Conor,
Like you, I made the connection of this poem to the struggle African American faced during the Harlem Renaissance. To me, the dream that the poet keeps referencing is the dream that many blacks wished for, which is equality. Many times they are promised of dream of equality, justice, and freedom yet they are always let down because it ends up either being deferred or postponed. In effect this brings frustration, causing their dreams to “…dry up Like a raisin in the sun” (Hughes). Like the natural state of a raisin, which is a grape, it starts out as fresh and colorful, but after being left out for too long it starts to dry up and look worn out, just like a neglected dream.
Like you, I made the connection of this poem to the struggle African American faced during the Harlem Renaissance. To me, the dream that the poet keeps referencing is the dream that many blacks wished for, which is equality. Many times they are promised of dream of equality, justice, and freedom yet they are always let down because it ends up either being deferred or postponed. In effect this brings frustration, causing their dreams to “…dry up Like a raisin in the sun” (Hughes). Like the natural state of a raisin, which is a grape, it starts out as fresh and colorful, but after being left out for too long it starts to dry up and look worn out, just like a neglected dream.