...Langston Hughes’ “Harlem: A Dream Deferred” What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun Or fester like a sore- And then run? Does it stink like rotten mean? Or crust and sugar over- Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? ______________________________________________________________________________ Trevor B. Taylor A Dream Deferred, The Heartbeat of Harlem For the residents of Harlem, until the later half of the twentieth century, “wait” is all they ever heard. Wait! Wait for the laws to change before you can fulfill your destiny. Wait, until you’re allowed to go to college. If any of the people of Harlem were a shining gem just waiting to be polished, it might not ever happen, or it would have had to of been postponed. Because the residents of Harlem had black skin, their dreams were deferred. L. Hughes shines light on the minds of Harlem past and everyone else’s, who’ve experienced a dream that never came true or hasn’t yet. He effectively uses similes, metaphors, and rhetorical questions to express how he feels about a dream being postponed. The “dream” is a goal in life, not experienced while sleeping. an expected goal. The poem, in its’ current form leaves the dream up to the reader. But the poem was originally titled “Harlem”. Hughes since then gave this title to another one of his poems that more clearly states was happening there. That poem in black ink, clearly states...
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...found comfort in dreaming. Those who lived in the ghettos of Harlem would dream about a better place for their families and futures. Harlem, New York was originally established by Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1658 and named after a Dutch city, Nieuw Haarlem. The 1830s met the neglect of Harlem due to farmlands failing to produce; however, economic recovery began in 1837. The city featured booming neighborhoods that offered a diverse upbringing provided by several institutions and facilities of that time. The “place to be” was anticipated for Harlem to become known as, but due to the real estate market disaster in 1904 until...
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...compares Walter with the poem Harlem, in this case Hansberry took the title from the poem, in order to convey the dream deferred. The Younger family shows their dream deferred throughout the play. Walter exemplifies the poem Harlem, his dream is to own a business, luxuries, and money. He is a sensitive person, when it comes to Ruth he tries to be nice but fails because of the way Ruth treats him. Walter makes many interesting comments and makes the worst mistakes in the play, but later in the play he transforms himself into a better person because preferably of getting the money that Mr.Linder is willing to pay their family to not to live there, he stands up like a man and didn’t take their money. Walter claims to his wife, Ruth, ... “That’s it, There you are. Man say to his women: I got me a dream. His women say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got...
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...Anthony Wilson, Sr. English 151 15 February 2012 An Explication of Hughes' "Harlem" In the poem "Harlem" written by Langston Hughes, the speaker utilizes a series of rhetorical questions and similes intended to initiate a thought-provoking reaction that addresses unresolved or deferred dreams. The use of these questions and similes add to the overwhelming feeling of despair the speaker seems to have form the beginning until the end of the poem. In life, many have dreams intended to fulfill whatever end fantasy or goal is in mind. But, this poem attempts to address those dreams that are unfilled or put off for whatever reason. The speaker's inquisitive nature implies an uncertainty of promise or happiness of a dream deferred. The very first line of the poem begins with a question and sets the what becomes a "What happens to a dream deferred "? and immediately is followed by a series of rhetorical questions that mimics the negative outlook for the end result. "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun"? ( 3) "Or fester like a sore- And then run"? (4-5) "Does it stink like rotten meat"? (6) Or crust over and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet"? (7-8) "Or does it explode"? (11) So, from start to finish these questions imply the outlook is a grim one. The negative tone never seems to change not even for a split second from the beginning until the end. Even the use of certain word choice added to the continuous dismal tone of the poem. Usually when...
