Table of ContentsLiterary Role of Marxist Technique in the PoemConclusionWorks CitedThe period from 1919 to 1929 saw a change in the history of the United States of America. Great Migration was underway with an influx of blacks moving from the South to the North in search of better opportunities. Many settled in Harlem, located in Manhattan, New York; their enthusiasm and energy blossomed into a creative fusion. giving rise to the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Renaissance is the literary phenomenon from which poets such as Langston Hughes emerged. Langston Hughes' "Harlem" has Marxist significance because this era influenced Hughes' writing skills. plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Shouldn't Violent Video Games Be Banned?Get Original EssayThe critical theory technique of Marxism is a critique of society that combines political economy and l ideology, which we find in literature and art. There were an impressive number of black poets known to be Marxists at the time. their careers based on how they presented their views in their writing. The use of Marxism allows the author/poet to communicate his or her opinions, whether cultural, economic or political, in a context that allows the reader to gain a perspective of the social milieu at the time the work was written. carried out. Langston Hughes was among the few black poets who applied this technique in his work. Literary role of Marxist technique in the poem One of the poems “Harlem” opens with a question; “What happens to a dream deferred?” The American dream became a reality in the 1920s. Black people were moving north to escape the segregation and widespread lynching that were still prevalent in the South. They saw an opportunity for a better life in the north, where slavery was abolished. The “American Dream” was the hope of many people and their families. The use of the word “deferred,” meaning to postpone or delay, suggests that even if a dream was pursued, in one way or another it was delayed. “Does it dry like a grape in the sun/Or fester like a sore – And then it runs away?” The comparison between a person's dream and that of a raisin and a festering sore is not only dramatic but also disturbing. A dream can be put on permanent hold, which is what the raisin means; however, the longer we wait before taking the necessary measures, the more difficult they become to achieve. By the time this poem was written, Harlem had become what it was in early 1902, at the birth of the Harlem Renaissance, a municipality of squalor and poverty. The Great Depression forced investors out, bringing with them job creation and the growth of the entertainment industry. The dreams of many were dwindling as the citizens of Harlem now lived in despair and destitution. Additionally, Hughes was a master of his craft, the use of similes, images and metaphors does not go unnoticed. “Does it smell like rotten meat?” The imagery of rotting meat may have been used to indicate the ensuing change from a societal perspective. Harlem was now “cramped, extremely poor – in general, the unemployment rate in Harlem was double the general rate in New York – Harlem was an unhealthy place to live.” Or a crust and sugar on top, like a syrupy candy? has a negative connotation because sugary foods harden over time. The dreamer differing also means that the dream is lost. With the changes that have occurred to this.