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“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” This quote from Walt Disney addressing the concept of achieving dreams is very accurate, and can be seen throughout literature today and in the past. Dreams can give people power or take away hope, and influence how people live their lives based upon whether they have the determination to attack their dreams or not; as seen through characters like the speaker in Harlem by Langston Hughes and Lena and Walter Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in The Sun. Langston Hughes’s poem, Harlem, inspired the title of A Raisin in The Sun for it’s close relation with the theme of dreams. His poem can also connect back with Disney’s quote; Disney states that anyone’s dream can come true if pursued, while Hughes talks about what happens when dreams aren’t pursued. He discusses many different things that can happen when dreams are deferred. Many times when they aren’t chased, dreams have a negative impact on that person. Harlem is definitely a negative poem, conveyed through phrases like rotten, crust, sag, and fester - all unpleasant words. The poem’s pace and placement of each guess as to what happens of a dream deferred is important to the message of the poem. In the beginning, Hughes talks about processes that are slower, like “...dry[ing] up like a raisin in the sun” (2-3) and “crust[ing] and syrup[ing] over -- like a sugary sweet”(7-8). At the end of the poem, the author talks wonders “...does it just explode?” (11), something that happens much quicker than all his other guesses. I think the reason for his choice of pace is because that’s often the path that a dream deferred takes; a slow process, the dream slowly fades away until, BOOM, there isn’t a dream left i... ... middle of paper ... ...eve his dream and it starts to “sag like a heavy load” (9-10). Then Mama gives him the money to go out and reach his dream, and he is happy; but, when Willy takes off with his money, and his chances of reaching his dreams in the near future are gone, his dream explodes. Walter falls into a haze for the rest of the play after his dream collapses. However (something that is not mentioned in the poem), Lena has her faith restored in her son when he rejects Lidner’s bribe (Walter breaks out of the haze he has been in too when he does this). If the poem does coincide with the play, and the poem did have a next line, one could assume that it would have something to do with a person finally reaching his/her dreams. In conclusion, this is how Harlem and A Raisin in the Sun most closely relate; the characters and narrator in each piece of literature mirror each other closely.
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 ...
How would you feel if your freedom was halted by the color of your skin? A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes’ poems both capture racial identity, pride, and dreams. Walter, a character in A Raisin in the Sun, relates to those in the poems of Hughes.
Does money really bring happiness? This questions has been asked over and over throughout history yet there is no real answer for it. The only way to know is to learn from experiences. In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun the characters are caught up in caring too much about money, and it effects them all in many different decisions that they make such as Ruth wanting to get an abortion, Mama buying them a house, and Walter investing in the liquor store.
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore– And then run?" (Langston Hughes). It is important to never lose sight of one’s dream. Dreams are what keep people moving in life, but if they are ignored, they may morph and lose their prevailing form. This is evident in Lorraine Hansberry’s "A Raisin in the Sun", as Walter’s, Beneatha’s, and Mama’s dreams become delayed, distorted, and blurred.
Lorraine Hansberry is the author of the play A Raisin in the Sun. This play is very significant because it was the first play written by a black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award. Another interesting point about the play is the title. The title A Raisin in the Sun also refers to Langston Hughes poem Harlem. In many ways Langston Hughes’ poem relates to Lorraine Hansberry’s play. In the play a family of black Americans have a chance to move ahead in the cruel prejudiced world. Lorraine Hansberry shows the frustrations that occur when one’s dreams are deferred. The Younger family in the play experiences these times of misery when those dreams are broken.
Like the Youngers do in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, living in Chicago during the 1950s was tough for an African-American family. In this play, Hansberry presents a story which demonstrates the effects of putting off one's dreams. Throughout this drama, the Younger family tackles trial after tribulation while they struggle to realize their aspirations. In the concluding segment of the story, while many of the characters’ dreams do not come true, some simply do. The poem “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, embodies this concept of dreams and aspirations. It is apparent that Hansberry used Hughes’ poem as a direct source of inspiration, seeing as she named her story after the line "What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" (Meyer 1730). A Raisin in the Sun is an appropriate title because it figuratively relates to the characters’ dreams.
