Poetry
“A Dream Deferred”
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run? 5
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load. 10
Or does it explode?
1. What would life be like if you were prevented from pursuing your dreams or goals?
2. Harlem, in New York City, is one of the largest and most famous African American communities in the world. What does the mention of Harlem imply about the subject of this poem?
3. In view of your answers to the preceding question. Interpret the 5 similes. What do you think the speaker is suggesting in each?
4. Discuss why people need to feel they can fulfill their dreams.
5. List the 5 senses below (sight, taste, touch, smell, hear) and list any images that apply to each in
“Dreams”
Langston Hughes (1902-1967)
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams 5
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
1. What are your dreams and goals? How does having these goals and dreams affect your life.
2. To what does the speaker compare life in the first stanza and in the second stanza?
3. Interpret the metaphors. What does each suggest about life?
4. Restate in your own words the advice that this poem offers.
5. The American poet Delmore Schwartz once wrote, “In dreams begin responsibilities.” How might Langston Hughes interpret this statement? Base your answer on the two poems you have just read.
6. How do these two poems relate to the speech by Martin Luther King Jr?.