“A Dream Deferred” Explication #1
“A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes, he uses diction* and many similes to dreams being deferred getting the image of a sticky, messy, gross object that nobody would ever want**. Hughes is able to give dreams such detailed by using metaphors explaining how a deferred dream would look if it was literally tangible where a person could actually see and feel it. He uses similes such as “a raisin in the sun” and “rotten meat” which is how dreams that are not taken care of become disgusting and undesirable. The dream would look like “dry up raisin in the sun” saying that it would be old and shriveled up if a dream gets deferred. The touch feeling of the deferred dream would be oozy and painful like “fester like a sore-and then run”***. A deferred dream would “stink like rotten meat” which no one would ever enjoy the scent of@. The taste of the deferred dream is described as “crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet” so while it is sweet, it is still old and an unwanted texture.%
Hughes also uses diction in order to convey his message through the poem. The poem uses questions and statements that are open ended in order to make the reader wonder about what Hughes is saying*. Hughes ends all but one line with a question mark in order to make the reader wonder what a deferred dream would actually look, feel, taste, and smell like instead of stating what he pictures and staying that is exactly what is right**. The only line that does not end in a question mark is still uncertain because it begins in “Maybe” which makes the poem be pondered by the reader***. Hughes makes the reader question what he says in order to make the poem more convincing and entertaining@.


Explication For “A Dream Deferred” #2
In the poem “A Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes, the speaker is trying to emphasize that giving up or losing a dream results in regret and eventually the disappearance of the dream forever, a message which is revealed through a comparison of lost dreams to tangible situations. The use of spacing and the repetition of interrogative sentences implies the importance of certain lines and underscores the message of vanished dreams. The first line asks the essential question that is discussed in the poem, and is separated from the next four lines to give it significance. The next four lines are all very similar in that they describe lost dreams in a negative way; in order to firmly impart that negative tone, they are not separated by spacing. The next two lines are separated from the previous four and each other because they introduce different views on deferred dreams, and are more significant than the others*. The last line, “Or does it explode?” (7), suggests that lost dreams result in a disaster rather than simply becoming old and forgotten as earlier similes imply**, and therefore must be separated to underscore its contrast from the previous lines***. The use of question marks in all but one line of the poem are not meant to be answered, but rather to enforce the message. The poem asks, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?... Or crust and sugar over, like a syrupy sweet? (1, 4). These two lines and the lines in between are rhetorical questions which implement that forgotten dreams slowly vanish and become useless, rather than leaving the topic open for debate.%
The comparison of former dreams to spoiled food and a burden make the abstract concept of dreams realistic and applicable to real life, which strengthens the speaker’s message*. In reference to deferred dreams, the poem inquires, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (4). Meat is a healthy, nutritious food that humans eat for sustenance, but when it is left for too long it becomes inedible and gives off an unpleasant stench. The speaker claims that in the same way, dreams are substantial and necessary to a purposeful life; however, once they have been consigned to oblivion, they become useless reminders of their past potential. The poem also suggests in reference to a past dream, “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load” (6). Most people* have experienced the tiresome, often pain-inducing task of carrying something heavy, whether it is physical or emotional. The speaker uses this general human experience to exemplify the emotional burden of losing a dream or ambition. The use of similes in the poem create a mental image as well as convey the message of the result of lost dreams**