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...Literature Paper Phaedra Rosengarth ENG302 December 13, 2010 Judith Glass Ethnic Literature The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. A major factor leading to the rise of the Harlem Renaissance was the migration of African-Americans to the northern cities. Between 1919 and 1926, large numbers of black Americans left their rural southern states homes to move to urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Washington, DC. This black urban migration combined with the experimental trends occurring throughout 1920s American society and the rise of a group of radical black intellectuals all contributed to the particular styles and unprecedented success of black artists. What began as a series of literary discussions in lower Manhattan (Greenwich Village) and upper Manhattan (Harlem) was first known as the 'New Negro Movement.' Later termed the Harlem Renaissance, this movement brought unprecedented creative activity in writing, art, and music and redefined expressions of African-Americans and their heritage. Historians disagree as to when the Harlem Renaissance began and ended. The Harlem Renaissance is unofficially recognized to have spanned from about 1919 until the early or mid-1930s. Many of its ideas lived on much longer. The zenith of this "flowering of Negro literature", as James Weldon Johnson preferred to call the Harlem Renaissance, was placed between 1924 (the year that Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life hosted a party...
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...Harlem Dreams can be said to be something that drives us in life and are what motivates us. They are like goals that we set to achieve. There are three main factors of a dream, which areideas, visions andemotions.Ideas are thoughts that generate in the mind. Visions are anticipation of that which may come to be. Emotions are specific feelings that characterize a state of mind like happiness and anger. These three factors work together to determine our dream. A persons dream is always with them but sometimes it escapes the memory. When a dream is anticipated it leaves one excited. Good dreams can include, winning a lottery, getting a scholarship or going to college. In Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” he asks the readers, if dreams are put off throughout their lives or if they are lived up to. Most people don’t live up to their dreams and essentially it becomes deferred as Hughes describes, but they are never forgotten. However, in the long run, the overwhelming desire to achieve the dream takes over. Some people don’t live out their dreams, due to the frustrations, traumas, and hardship that they encounter along the way, thus robbing them of their opportunities. Hughes states “Does it dry up like raisin in the sun?” Before a fruit dries up like a raisinin the sun, it isinitiallyjuicy and filled with life. Generally we like when fruits are fresh, because the vitamins are still retained and healthwise it is the appropriate nutrient our body needs. In a way dreams are like...
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...In the beginning of 1950’s, African American were under the straggle of civil-rights movement. Harlem is one of highlighted cities related to the movement. I, personally, interpreted the poem “Harlem” expressed the will that they never gave up to achieve it, and the distress that they had a hard time to attain it for a long time. The author of the poem “Langston Hughes” started the poem as “What happens to a dream deferred?” In this context, ‘Dream’ means ‘civil rights’ for African American people. They made an action to get the fundamental rights for a long time until then. However, it was definitely difficult to achieve. In this situation, the author asked the stability of the value of the dream which they were seeking for a large number of years. The first sentence “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” is suggesting the possibility that due to the passing of time the value of dream becomes more concentrated as a grape turns to a raisin. On the other hand, the next “Or fester like a sore--- And then run?” means the opposite, which is the negative aspect such as the meaning that the value of dream was lost because of elapse. Following “Does it stink like rotten meat?” has the negative nuance as the last sentence, while “Or crust and sugar over--- like a syrupy sweet” is the same meaning as the “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” The author is asking whether the value of dream, which is civil rights, is easily changeable or not, repeatedly mentioning the...
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...POETRY ANALYSIS POEM: Harlem(by Langston Hughes)What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry uplike a raisin in the sun?Or fester like a sore—And then run?Does it stink like rotten meat?Or crust and sugar over—like a syrupy sweet?Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.Or does it explode? | STEP 1: 1 Did Langston Hughes ever feel this way about his dream? 2 Why do dreams just sag? 3 Why are dreams like a heavy load? 4 Why is a dream like a raisin in the sun? 5 Why is a dream like a sore? 6 Why did Langston Hughes write this poem? 7 Why do dreams dry up? 8 Why are dreams syrupy sweet? STEP 2: Category: Questions about the author: 1 Did Langston Hughes ever feel this way about his dream? 2 Why did Langston Hughes write this poem? Category Questions about the poem: 3. Why do dreams just sag? 4. Why are dreams like a heavy load? 5. Why is a dream like a raisin in the sun? 6. Why is a dream like a sore? 7. Why do dreams dry up? 8. Why are dreams syrupy sweet? STEP 3: Answers to questions in Step 1 1 Yes, Langston Hughes has felt this way about his dreams 2 Dreams sag because sometimes you don’t achieve all of your dreams 3 Because some dreams are a heavy burden that are going to take you along time to achieve and you may not know how you are going to achieve them, you may feel you do not have the money to achieve your dreams. 4 Because they feel good 5 Dreams feel like a sore because sometimes it takes...
