“Harlem”by Langston Hughes

English 9Poetry Unit

“Harlem”

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?

Background

• Harlem – section of New York City• Became center of African American culture

in the 1920s.• After WWII, the area became economically

depressed, and many young African Americans faced futures without opportunity or hope.

Langston Hughes(1902-1967)

Elected class poet in grammar school In high school, he wrote for the yearbook & newspaper and began writing short stories, poems, etc.Father paid for him to go to Columbia

University to study engineering, but he dropped out to write…

First African American writer to support himself through his writing

First published when he was only 19 years old

Langston Hughes

Proud to be a black AmericanHis main concern was uplifting his people

& recording their experiences of strength, resiliency, courage, and humor

His writings portrayed the lives of working class blacks lives full of struggles, joys, laughter, and music

His work displays his pride in the African-American identity and its diverse culture.

Figures of Speech

• A figure of speech is a word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of something very different from it.

• Simile – creates a comparison by using a connective word such as like, as, than or resembles.• Example: Busy AS a bee

• Metaphor – compares two unlike things without the use of connective words.• Example: “Life IS a highway”

Poem Summary

• In this short and deceptively simple poem, Hughes uses various figures of speech to evoke the feelings of disappointment, frustration, bitterness, and rage that are engendered by racial and social injustice.

• Deferred means delayed or postponed. What is the dream that is being postponed?• Equality and Justice• Realizing one’s full potential

Similes• What are the 5 similes that Hughes

compares a deferred dream to?

Compared to… Meaning…

Raisin in the sun Shriveled; Dried up

Festering sore Painful

Rotten Meat Unbearable

Syrupy Sweet Bitterness

Heavy Load Heavy on the Mind

Metaphor

• Implied Metaphor – Does not state the comparison directly. Rather, it implies or suggests one thing is another.• “Or does it explode?” (line 11)• What is the deferred dream being compared

to in this implied metaphor?• A bomb…

• Why would Hughes compare dream to bomb?

Imagery• Language that appeals to the senses…

Hughes appeals to all five senses in his poem:Raisin in the sun Sight

Festering sore Touch/Feel

Rotten Meat Smell

Syrupy Sweet Taste

Heavy Load Touch/Feel

Bomb Exploding Sound

Theme

• Central idea of a work• Must be expressed in a sentence• Reveals something about human nature• Two possible themes:

• Unfilled dreams generate destructive energy.

• Rage is a result of not being able to fulfill dreams.