Harlem 

by; Langston Hughes 

   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 in his poem “Harlem” talks about peoples dreams, how people stops dreaming and why it is very important for people to dream. He talks about what happens if people stop dreaming and have no ambition in life to achieve anything. People sometimes hold their dreams off and stop dreaming, so it is important for people to keep continue dreaming and not to stop ever again no matter what happens.

                           In the poem Hughes uses imagery and symbols to explain his thought though. He starts with questioning what happens to dreams that are put off or held off. He says”/Does it dry up/ like a raisin in the sun? / Or fester like a store-/ And then run? / Does it stink like rotten meat? / Or crust and sugar over-/ Like a syrupy sweet? /. In these lines he compares the act of deferring dreams to raisin drying up in the sun, festering sore, stinky rotten meat and sweets. He compares our daily tasks to deferring dreams to clarify that dreaming is as important as our daily needs. We need to dream like what we need every day in our lives even though it won’t be easy journey.

                           Therefore, Hughes tells us the importance of dreaming and not to stop dreaming ever. /Maybe it just sags/ like a heavy load. /Or does it explode? /. In these lines he talks about if we stop dreaming our lives will be difficult, destroyed and held back as we won’t have any goals to achieve anything. We need plans and goals in our lives otherwise we won’t be able to make any difference in our society when there is something wrong. We can change lives for better with dreams and ambition to achieve them. So we must always dream no matter what.