Essay on Literary Comparison and Contradistinction

Running head: LITERARY COMPARISON AND CONTRADISTINCTION
LITERARY COMPARISON AND CONTRADISTINCTION
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1LITERARY COMPARISON AND CONTRADISTINCTION
Poetry is an exceptional literary form that incites the imaginative power of a reader to
undergo a particular sensation of emotion through its artfully crafted language, connotation
and flow. Some researchers consider poetry is to be the oldest form of language interpretation
in the human civilization (Oliveira). Indeed, poetry has given us many gifted poet laureates
such as Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare and many other eminent literary
figures. This essay outlines the fact to provide a subject-to-subject, comparison and
contradistinction, between the two famous poems of Dreams deferred, by Langton Hughes
and, Wishes, by Georgia Douglas Johnson.
Langston Hughes is a well-known poet of African-American origin. Langston Hughes
was known to be the propagator of the famous Harlem Renaissance in the city of New York
in America. “Dreams deferred” is one of the poems, written beautifully, by Langston Hughes.
Georgia Douglas Johnson is also a renowned poetess of African-American origin. She was
also a principal contributor in the Harlem Renaissance movement.
In the artistic poem, Dreams deferred, Mr. Hughes has written about the theme of
failed dreams, which in turn symbolizes with the feeling of hopelessness and despair among
the millions of African-Americans in the neighborhood of Harlem in the city of New York.
Harlem was previously a resident place for the affluent white population. However, later,
when racial segregation in the neighborhood of Manhattan, compelled the blacks to settle in
Harlem, then the whites began to move out from Harlem in huge numbers in order to avoid
racial violence. As a result, Harlem rapidly changed from a place of aspiration and opulence
to a place of impoverishment and indigence (Fogerty). This is the main poignant theme and
central focus of Dreams deferred, where the emergence of the black people did not resemble
a dream, but a dream, which was deferred.

2LITERARY COMPARISON AND CONTRADISTINCTION
On the other hand, in the poem, Wishes, Ms. Johnson has reflected on the theme of
expressed wishes. The poem symbolizes the dullness and tediousness of life. Human life is
marred by disappointment and failure as well as it is enhanced by rejoice and joie de vivre.
To overcome the humdrumness, she desires to visualize the extraordinary beauty of the
nature (Misztal & Indurkhya). The minor exquisite beauty in the mundane daily activities of
the life astounds her. The allure of a swallow’s tail and the soft lunar curve mesmerizes her.
The theme and central focus of the poem is the common desire of the middle class section of
the people to dream and achieve the unachievable.
Therefore, Dreams deferred has a theme, the failed dream of the unity of all the races
in America, which is quite pessimistic to absorb. Contrastingly, Wishes dwells upon
optimism and adventure. Wishes teaches the readers that monotony is not lasting and that it
can be broken through wishful hopes and desires.
Style in poetry is known to be a technique through which the poet wants to pass the
message, intonation and sentiment of the poem to the readers. In Dreams deferred, Langston
Hughes has modeled his poem to offer the message of the despair and languishness of the
condition of the African-American population to the readers in a simple lucid way (Mittal et
al.). It is very easy to comprehend the unity of the sentiments of all the African-Americans in
their witnessing of the failure of the great American dream.
In the other poem, Wishes, Georgia Douglas Johnson has structured her poem in a
similar effortless manner. The readers would experience hopefulness and assurance that
monotony can be replaced by joyousness. Satisfaction can also be found in trivial dreaming.
The mystery and appeal of the unknown or obscure is splendidly drafted in just a few lines in
the poem.