Dreams are not just empty ideas, they give people ambition, and it is the pursuit of that ambition, which shapes a person. However, society instils an illusion about what can be achieved. Dreams can be tied to identity, but they can be good or bad. The Great Gatsby [F. Scott Fitzgerald] and Shattered Glass [Teresa Toten] share the similes in which both main characters dream of finding themselves and reach their end goals, through pressure and love. Both authors imply that dreams should be verified that they are possible before you start following them, otherwise they can ended up deadly.
To begin with, A Raisin in the Sun, Act I , starts by introducing the five main characters; Lena, Ruth, Walter Lee, Beneatha, and Travis Younger. All of these characters, in my opinion, have unfulfilled dreams, which mostly involve money. Although this family is separated from the white middle-class culture, they too have the same type of dreams like the rest of the american society. Firstly, Mama’s plant symbolizes her dream because she cares for it as she cares for her family. Even though the plant doesn’t get enough light or water, it grows with her care and love, just like her family. Her family struggles but with her
Walter Younger is a dreamer. He dreams of owning his own business. When that dream falls apart, Walter's dream can be compared to Langston Hughes's poem "A Dream Deferred." according to arthur, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” Langston Hughes. This quote refers to Walter dream. Like the Raisin in the Sun his dream did dry up. This shows that not all dreams come true. Walter loses all of his mama insurance money and Walter is left with a dried up dream. His deferred dream is like a sore that festers and runs from the infection. Walter's dream can be compared to a sore that festers and runs. He explode from the disappointment of his broken dreams. He drinks heavily and comes home to get verbally
Surrounding the theme of the play “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, a whole new aspect of the American Dream is portrayed, emphasizing the pure essence of dreams despite any hardship the Youngers comes across. Lena Younger is the prime example of this hopefulness and desire for her children’s and her dream to come true. For instance, Lena says, “Well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one” (Hansberry 53), where “the plant” symbolizes her undying dreams that she continually harbors even though the economic impediment seems to be unbearable, just like how “the plant” keeps striving in spite of the lack of sunlight
In ‘A Raisin in the Sun’, Lorraine Hansberry describes each of the family’s dreams and how they are deferred. In the beginning of the play Lorraine Hansberry chose Langston Hughes’s poem to try describe what the play is about and how, in life, dreams can sometimes be deferred.
Many writers employ techniques to integrate their own lives into their works. It just seems natural to manipulate and implement ideas and topics from real life into other aspects of life, like writing. Authors may discuss their favorite memories or spell out an experience of a hard time that they had to deal with throughout a long period in their life. In order to withstand this type of hardship, many authors will write about the events that occurred. Even if they do not publish these works, many will still write as part of a healing process for themselves. In cases where these writers do publish pieces that reflect their lives, we must analyze both the writing and the author to fully understand how the two are related.
A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The primary focus of the play is the American Dream. The American Dream is one’s conception of a better life. Each of the main characters in the play has their own idea of what they consider to be a better life. A Raisin in the Sun emphasizes the importance of dreams regardless of the various oppressive struggles of life.
Langston Hughes uses a profusion of similes in "Harlem" "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" This simile compares a dream deferred to gross food that has dried up. Similarly, when you give up on your dream, it dries up. "Or fester like a sore?" This simile shows that a dream deferred can be painful, and stay in your thoughts for your whole life. Langston Hughes uses similes to convey his theme in Harlem.
Metaphors are comparisons using like or as, which help provide a description or image of certain situations and objects. Throughout Hughes’ poem, there is an abundance of metaphors. Through relating one item that’s appealing, to its spoiled opposite; Hughes paints a picture of the outcome of leaving dreams untouched. An example of this would be the comparison of a raisin in the sun; with the raisin being the outcome of letting one’s dreams sit unfulfilled. Raisins are often thrown away. By viewing another poem analysis of “Dream Deferred” on a website called Shmoop, the poem becomes more clear. Shmoop goes into detail about each part of this poem and gives insight on what the audience may be thinking, while still providing the actual meaning