While reading “Harlem” and “A Raisin in the sun”, I’ve learned the American dream has changed drastically from now and back then. While I was reading Langston Hughes poem and Lorraine Hansberry play, I was able to learn and understand what was happening during the 1950’s. During this time period, America was still racially segregated, which means there were significant limitations on African Americans. In “A Raisin in the sun”, the author talks about a hardworking family who are trying to make their dreams come true, and in “Harlem” the poet is talking about what could have happened if those dreams didn’t come true. Both authors show and describe the effects on human beings when a dream is prevented by economics and the surrounding environment.