Theme Of A Dream Deferred

The Story of a Dream Deferred The United States of America is known today as the land of the free and home of the brave, but it has not always been like this. Equality among all is nothing but a dream. The year is 1951, and racism is stronger than ever. In cities around the country, African Americans are segregated and deprived of their goals and dreams. Not many voices speak out against this injustice, but one man stands strong to face such an injustice. Throughout the criticism, he held the same message: the world needs to change. In Langston Hughes ' work, "Harlem", Hughes speaks for civil rights through the influence of the jazz age and observation of oppression. Langston Hughes spends much of his time traveling the world and witnessing

The beginning line of “Harlem” is, “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Langston Hughes, “Harlem” from Montage of a Dream Deferred”). This beginning line refers to the rage at racism and how the dream represents the freedom from oppression. From this question, Hughes continues to answer numerous possibilities. At first he asks “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” (Hughes). This line refers to the exhaustion of living with a dream deferred. This comes from the constant political roadblocks for African Americans, such as the denial of voting rights, which causes frustration. Hughes then inquires, “Or fester like a sore- And then run?” (Hughes). This expresses a general sickness of being denied basic human rights. The line “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (Hughes) refers to the horrendous wound put onto African Americans. His final inquiry is “Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?” (Hughes). This question refers to the hope that love will come through and all African Americans will be treated

A fear exists in Hughes’ mind that the dream of African Americans will never be fulfilled, and Hughes could not let that happen. When criticized upon the African primitivism of the poem, Hughes mentions that the poem refers to the problems plaguing the cities of the United States, not Africa, and the situation has become a serious matter. The poem appears to be too simple, but the point is its simplicity. Hughes knows the most direct way to captivate attention to the real message, the abolition of racism. Langston Hughes makes sure that people would listen, and he enacts this by incorporating a secret weapon with an innocent name: be-bop. In order for the people to listen, Langston Hughes has to give them something worth hearing. Hughes figures that blacks have “heard/ the music of a dream deferred” (Lowney), and so he must share it with others. Hughes blended jazz into works in order to add a more aesthetically pleasing presence. The majority of Hughes’ works incorporate be-bop, a type of revolt jazz. Be-bop breaks free from the original tactics of jazz and breaks the status quo of music at the time. Hughes uses this to blend the music, sadness, and joy of the African American