“Dreams” by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes

l  Born: 1902, in Joplin, Missouri. l  Wrote novels, short stories, plays, poetry. l  His writing was important in shaping Harlem

Renaissance. l  Died: 1967 of prostate cancer.

Background of “Dream Deferred”

l  Langston Hughes wrote this poem in 1951 and refers to the delayed promise from the Emancipation Proclamation (1863).

l  The African Americans still did not have the civil rights they were promised; this is the deferred dream.

l  All the possibilities of the dream deferred pertain to what the community might do if it continues to not attain its “dream”.

How can a dream… l  Explain the significance and connotation of

the following words and phrases:

l  “dry up” l  “fester like a sore” l  “stink like rotten meat” l  “crust and sugar over” l  “sag like a heavy load” l  “explode”

“Dream Deferred”

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.

Or does it explode?

—Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Word Choice

l  How does word choice help the reader discover the author’s meaning? l  Explain what you think the author means by “dream”? (challenge: don’t use “I think”)

l  What is the denotation of “deferred”? l  Explain what happens when dreams are “deferred”?

Word Choice to Tone

Tone is the attitude a writer has about the subject he or she is writing.

So . . . .based on the word choice of Hughes,

explain his TONE in the poem.

Tone to Theme

If TONE helps develop the THEME, explain Hughes’ theme of this poem:

* hint: theme is the overall message sent by the author

Theme to Our Own Lives

We’ve had word choice to tone, tone to theme, and now theme should be extended to our own lives.

Explain how Hughes’ theme still applies to the

world you live in today.

The Importance. . . l  Theme’s Importance to the Civil Rights Movement:

l  Encouraged African-Americans to: l  Dream l  Take advantage of new opportunities l  Break free of the racial struggles

l  Theme’s Importance to Today: l  Encourages people to follow their dreams l  Take risks to follow one’s dream. If people don’t, they

may miss opportunities

Practice Test

1)Explain how the repetition of the questions affects the tone of the poem.

2) Explain the significance of the word

“fester” and what effect it has on the overall theme.