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...Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Langston Hughes was the first African American writer in the United States to earn a living as a writer. He was born in Joplin, Missouri, and because of his parents’ separation he lived in several places including places in the American mid-west and Mexico. He attended Columbia University, but stopped his studies because of the discrimination he experienced at the hands of his white counterparts. Hughes was a prolific writer and his themes were driven by the racial oppression that he witnessed all around him and that he experienced first hand as well. Hughes was a prominent member of the Harlem Renaissance, which was a time in America when African Americans experienced a flowering of intellectual and cultural activities in the African American communities in Harlem, New York. Alain Locke referred to this era as the New Negro Movement. During this time, Langston Hughes and other African writers’ words were full of protest and great expressions of the social injustices that were bestowed upon African Americans. Langston Hughes often wrote about the second class citizenship status that African Americans experienced, and the ills of segregation were key themes in his writings. His writings not only voiced protest, but the theme of rejection was present in his writings. He wrote about his personal rejection from everywhere when searching for work....
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...Assignment Cover Sheet Family Name:DUONG | First Name:THI THUY LINH | Student ID Number:11040019 | Course: SNHU 2011 | Unit Code:LIT-100-19080 | Unit Title: INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE | Assignment Title: PAPER 2 | Name of Lecturer: Katherine Towler | Place of Lectures:303 - 3rd floor hall – B3 | Date Submitted: 28-10-2014 | Student Email Address: Linh.duong@snhu.edu | Plagiarism and Collusion Plagiarism is a practice that involves the using of another person’s intellectual output and presenting it as one’s own’. This includes the presentation of work that has been copied, in whole or part, from other sources (including other students’ work, published books or periodicals, or unpublished works or unauthorized collaboration with other persons), without due acknowledgement. Consequences of Plagiarism and Collusion A student found guilty of plagiarism will be subject to some or all of the following: Referral to Course Coordinator or Lecturer for: counseling; submission of further work; the placing of a record of the alleged infringement on the student’s file. Referral of the matter to the Lecturer or CIE for: issuing of written warning; re-submission of work for assessment or the undertaking of another form of assessment such as an oral or unseen examination; allocation of a fail grade to part or all of the assessment; allocation a fail grade to the subject. Referral of the matter to the CIE for: suspension from the course; official disciplinary action...
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...This research paper attempts to elucidate how each character in the play A Raisin in the Sun written in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry wants to achieve a dream which represents certain characteristics in common with the American Dream. Furthermore, this paper seeks to reveal to what extent aspects of the American Dreams, such as the ideal of justice or equality between the races, have been fulfilled by analyzing how these aspects are presented in the play. The Younger family is living in Chicago and is facing financial problems as well as social problems such as discrimination. As Mama’s husband died the family receives 10.000$ insurance money, which gives each family member the opportunity to fulfill their dream. Mama herself wants to buy a new house for the family, her daughter pursues the dream of becoming a doctor and her son Walter wants to open a liquor store. However, the fact that Walter’s wife Ruth is pregnant complicates the situation. Mama eventually decides to buy a new house in a white neighborhood and entrusts Walter with the rest of the money, but he loses all the money through a fraud, although he should have left some money to fund Beneatha’s education. Eventually, at the end of the drama, Mr. Lindner offers money to buy the Youngers out of their new house, but Walter stands up against him and declines the offer....
