Preview

A Dream Deferred By Langston Hughes Meaning

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
623 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Dream Deferred By Langston Hughes Meaning
Reflecting back on the three poems I read in class A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes has to be one of my favorites now. In this poem the writer talks about the various ways of what may happen to a dream being postponed. Before i had read it I did wonder from the title what do I think happens to a dream being delayed, which i answered in my head if there are people like me and haven't accomplished a certain dream I guess Id just give up on it or just wait till the right time to try and achieve the certain goal. Reading the poem presented to me that I wasn't the only one who viewed a dream being deferred in many ways. What had caught my eye the most and still honestly does was the ending, the line that should conclude it all , the line that should answer the question of what happens to a dream being deferred, but no it was left as a cliffhanger. “Or does i explode” after reading it all it was as if the writer left the last question up to the reader to answer for themselves because everyone has their own interpretation of if a dream explodes, i believe it said a lot about someone …show more content…
Hope Interested me because i just reflect upon the popular saying “ don't get your hopes up” because sometimes if you do whatever it is you were hoping for may not happen, but a piece of us all still has that little bit of hope inside trying not to get too excited. The attention grabber to me in this poem were the lines that read, “ And sweetest in the Gale is heard; And sore must be the storm”. It's the most important to me because looking into the meaning of those lines to my understanding it means that the storm is upset because it wasn't able to take down the hope inside of us. To think that hope is that strong to beat out a storm in any type of situation is just crazy to me, but i believe

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the short story "The House on Mango Street" Sandra Cisneros unfolds her childhood memories where she and her family struggled with poor living conditions on the way to their own house, and she seems to suffer from it more than anyone of the family. When one day they finally get the house of their own and her family seems to be ready to settle with it, she continues suffering because it 's not the house she imagined and built up in her dreams. At that point Cisneros obtains her dream to be fulfilled: she decides that whatever happens, she must have her dream house. Whereas Cisneros talks about a dream 's birth, Langston Hughes in his poem "A Dream Deferred" investigates the destiny of a dream. Predicting what could happen to a dream that is not yet realized, he tries to measure the impact of a dream in our life. At first sight, these two works might seem completely different; however, upon a closer look it 's obvious that they are closely connected: Cisneros tells us what led her to obtain a dream, whereas Hughes contemplates on continuation of a dream 's existence.…

    • 725 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Believers of this Dream are so blind to what’s going on around them due to the fact they are only focused on themselves. It is because of this explanation and the fact that a majority of the book deals with this idea, I believe the most powerful message is that the Dream is the reason why the black body is unappreciated in American society.…

    • 585 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the poem “Harlem ( A Dream Deferred)” by Langston Hughes, he talks about dreams; dreams that society has, dreams that he has. Not a dream that you have while you're sleeping but a dream that you have and want to pursue. He addresses the questions of what happens when a person's dreams are destroyed. The author uses a lot of visual, descriptive language to try and show that nothing good can come from not achieving your dreams. For example, he compares not realizing a dream to the stench of rotten meat, which suggest the consequence is negative. None of the language in the poem reflects anything positive about a dream deferred.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Yes, there is an answer; the question, “What happens to a dream deferred?” appears to be answered with nothing but more questions. But if we analyze each question we get an idea of what the speaker really believes about dreams being postponed. The “dream” is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. The dream is important to the dreamer’s life. Nevertheless, the speaker’s position is clear that any important dream or goal that…

    • 2043 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the opening of the poem the speaker uses a visual image that is also a simile to compare a dream deferred to a raisin. The speaker asks the question, "Does it [the dream] dry up / Like a raisin in the sun?" (2-3). Here we can see the raisin, which used to be a moist, taut, healthy-looking grape, has shriveled up to become a raisin. The speaker does not emphasize the appearance of the raisin, so the description isn't as significant as an image as it is as a simile. Why compare a dream deferred to a raisin? Like a raisin, a dream deferred shrivels up and turns dark because the sun has baked it. The emphasis on the sun is important because it stresses time-we measure time by the sun's movement. Like the raisin, the dream has been on hold for a long time-consequently, it has transformed into something very different than it once was. Because they look so different, few people would believe that raisins were once grapes unless they had been told. Similarly, a dream that continues to be postponed will go through an evolution as well-it won't be the same as the original. On the surface, a reader might not view the outcome as negative because raisins are valuable on their own-they…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his poem “A Dream Deferred,” Langston Hughes utilizes vivid sensory imagery and similes to explore the various phases of a dream deferred. Before I wrote my stylistic imitation, one of my friends suggested I look carefully at the historical context surrounding this poem’s publication. This poem was written right before the Civil Rights Movement, during a time when racial tensions were high in the U.S. and this got me thinking about movements today. Recently, there has been an increased awareness of the rampant police brutality in America, and as I was contemplating the historical context of my poem today, I immediately thought of the #BlackLivesMatterMovement today, which is why I titled my imitation “Matter.” Hughes lived in a society where the dreams of Black people for true liberty and equality were constantly de-valued. Similarly, today, it is clear that racism and systematic oppression still exists. While black and brown people are being shot down by corrupt police officials, these same officials are being acquitted of their crimes, and our cries for justice are not answered. This is what I tried to draw…

