1. Harlem
by Langston Hughes
Ms. Pacheco
English II

2. Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Born Feb. 1, 1902 in Joplin Missouri
Attended Columbia & Lincoln University
Poet, Novelist & Playwright
He was the leading voice of the Harlem Renaissance (a cultural movement that celebrated African American art, music and literature during the 1920s and 1930s).

3. “Harlem”
BY LANGSTON HUGHES
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 meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

4. Dramatic Situation in this poem:
The speaker ponders what can happen when a dream is deferred.

5. Speaker in This Poem:
An Unfulfilled Dreamer

6. Tone of This Poem: Somber and Depressing

7. Poetical Devices Figurative Devices
Simile: “Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?” (2-3)
Hyperbole: “Or does it [the dream] explode?” (11)
Sound Devices
End Rhyme:
“Does it stink like rotten meat?/
Or Crust and sugar over—/
Like a syrupy sweet?” (6-8)
Consonance:
“And then run?” (5)

8. Theme
When dreams are unfulfilled, they can weigh a person down and even become explosive.

9. Stanza 1: Line 1
“What happens to a dream deferred?”
Deferred (v.) put off for a later time
The speaker poses a question for the reader to ponder— What can happen can when one must delay the fulfillment of his/her dream?

10. Stanza 2: Lines 2-3 “Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?”
A dream deferred may lose its “juice” and become dried up and useless.

11. Stanza 2: Lines 4-5 “Or fester like a sore—/And then run?”
A dream deferred may cause one to feel agitated like a festering sore.
Or, it may run—which implies the dreamer may abandon the dream altogether.

12. Stanza 2: Lines 6-8 “Does it stink like rotten meat
Stanza 2: Lines 6-8 “Does it stink like rotten meat?/Or crust and sugar over--/like a syrupy sweet?”
When a dream is left to fester, it may rot and smell. A smelly, rotten dream is a constant reminder that the dream has spoiled
If the dream doesn't spoil, it may form a sugary crust, very much like a scab over the festering dream, which also serves as a sickly sweet reminder that the dream has tragically not been realized.

13. Stanza 3: lines 9-10 “Maybe it just sags/like a heavy load.”
The words “sag” and “heavy” suggest that the weight of the unfulfilled dream is weighing down the dreamer.

14. Stanza 4: Line 11 “Or does it explode?”
An oppressed individual may rebel against the society that squelches or attempts to defer his/her dream. An oppressed dream may explode.

15. Langston Hughes envisioned the American dream for everyone
Langston Hughes envisioned the American dream for everyone. He wanted freedom and equality for all people.

16. Works Cited Broken Dreams. Digital Image. Hageling Grief Recovery. Web
Works Cited Broken Dreams. Digital Image. Hageling Grief Recovery. Web. 19 Jan Biography of Langston Hughes. Biographical Sketch. Black History Month Web. 19 Jan /langston-hughes Dream Deferred. Digital Image. Clue Cult. Web. 19 Jan Explosion. Digital Image. Newman Physics/Organization. Web. 19 Jan Langston Hughes Quote. Digital Image. A-Z Quotes Portrait of Langston Hughes. Digital Image. University of Illinois. Web. 19 Jan