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...Takisha Moody-Daniel Mark Harper L107/ 7917 Date: 2-5-15 Langston Hughes “Harlem” (pg.1019) is a lyric poem with irregular rhyme and irregular patterns that expresses how the blacks were treated during the oppression in America. There are eleven lines and seven sentences. Each sentence is a simple sentence. The poem consist of Alliteration: “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up?” (Lines 1-2). “Syrupy sweet” (line 7). This poem consists of similes: “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- “(Lines 2-4) this is a comparison of the dream to a raisin and fester. “Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?” (Lines 6-8) This is a comparison of the dream to foods. “Maybe it sags like a heavy load.” (Lines 9-10) Comparison of the dream to a heavy load. The poem has a rhythmic, lyrical quality achieved by alliteration, rhyme, repetition of words and carefully placed syllables. The length of the poem varies. In line 1 it has eight syllables, line 2 has four, line 3 has seven, line 4 has six, and line 5 has three. The irregular pattern and movement gives the line a jagged edge, like a piece of broken glass, giving Hughes to leave an impression on the reader of being cut. The poem isn’t imitating any format used by other poets. It does show certain forms...
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...“Never judge a book by its cover.” This was written by Edwin Rolfe in 1946. This quote is still used to this day and is one of the most insightful sayings to exist. By saying this, you are saying that you can see what's on the outside. But you won't get the full experience until you see what's on the inside. This quote has a deeper meaning than what it conveys. All of these stories have a deeper meaning in them and they express them in many different ways. You can fully understand the meanings by comparing the figurative language, poetic devices, and the subject in the stories. First, in the story “Watermelon,” by Charles Simic, there is plenty of figurative language. The story starts by implying that the “Green Buddhas,” are the watermelons....
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...Orchestrated by Langston Hughes, “Harlem” refers to dreams that have been put on hold or when their dreams fail to become reality. “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run?” The Younger family have the dream of transcending the “American Dream.” They continually need to water and nurture their dream lest it dries up and shrivels up like “A Raisin in the Sun.” Through the manipulation of dialogue, argument and cynicism, Lorraine Hansberry fluently describes the drams of the Younger family and how their dreams became “deferred.” Initially by way of example, Mama’s dreams were the first deferred when she moved into the cramped apartment complex, becoming too busy having to deal with the constant bickering of Walter and his sister and trying to think of a proper environment of Ruth’s unborn child. that she couldn’t accomplish her dream and not being able to have sufficient funds to do so it seems as if her dreams where shattered the most by the death of her husband. However, once receiving the insurance money from her husband’s death her dreams became reality again. Finally Travis will be able to run around in a garden and have his own room but can’t fulfill that since they lived in the ghetto. Likewise, Beneatha, Walter’s sister had aspired to become a doctor but in those times women of color weren’t considered of obtaining such high positions to where the usual standpoint is becoming a nurse. Hansberry’s use...
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...Orchestrated by Langston Hughes, “Harlem” refers to dreams that have been put on hold or when their dreams fail to become reality. “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run?” The Younger family have the dream of transcending the “American Dream.” They continually need to water and nurture their dream lest it dries up and shrivels up like “A Raisin in the Sun.” Through the manipulation of dialogue, argument and cynicism, Lorraine Hansberry fluently describes the drams of the Younger family and how their dreams became “deferred.” Initially by way of example, Mama’s dreams were the first deferred when she moved into the cramped apartment complex, becoming too busy having to deal with the constant bickering of Walter and his sister and trying to think of a proper environment of Ruth’s unborn child. that she couldn’t accomplish her dream and not being able to have sufficient funds to do so it seems as if her dreams where shattered the most by the death of her husband. However, once receiving the insurance money from her husband’s death her dreams became reality again. Finally Travis will be able to run around in a garden and have his own room but can’t fulfill that since they lived in the ghetto. Likewise, Beneatha, Walter’s sister had aspired to become a doctor but in those times women of color weren’t considered of obtaining such high positions to where the usual standpoint is becoming a nurse. Hansberry’s use...
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