FREE ESSAY ON A DREAM DEFERRED

A DREAM DEFERRED

A Dream Deferred
The poetry of Langston Hughes, the poet laureate of Harlem, is an effective commentary on
the condition of blacks in America during the 20th Century. Hughes places particular
emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that became a destination of many hopeful
blacks in the first half of the 1900is. In much of Hughes' poetry, a theme that runs
throughout is that of a dream deferred. The recurrence of adream deferred in several
Hughes poems paints a clear picture of the disappointment and dismay that blacks in
America faced in Harlem. Furthermore, as each poem develops, so does the feeling behind
adream deferred, growing more serious and even angry with each new stanza.
To understand Hughes' idea of thedream deferred, one must have an understanding of the
history of Harlem. First intended to be an upper class white community, Harlem was the
home of many fancy brownstones that attracted wealthy whites. Between 1906 and 1910, when
whites were forcing blacks out of their neighborhoods in uptown Manhattan, the blacks
began to move into Harlem. Due to racial fears, the whites in the area moved out. Between
1910 and the early 1940's, more blacks began flooding into the area from all over the
world, fleeing from the racial intolerance of the South and the economic problems of the
Caribbean and Latin America. Eventually Harlem became an entirely black area. However,
this town once filled with much potential soon became riddled with overpopulation,
exploitation, and poverty. Thus, what awaited new arrivals was not a dream; rather, it
was adream deferred (Harlem Today).
Hughes' first poemHarlem clearly outlines thedream deferred theme, setting the pace for
the poems to follow. The first line of this poem isWhat happens to a dream deferred? In
the case of this poem, the dream is of the promise of Harlem, and what blacks hoped to
find there: opportunity, better living conditions, and freedom from racial intolerance.
When blacks arrived in Harlem, though, their dream was deferred; instead of the
opportunities they had envisioned, they were faced with overcrowding, exploitation, and
poverty. At the beginning ofHarlem, the mood that accompanies a dream deferred is a
questioning one that begins a search for definition. This mood, which will develop as
each poem progresses, induces the reader to reflect upon the meaning of a dream deferred,
preparing them for its development. The poem continues, listing the possible fates of a
dream that never becomes reality. It suggests that maybe the dream will dry up / like a
raisin in the sun, withering up and disappearing. Maybe it will stink like rotten meat,
becoming a sickening reminder of what will never be. Perhaps the dream willcrust and
sugar over; Hughes seems to be saying here that the dream deferred might be covered up by
society with a veil of normalcy. The most powerful line inHarlem, though, is the last
line: Or does it explode? This line, in italics for emphasis, makes obvious the severity
of a postponed dream, especially the dream of the blacks in Harlem. For a people who have
been oppressed for centuries, the denial of yet another dream is not taken lightly. With
the final line, Hughes seems to be hinting at a revolution, alluding to the idea that
blacks in Harlem are like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Here, the mood ofa
dream deferred has increased in intensity. The possible fates listed previously are
unpleasant, but the last one is somewhat ominous and almost threatening. The theme
continues in the poemGood Morning, emphasizing the rude awakening that awaited the blacks
upon their arrival in Harlem with the use of details that paint a more realistic picture
and create a more serious feeling abouta dream deferred in the reader .Good Morning, 
unlikeHarlem, contains direct references to the city. These direct references help the
reader to understand the reality that lies within the poem. The speaker haswatched Harlem
grow / until the colored folks spread. Hughes refers to Harlem as adusky sash across
Manhattan: he describes the masses of blacks flooding into Harlem from places such as
Puerto Rico, Cuba, Georgia, and Louisiana. The poem changes moods with the linesI've seen
them come dark/ out of Penn Station - / but the trains are late. / The gates are open - /
Yet there're bars / at each gate. The people have not found what they expected and hoped
for in Harlem. These last lines help the reader to understand the feelings that
accompanied the harsh reality of Harlem. The addition of the blunt question,What happens
/ to a dream deferred? maintains this understanding: this is thedream deferred, and this
is what the people were experiencing. The question is harsh and unyielding, and its
position in the poem creates a feeling of seriousness. Another Hughes poem,Same in Blues,
attempts to establish further the idea of adream deferred, incorporating a type of
dialogue between characters to explain the components of adream deferred, adding an
element of anger to the end. The first stanza has a woman telling her man that she has to
keep moving, followed by the lines,There's a certain / amount of traveling / in a dream
deferred. This method continues through four stanzas, where peopl converse, and a new
component is introduced:a certain amount of nothing,a certain amount of impotence. The
last component the poem introduces is the most effective:There's liable / to be confusion
/ in a dream deferred. The poem continues to say thatthere's liable to be confusion /
when a dream gets kicked around. This last line seems to suggest the anger that many
blacks feel - no longer is the dreamdeferred. Now it iskicked around, creating a harsher
image and angrier feeling than the former.
