Summary Of Harlem By Langston Hughes

Humankind possesses an ability to envision and cherish goals and a fragmented yet promising future. It is this dynamic, hopeful imagining that we call dreaming. What happens to us when our dreams fail to take form, when our desires and plans for achievement are stopped before they reach fruition? The human spirit that was once inspired by the forces of hope and creativity can either become reluctant or defeated, agitated or aggressive. Langston Hughes’s “Harlem” paints a simultaneously subtle and lively picture of the human reaction to unresolved dreams. He does not specifically address what effect “a dream deferred” has on the human attitude, but implies that whatever influences a dream will always touch the human creator. The name of the …show more content…
Line 11, “Or does it explode?” indicates immense aggravation and turmoil. “Explode” is a common word connoting an intensely violent action resulting from long-withheld rage. The explosion may manifest itself in a physical, martial way, or may arrive in the form of a rash and volatile outburst. Because he frames the last line like an unanswered question and once again distances it from the rest of the poem, Hughes achieves a tone of uncertainty. In so doing, fortifies the sentiment of confusing despair felt by those who abandon their dreams. The conclusion of Langston Hughes’s “Harlem” professes the attitude, “There is no concrete solution or means for apprehending „dreams deferred‟ but visceral outrage against those who dare suppress your dreams, including yourself.” Some may choose to endure the paralyzing effects of deflation and wasteful aggravation, while others may “explode,” channeling their momentary disappointment into new modes of creativity and energy. Hughes‟ unaffected diction and disjointed stanza form appeals to readers, and not only asks them “What happens to a dream deferred?” but, “How will you let it affect