Analysis Of Dreams Deferred By Langston Hughes

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Recommended: Reflection on this poem "dreams deferred"written by langston hughes

The Harlem Renaissance era was the name given to the period of time between the ending of the first World War in 1918 and the middle of the 1930s. During this time African American artists; writers, photographers, musicians, scholars etc., were all venturing into Harlem, NY the center place of art to explore these topics. Among one of these authors was Langston Hughes, who was one of the most notable figures of the Harlem Renaissance era. With his vast array of poetry, he shaped the way that African American people were portrayed in the public eye. With his poem “Dreams Deferred” in particular showed this concept in depth. This topic of African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance being seen as less than equal to white was a topic that was
Throughout the poem the speaker gives possibilities of what could happen to these dreams, do they dry up, fester, rot or even crust over but alas all these possibilities the speaker does not know the answer. This questioning continues until the last line of the poem where the speaker asks “Or does it explode?”. By asking this question it makes the reader think about what could happen if you do not make your dreams a reality. This poem could be interpreted in many different ways, but one of these interpretations is the reference to African American people during this time period. At this time, even though slavery ended in 1863 by the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by late president Abraham Lincoln, African Americans were still being seen as an inferior race. Even though there was much strive from African Americans in art, literature, science, etc., they were still not being seen as equal beings. This ideology is seen in Hughes’ poem “Dreams Deferred”. Being an African American man at this time showed him that the dreams of himself and of his race were difficult to achieve. Their dreams were seen as unrealistic because of the color of their skin. This frustrated many people, especially Langston Hughes. Throughout his poem Hughes mentions the idea of what happens when dreams are postponed as many African
Countee Cullen like Hughes was a notable African American poet who was also fed up with the injustice that his people were receiving at the time. In this poem Cullen questions the workings of the almighty God. He asks why God does so many poor things to good objects, whether that is the smallest of creatures to the biggest man . Cullen then concludes by asking why did He make a poet during this time black? With this question Cullen is questioning why in a world where African American people are treated so poorly would God make him a poet. Though he questions God’s workings he is not upset or frustrated he simply wonders why. By not refuting God’s work, he is accepting the challenge of making himself as a poet known to the public whether they accept him or

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