The next poem, somewhat shorter than the previous three, isComment on Curb, which also
contains the more negative image of dreams beingkicked around while hinting at the false
illusion of hope that many had about Harlem. The poem, two stanzas long, states:You talk
like / they don't kick / dreams around / downtown. UnlikeSame in Blues,Comment on the
Curb is entirely dialogue. The poem consists of one person speaking of how dreams
arekicked around downtown, while the other suggests that such things do not happen in
Harlem:I'm talking about Harlem to you! This poem, continuing with the image of dreams
being abused to a great extent, demonstrates the view of Harlem as a place where dreams
thrive. The title suggests that this type of dialogue occurred often, a comment made in
passing, alluding to the idea that this view was a widespread and highly accepted one.
Comment on Curb is a remark on the disillusionment of many blacks; it portrays their
image of Harlem in an almost sarcastic manner, commenting indirectly on their unfortunate
lack of information. The use again of thekicked around expression conveys the same type
of anger thatSame in Blues conveys: anger with the situation, anger with the anger with
the lack of information blacks possessed, and moreover, anger with society's lack of
respect for their dreams.
The final poem that utilizes thedream deferred theme isIsland. This poem describes an
island located between two rivers, hence the title. The image of the island is negative
and somber:Like darker rivers / The streets are dark. The worddark can refer to either
lack of light or the fact that the population is dark skinned; however, an expected first
impression would be gloomy and foreboding, coming from the image of darkness. The poem
continues, making reference to the many different colors that are in thispie of a
town:Black and white, / Gold and brown. The reader might infer that people of many races
reside on this island of many colors. The use of the phraseChocolate-custard / Pie of a
town seems somewhat sarcastic, as did the lines inComment on Curb. The lines create the
ironical illusion of a happy place without worries or problems, the irony being that the
island is not completely trouble-free. The irony increases with the following
stanza:Dream within a dream, / Our dream deferred. Again, Hughes uses italics for
emphasis, as this is a very crucial stanza. Moving from an angry mood to one that is
rather melancholy and doleful, the poem now refers to another dream, this one inside the
first. Perhaps this new dream is of the pie of a town - perhaps, after the initial shock
of the conditions of Harlem, the island of the poem's title, the people living there have
created a new illusion, one in which Harlem lives up to their original expectations.
Hughes continues, saying that thedream within a dream, along with the original dream of
Harlem, has been deferred. The satirical hope that the poem offers in thepie of a town
reference disappears with thedream within a dream illusion. This final poem gives the sad
impression that although it may appear as if things have improved in Harlem, nothing has
changed. It is all still a dream - a dream that is stilldeferred.
Langston Hughes, in utilizing the continuingdream deferred theme in his poetry, creates a
powerful image that develops with each poem and links one poem to the next. Hughes
communicates the dejection of blacks in Harlem with great clarity and precision. The
feelings that accompany the theme range from foreboding to anger to gloom, creating a
sense of each in the reader. Hughes' poems are an effective comment on the experiences of
blacks in Harlem and the dream that they share: a dream that, though deferred, still
exists.
Works Cited
Bailey, A. Peter and Edith J. Slade. Harlem Today: A Cultural and Visitors Guide - Online
Edition.