.
- Analyzes the meaning of the word fester, which means to "become worse or more intense especially through long-term neglect".
- Analyzes how the speaker continues the wound image and compares it to the ongoing problem of discrimination and inequality in america.
- Analyzes how the speaker reminds us that a deferred dream is not to cancel dream and that it is engraved in the person's head.
- Analyzes how the speaker says "or crust and sugar over-- like a sugary sweet." the same rules apply with dreams, which seem attainable at first but fade over time.
- Analyzes how the word sag can be used to explain things that are old as well as heavy.
- Analyzes how the last line of the poem questions "or does it explode?" when something explodes it normally gathers pressure over time and can no longer suppress this energy.
1113 wordsRead More - Dreams are the images, ideas, emotions, and sensations of an unconscious mind. But though the poems “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, “On the Pulse of Morning” by Maya Angelou, and “I hear America Singing” by Walt Whitman. You see that dreams are just a way of hopes for the future; a message that needs to be heard before it too late for society to change.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that dreams are images, ideas, emotions, and sensations of an unconscious mind. they are a message that needs to be heard before it too late for society to change.
- Analyzes how hughes' "harlem" describes the future leading into a social struggle. he wants to know the outcomes of when dreams ignored.
- Analyzes how maya angelou's "on the pulse of morning" is thought of as messages to our society too. she says we don't have to destroy our world with ignorance and violence.
- Compares the themes of optimism and revolution in maya angelou's "harlem" and "on pulse of the morning".
- Compares whitman's "i hear america singing" to "harlem" and "on pulse of morning".
- Analyzes how dreaming is in the message of a dream. it's the consciousness of the poet and how they felt about an event in life or thoughts.
- Analyzes how the poem "fifteen" sees themes differently. the speaker focuses on dreaming by describing how an event when he was fifteen changed understanding of like.
- Analyzes how gary snyder's "true night" shows a balance between his self and everyday life.
- Analyzes how the poem "station" by eamon greannan describes the goodbyes from father and so to each other at the train station.
828 wordsRead More - My Dream In Langston Hughes's As I Grew Olderanalytical essayAnother poetic verse that illustrates Hughes' desire to establish a community of African- Americans who are accepting of their racial identities is As I Grew Older. The poem begins with: "It was a long time ago, I have almost forgotten my dream" (1-2). By starting with a "once upon a time" theme, it seems as though the speaker is reflecting upon a poignant time in his life which has most likely been his childhood years. Consequently, the speaker states: "I have almost forgotten my dream...in front of me bright like a sun..."(2-6). From the few statements, "dream" is centering idea. A dream is an intangible idea that powers ambition, and hope, rendering the individual confident and hopeful for the future. However, the speaker has "almost forgotten" his dream, meaning that his dream was no longer attainable or more simply, he could not reach it. Additionally, when the speaker states: "it was there then, in front of me, bright like a sun," the speaker acknowledges his blindness and the inevitable fact that like the sun which naturally rises and sets everyday without much reasoning, his dream was no longer his priority. By comparing the sun to his dream, the speaker is also alluding to the universal actions that all human beings all partake in. Every day, we are caught up by school, work, and life. However, we never once think about the surrounding natural events that occur around us. The sun gives us light and does not allow us to live in obscurity; the trees, the air that we breathe, and gravity helps us survive in this planet, but we take them for granted. In the same way, the speaker has forgotten what he has been living for and only acknowledges it once he has grown older and the racial struggles that he endures are now too hard ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how as i grew older illustrates hughes' desire to establish a community of african-americans who are accepting of their racial identities.
- Analyzes how the speaker has forgotten what he's been living for and only acknowledges it once his racial struggles are too hard to bear. the wall represents the tumultuous clashes between the blacks and whites.
- Analyzes how hughes creates the persona for as i grew older, a heartrending poem of how dreams fade due to the evolution of time and the inhumane nature of discrimination.
670 wordsRead More - Harlem by Langston Hughesanalytical essaythe more the dreams will not happen and in the poem it is clear that Hughes has a very strong opinion
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hughes has a strong opinion about the oppression of the population and the need to ignore or postpone dreams.
- Analyzes how langston hughes uses illusions, rhetorical questions, figurative language, and stanza to explain that a dream deferred can end with the entire population in war.
- Analyzes how langston's use of rhetorical questions keeps the poem interesting and alive. it implies its own answer while still making its point.
- Analyzes how rhetorical questions make the poem flow nicely and encourages the listener/reader to consider the message which is what hughes wanted to do.
- Analyzes langston's use of similes to help the reader understand the story behind the poem while at the same time explaining the metaphor that is hidden.
- Analyzes how hughes' poem harlem uses figurative language to explain the feelings and thoughts of the african-americans living in the area.
672 wordsRead More - Elements of Poetry in 'Harlem'analytical essayHughes also uses imagery to show his theme. "Does it stink like rotten meat?" This use of imagery shows how a dream deferred simply rots into something that is no longer usable. This makes the reader imagine a slob of rotten meat with maggots crawling on it. This not only disgusts the reader, but makes them understand what Hughes is trying to say, which is that you give up on a dream, it cannot be used anymore. "Does it dry up? Like a raisin in the sun?" This use of imagery makes the reader imagine a fruit that you could have eaten fresh, but since you did not, it has dried up.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how poets use elements of poetry to show their themes, including similes, diction, and personification.
- Analyzes how langston hughes uses similes to convey his theme in "harlem."
- Analyzes how hughes' powerful use of diction conveys his theme very well.
- Analyzes hughes' use of imagery to show his theme of rotten meat and how dreams can be destroyed if one doesn't use them.
- Concludes that poets usually use elements of poetry to convey their theme. hughes uses similes, diction, and imagery to bring out his theme in "harlem".
431 wordsRead More