The title of Lorraine Hansberry’s play comes from a line in Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem.” Read that poem below. In your discussion board post, respond to the following questions:
--Define the word deferred. What are some synonyms for the word that help you better understand its meaning? How could a dream be deferred?
--How would you describe the imagery Hughes uses in his figurative language in the poem? What emotions or impressions does it evoke in the reader?
--Why do you think Hughes uses the strategy of posing a series of questions to structure the poem? How effective was the strategy?
“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?