    • 944 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I found the reading "The Symbolic Language of Dreams", written by Stephens King, a very interesting story to write about. King stated a quote in his introduction saying that dreams are a useful way that help people find the nature of their problems; or, find answers to their problems in a symbolic way. The purpose of this essay is to show that dreams and imaginations were two main factors in King 's successful life. Hence, dreams and imaginations are critical factors when writing; they sure can resolve many issues and expand our thoughts in order to write better and longer books. Without passion writing good books is impossible.…

    • 841 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Storm Warning"

    • 392 Words
    • 1 Page

    The organization and the concrete details signify both the literal and the metaphorical meaning. In a literal sense, the order in which this person is getting to know that there's a storm coming give us a proper imagery with the concrete details. "Storm Warning" is obviously a person getting a warning for a storm. The poem tells us the process that is taken to prepare them, and to protect them from the storm with a wonder of how time can quickly change. In a metaphorical way, "Weather abroad and weather in the heart alike come on Regardless of prediction." This line used in the second stanza hints us of something beyond a storm outside. This person is comparing a storm outside and a storm inside being the same thing even though they are both unpredictable. A concrete detail is given in the last line of the third stanza, "We can only close the shutters." The last stanza literally means that "now it's dark outside, let's close the curtain although the keyhole is still going to bring in wind. But oh well, people who live here know how to prepare best. Its metaphorical meaning goes deep. Something like "although I have shut all the doors from my past, there's still a portion of my heart that's there and can't forget (keyhole). But this is something I've learnt to do, cope with whatever is left."…

    • 392 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes asks the reader in the end, “Or does it explode?”[Hughes 10]. This would give off the reader the picture of a man’s dream to just overcome the person and cause insanity within the mind. Walter says, “I’m a volcano! I’m a giant surrounded by ants. Ants can’t understand what a giant’s talkin’ bout.”[A Raisin in the Sun(2008)] At this point, Walter has completely lost faith in his own dream and has lost his mind, thinking that he is mentally superior to everyone else. Not only did Walter almost lose his mind, he almost lost his wife in the process. “Didn’t realize how bad things were between us, didn’t realize where we lost it…” as Ruth Younger said to her husband who she no longer recognizes.[A Raisin in the Sun(2008)] Langston Hughes asks in his poem if a dream deferred would “crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet”[Hughes 6-7]. This represents how a dream might be too good to be true and end up leaving a disgustingly sweet taste in the tongue (the dream biting back in the end). It was clear that Walter had lost his personality once he argued about the dreams of perspective towards George Murchison as he says to him, “And you? You don’t see any stars out there when you dreamin’. It’s coz’ you happy!”[A Raisin in the Sun(2008)]. Walter believed that people who are happy no longer dream, that dreaming was for the poor who have nothing, when Walter himself were happy in the…

    • 851 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Langston Hughes uses a lot of imagery in this poem. Imagery is a specific language that describes sensory details. This gives a very vivid picture of the ideas in the poem. Dream Deferred is almost all imagery. An example of that would be; "Or crust over like a syrupy sweet?"…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The speaker is saying that that is exactly what will happen to the dream. The longer this dream of theirs is put aside, the more shriveled up it will get. The hope to achieve this dream that was once there will be gone. The next image shown is when the speaker suggests the dream could “fester like a sore” (2.3). When thinking of a sore, one thinks of an infected wound.…

    • 1218 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    (CR): Definitely. All eligible men were drafted into the German army – so many families were left without fathers and relatives (as this was the case with my family). Special school activities became mandatory German youth group sporting participations. I hated to go to a soccer field and having to run, jump or learning how to throw a long distance ball, for instance. Luckily got out of it to the anguish of my mother fearing reprimand, but none ever came to our relief.…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Prescription Drug Abuse

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The audience I will be addressing is parents, caregivers and school educators about the dangers of prescription drugs and how we can better educate teenagers and young adults on the dangers of abusing them. There are many ways that we can teach and educate our teenagers and young adults, but it’s important that families, schools and communities are involved. The rate of prescription drug overdose among teenagers and young adults have sky rocketed over the past several years. This has become a growing epidemic and if we don’t step in and do something, this problem will only get worse. No parent or caregiver ever wants to lose a child and it can be especial harder knowing that you could have helped prevent it. Some people say it’s the schools job to education this subject and others say that education starts at home. Where can our parents/caregivers get the information they need to help better understand the problem itself and to help safe guard their children? Who would be the best influence to talk to our teens and young adults? In my essay I will explain why it’s so important that schools and parents/caregivers need to both educate and talk to our young adults and teens. (205)…

    • 1483 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Oracle

    • 7272 Words
    • 30 Pages

    Microsoft , WINDOWS , NT , EXCEL , Word , PowerPoint and SQL Server are registered…

    • 7272 Words
    • 30 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My Favourite Poem

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Not just storm, the other hard circumstance where the poet examines this positive feeling of hope is the snow covered chilly lands, and the deep strange sea where one can easily wander and get lost. In other words, one should keep the will power high filled with this feeling of hope even in the extreme of extremes situations.…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays