Deferred Dreams

Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," is a part of his book like poetry the "Montage of a Dream Deferred". The poem addresses and and explores themes of unfulfilled dreams and what he wonders they might feel like. The poems title signfies an important time in Black culture histroy because "Harlem" was a vibrant neighborhood in Manhattan, New York where music, fasion, art, dance and more had sprouted unity amongst the Black community of Harlem. The poem opens with an ipen ended questions of "What happens to a dream deferred?" applying a sense of lost hope and fear of what might happen if dreams are left alone as dreams. Hughes utilizes similies and metaphors throughout the poem to illustrate his wordering and ideas of the centeral idea- what might happened to a dream unfulfilled? he goes on to wonder whether they dry up, sag, or even go so far to explode demonstating the wide range of emotions that can be felt if a dream remains unfulfilled.