Explication Of Harlem s Dream Deferred - 912 Words

Explication of â€Å"Harlem [Dream Deferred]† â€Å"Harlem [Dream Deferred]† by Langston Hughes may seem like an insignificant poem at first glance. It contains only 11 lines and the diction is simple enough, but it is much more profound upon further exploration and understanding. Hughes applies the theme of frustration and use of metaphor, simile, and imagery to express the important issues of this time. The community of Harlem was primarily black, and this poem articulates the struggle of these people during the Civil Rights Movement. People of this time were left with injustice and their dreams were very much deferred. When people’s dreams are further postponed there can be terrible consequences. Hughes utilizes simple words to create a much more profound meaning. These words are easy to comprehend, but each word and each question symbolize the difficulty that comes with dreams that cannot be obtained due to unfortunate circumstances. The tone of this poem is serious, and almost nostalgic. The speaker asks what happens if dreams are postponed and presents some likely answers to this question. The speaker asks if these delayed dreams dry up like raisins or if they fester like sores, if they perish like meat or if they become crusty, like syrup left out too long. They even suggest that these postponed dreams burden like a heavy load. At the end of the poem, the speaker asks if dreams explode if they are delayed far too long. All of these questions incite feelings of uncertainty.Show MoreRelatedLangston Hughes: A Poet Supreme Essay1879 Words   |  8 Pagesa close textual reading of Hughess po etry and although a large body of critical work already exists, I would like to focus on one piece by Hughes to evidence my case for his stature. That piece is the multipart, book-lenght poem Montage of a Dream Deferred (1951). In Montage, which Hughes described in a letter to Arna Bontemps as what you might call a precedent shattering opus-also could be known as a tour de force, Hughes addresses a number of critical problems facing black poetry: (1) how