QUESTION 9 The following poem is by Langston Hughes, a black American Poet who l

Question

QUESTION 9 The following poem is by Langston Hughes, a black American Poet who lived from 1902-1967. He lived most of his life before the Supreme Court decision that struck down racial segregation. Analyze the poetic techniques that allow the poet to communicate his tone. Use the terms from this unit as effectively as you can. Please feel free to use your notes, journal, wordbank, and the unit readings to help you.

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 meat?

Or crust and sugar over--

like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Explanation / Answer

A number of peotic techiques have been used in this poem by the poet to communicate his tone.

Metaphors and imagery terms are used here. He compared dream with a raisin that has lost its sheen as a raisin gets dry in sun dream might have lost its shieen in real world. next he also used festerring sore and rotten meat as metaphores for dream. The soarness and stinky smell of these metaphors are again used as imageries to comapre with the dream. However, Hughes is using these two comparisons so we can imagine neglected dreams as something that decays over time when it is not given the attention it needs to prosper.

A non appreciated dream is then again compared with a sugar syrup that has been crusted. Finally, he compares a deferred dream as a heavy load that sags. Perhaps Hughes is wanting us to ponder that a dream we prolong is something that we must carry that eventually becomes a burden until it is recognized and cared for.

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