"Dream Deferred"
Langston Hughes
Hughes begins this poem with a rhetorical question asking "What happens
to a dream deferred?" (Hughes). This question stimulates the thought
process in the reader, who examines his or her own conscience for dreams that
have been postponed. Hughes continues this thought process in answering his
initial question by posing more rhetorical questions. In his questions, Hughes uses similes to convey a negative feeling
towards postponing one's dream. He compares a deferred dream to a raisin in the
sun, a festered sore, rotten meat, a crusted over sweet, and a heavy load. These
comparisons provide a negative feeling toward deferring from one's dreams.
Hughes continues this negative feeling by using adjectives like fester, stink,
crust, and rotten. These adjectives maintain a negative meaning, and by using
these words, Hughes steers the reader away from delaying one's dreams and
towards acting upon his or her dreams. Hughes ends the poem stating the
possibility that a dream may explode. This explosion could refer to an
individual frustrated with himself for not pursuing his dream, or it could
refer to a group in society that erupts after a long period of suppression. Instead
of holding onto a dream that may explode or become like a rotten meat, Hughes
calls for his readers to act upon their ambitions in a timely manner.
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