A Dream Deferred

HARLEM

Harlem
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.

Langston Hughes

Or does it explode?

What happens to a dream deferred?...

Simile What feelings do you associate with this image?
Or fester like a sore--/And then run?

Simile What feelings do you associate with this image?

Does it dry up/Like a raisin in the sun?

Simile What feelings do you associate with this image?

Does it stink like rotten meat

Simile What feelings do you associate with this image?

Or crust and sugar over--/Like a syrupy sweet?

Simile What feelings do you associate with this image?

Maybe it just sags/Like a heavy load.

Metaphor Italics What feelings do you associate with this image?

Or does it explode?

What appears to be the setting for this piece of art?

During what time period would you guess this scene takes place?
How do you think this piece of art relates to the poem Harlem? What dream (or dreams) is/are being shown in this painting? Do you think it is being deferred, or acted upon?

The Janitor Who Paints

Palmer Hayden

Langston Hughes

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Lauded as the "Poet Laureate of Harlem" in the 1920s, Langston Hughes was one of the first African Americans to earn a living solely as a writer. Hughes was known mainly for his poetry. But he also wrote plays, novels, a wealth of nonfiction pieces, and even an opera.

In his explorations of race, social justice, and African-American culture and art, Hughes' writing vividly captures the political, social, and artistic climates of Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s.

More biographical info

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VOCABULARY

defer (verb)
To put off until another time Variations: deferred, deferring, deferral

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fester (verb)
To rot or decay Variations: festering, festered

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