Kristen Renzetti Renzetti 1
Professor Altizer
English 102H
March 5th, 2018
Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents separated soon after his birth and he was raised mostly by his grandmother. He grew up moving around to places like Kansas, Illinois, and Ohio, attending public schools in all of those states (Floyd). Being an African American in the early 1900's was not an easy thing to do. Racial tension was at a peak, many schools were still segregated, and black women didn't have the right to vote yet, making the basic luxury of living not so luxurious at all. During high school, Hughes was introduced to the works of poet Carl Sandburg another poet from the Midwest. At the time, Hughes himself began writing poetry and developing his unique style. He began submitting his work to …show more content…
This was a period in time when African American people did not have any rights and faced hopelessness, disappointment, and a constant struggle in their communities and in society. Hughes' opens the poem asking a very powerful question: "What happens to a dream deferred?" Everyone has dreams, and everyone thrives off of their dreams, but it can be very disappointing and upsetting when your dreams are delayed or put on hold. No one wants their dreams to be put on hold or pushed to the side by society, because it does not classify them as important or significant. This is significant because at this time, many black people couldn't have big dreams in fears it would never be able to endure a reality due to the color of their skin. The poem that encourages the receiver to contemplate their dreams in a way, to think about what they might become. It was written in 1951 during a time when many blacks felt limited in their ability to achieve "The American
Professor Altizer
English 102H
March 5th, 2018
Langston Hughes was born in 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. His parents separated soon after his birth and he was raised mostly by his grandmother. He grew up moving around to places like Kansas, Illinois, and Ohio, attending public schools in all of those states (Floyd). Being an African American in the early 1900's was not an easy thing to do. Racial tension was at a peak, many schools were still segregated, and black women didn't have the right to vote yet, making the basic luxury of living not so luxurious at all. During high school, Hughes was introduced to the works of poet Carl Sandburg another poet from the Midwest. At the time, Hughes himself began writing poetry and developing his unique style. He began submitting his work to …show more content…
This was a period in time when African American people did not have any rights and faced hopelessness, disappointment, and a constant struggle in their communities and in society. Hughes' opens the poem asking a very powerful question: "What happens to a dream deferred?" Everyone has dreams, and everyone thrives off of their dreams, but it can be very disappointing and upsetting when your dreams are delayed or put on hold. No one wants their dreams to be put on hold or pushed to the side by society, because it does not classify them as important or significant. This is significant because at this time, many black people couldn't have big dreams in fears it would never be able to endure a reality due to the color of their skin. The poem that encourages the receiver to contemplate their dreams in a way, to think about what they might become. It was written in 1951 during a time when many blacks felt limited in their ability to achieve "The American