Wednesday, February 27, 2008

A Dream Deferred

A Dream Deferred

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



Describe your interpretation of this poem.
What do you think the author is trying to say?
Provide examples from the poem to help you express your ideas.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

This poem makes me very happy and I think the way they tell about the animal it can like the fruit or the food that the add to the poem.


DALE COOPER

Anonymous said...

Christian

I think Langston is trying to say don't deny your dreams. In the poem when he said what happens to your dreams when you deny them he means don't deny your dreams keep them like the memories in life plus you wont be able to sleep.

Anonymous said...

What I think the author is trying to say is that a dream is what is a dream is it can’t be fixed? Or how does a dream look like when its over when is not as you thought it was going to be? because on the first line of the poem it says "what happens to a dream deferred?" he wonders that if it just go away and it will never come back.

Anonymous said...

The author is trying to tell us that what do we think happens to a dream because he keep asking us do we know what happens to dreams. He telling us not what he think but he asking what we think and i think dreams just come on and go and they will never go away. I don't think it drys up i think it just waiting to come back.

Anonymous said...

Nadalia Rowe
This poem means to me if you have a dream and you or someone tell you to let it go. What happens? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? That means does it get bored to you now? Or does it smell like rotten meat? I know that smell and it doesn’t smell good. Langston Hughes is trying to say that when you have a dream don’t give it up because if you do, you will regret it. Don’t let anyone or no one tell you that you can’t do it. Just believe and you will achieve. That is what it means to me.Don't ever deffer your dreams.

Anonymous said...

My interpretation on this poem is I think there was a dream that he wanted to achieve but wasn’t so sure. So he let it die, and never gave it a second thought. When I was reading “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore. And then run?” I thought to myself that he or someone he wants to dedicate this poem to had a dream but let it die, so it flew away. But when they tried to give it a second shot they couldn’t achieve it because they let go the first time. In this poem there are a few similes so the similes help me figure out what the poem defines and I think the poem means that there ONCE was a DREAM but the person that had the dream let it go and flew away and never had the chance to achieve that specific dream!

Anonymous said...

I think he means does dreams go away, when he says does it explode, that means does it go away, and when he says does it dry up like a raisin in the sun.Does it stink like rotten meat, means that does it suck, does it matter anymore, no it doesn't, because sometimes dreams go away.

Anonymous said...

JaToya Brown

I think the author is trying to say that if you tell somebody your dream something might happen because where it said "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun" and then I'm thinking like if you tell somebody about your dream maybe it won't come true.

Anonymous said...

The author is trying to say that when we have a dream do we hod on to that dream or do we forget. the evidence is what happens to a dream that deferred?

Anonymous said...

Shanara Mosley

My interpretation is that Langston Hughes uses a lot of similes and that the poems that I have read so far by Langston Hughes is about peoples dreams and to hold on to your dreams and how people let their dreams go. I also say that Langston Hughes has a lot of similes in his poem because he says does it dry up like a raisin in the sun.

I think Langston Hughes is trying to say that once you let your dream go its nothing good to you anymore and that and when you let go of your dream its basically like you threw your dream away and never tried to accomplish the dream you want.

Anonymous said...

Melissa Rodriguez

What I think the author is trying to say that dreams can be deferred and that the dreams can always be thought of some other time

Ex What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

Anonymous said...

Shaquan Murray


My interpretation is that he had a dream then he let go of it because he probably didn’t want to bother that dream anymore. Or he did not like that dream but that dosent mean that you have to let go of your dream.

I think the author is trying to say is don’t let go of your dream and don’t let nobody take that dream away from you because if they do your done probably wont like that dream anymore.

Anonymous said...

Melissa Rodriguez

What I think the author is trying to say that dreams can be deferred and that the dreams can always be thought of some other time

Ex What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

Anonymous said...

Shaliyah Keene


I think that the author is trying too say if you have a dream never give up just kepp trying to accomplish your dreams. The first reason I said that is because in the poem Langston Hughes says “does it dry up in the sun?” “Or foster like the sore then run?”

Anonymous said...

What I got out of the poem is that your dreams are always with you and do they hold you down like some kind of weight. And he is trying to tell you that your dreams are not always good and that some are bad. And when he talks about does it explore he is like does is get out and create an imagination in you to keep going on

Anonymous said...

What I think the author is trying to say is what does dreams do. When it says “ Or crust and sugar over--“ I think that means what is happening in the dream. It’s basically all about imagination.

Anonymous said...

Ricardo

What I think is it's a dream eather good or bad. Like a regular dream...or a bad nightmare. Thats what I think. I'm not so sure what it realy means but its my opinion that it's eather a good or bad dream.the thing that made me think that is the similarities of the poem.

Anonymous said...

Ivana Vazquez

I think that this poem means that if you let a dream defer (or be postponed) it will spoil and it'll never be the same again. Like in one line where he says, "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" which could mean that a dream will dry up if you leave it out for too long. I think that Langston Hughes means to say that you have to take care of a dream or it'll go bad.