Exploring Dream Deferred: A Symbolism Analysis of Hughes' 'Harlem'

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," focusing on the theme of the "Dream Deferred" and the various symbols used to represent it. The essay explores how Hughes uses potent imagery, such as a raisin drying in the sun, a festering sore, and rotten meat, to symbolize the deterioration and potential consequences of postponed dreams, particularly those of African Americans. It argues that these symbols effectively convey the frustration, resentment, and potential for explosive outcomes when aspirations are continually delayed. The essay concludes that Hughes masterfully employs these symbols to illustrate the profound impact of deferred dreams on individuals and society, highlighting the urgent need to address systemic inequalities and unfulfilled aspirations. Desklib offers a platform to access similar solved assignments and study resources for students.

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Analysis of Poem "Harlem What Happens to a Dream Deferred?" by Langston Hughes
Introduction
“Harlem-What Happens To A Dream Deferred?” is the poem by Langston Hughes,
which is about the “Dream Deferred”, which means a dream that has been long postponed. It
is about the dream of African-Americans for equality, freedom, opportunity, dignity and
success. Although, the poem does not provide the examples of the ‘dream deferred’, but it
provides various symbols related to a dream deferred. In “Harlem,” the narrator uses symbols
to define a deferred dream. Therefore, this essay will discuss various symbols in the Hughes’s
poem that symbolises the dream deferred or a dream that has been postponed for a very long
time and has lost its significance.
Analysis of ‘Harlem’
Harlem is the poem written by Hughes, which is related to the life of the African-
American people living in the USA. The poem is about the dreams and aspirations of these
people and what are the consequences that may occur when their dream do not fulfil. The
poem explains that in life, people have certain expectations for their life and how they want
to live their lives. The main theme of the poem is about the ‘defer’ dream and therefore, the
authors has used many symbols to explain the ‘deferred dream’ (Jordan 888). In "Harlem (A
Dream Deferred)", Hughes have also used the powerful sensory imagery to show the

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emotions about a deferred dream and what happens when a quest is not fulfilled (Watson
158).
Hughes starts his poem with a question that “what happens to a dream deferred?”. He
has asked this question to the people whose dreams do not materialise. Therefore, the first
symbol of the deferred dream that author provides is that “Does it dry up like a raisin in the
sun?” (Line 2 and 3), where he has compared the grape that has lost its juice under the sun,
with the dream that has lost its vitality due to being deferred for a long time. With this
symbol, author has also placed an effort to explain that a deferred dream is like the resin that
has dried up under the sun and have become useless (Manuel 79). With the symbol of sun,
the authors represents time that is significant because a dream deferred is related to the time.
The symbol of the dried-up resin to define dream deferred is also used to symbolise that like
a dried resin, a dream deferred also become useless and loses its value and do not serve its
purpose. Therefore, a dream that will be postponed for a long time will go through a process
of evolution and may not remain same as original.
Another symbol of the deferred dream that author has used to define the ‘deferred
dream’ is of a wound that has not healed by stating “Or fester like a sore-and then run?” (line
4 and 5). The image that this symbol creates is stronger than a resin. This symbol compares a
dream with a kind of resentment that is growing. If someone wants a wound to heal, it can
only be healed if it dries up. However, if a wound fester and runs, it means it has become
infected and wound will get worse if it is not treated (Manuel 81). Therefore, the author
draws a similarity between an unhealed wound and a dream deferred, thus symbolises a
wound to define a deferred dream. It also symbolises that like an untreated wound, which will
become infected and become worse, a dream deferred will not go away and with time it may
become more intense (Hughes 45).

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A wound that will not heal, will not eventually get worse and will also smell bad.
Therefore, author asks another question that “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (line 6).
Through this question the author tries to define a dream deferred through the symbol of rotten
meat. There could be two important interpretations of this symbol, first is that a dream
deferred can result in bringing worst in men and second is that late realisation of dream can
also result in making it less attractive (Hughes 5). Another interpretation of this symbol is
that deferring a dream may also lead to dissatisfaction and restlessness and may lead to
criminal activity (Steele 75).
Conclusion
The main idea behind this essay is to conduct an analysis of the poem and to identify
that in “Harlem,” the narrator uses symbols to define a deferred dream. It is identified that
author has used various symbols to define a dream deferred, which is a dream or aspiration
that has been postponed for a long time and due the course of this time, it has lost its meaning
and purpose. Hughes have cleverly used these symbols and have explained that how an urge
of a deferred dream can erupt like an explosion.

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Works Cited
Hughes, Langston. "A dream deferred." Adventures in Reading, 1951. Print.
Hughes, Langston. "Harlem." Selected Poems of Langston Hughes, 1994. Print.
Jordan, Glenn. "Re-Membering the African-American Past: Langston Hughes, Aaron
Douglas and Black Art of the Harlem Renaissance." Cultural Studies 25.6 2011: 848-
891. Print.
Manuel, Carme. "Mule Bone: Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston's Dream Deferred of
an African-American Theatre of the Black Word." African American Review 35.1
2001: 77-92. Print.
Steele, Shelby. A dream deferred: The second betrayal of Black freedom in America. Harper
Collins, 2009. Print.
Watson, Steven. The Harlem Renaissance: Hub of African-American Culture, 1920-1930.
New York: Pantheon Books, 1995.