In a person's daily life, their driving force is their dream. In Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem," he asks, "What happens to a dream deferred?" » (Hugues, 1277). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a dream as a visionary creation of the imagination and a deferred meaning (Merriam Webster). This poem expresses the general feeling that African Americans had. The war was over, as was the Great Depression, but for African Americans, nothing seemed to change. The poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes basically describes what happens when dreams are suspended. When dreams are deferred, give up an option? Or do others have this control? African Americans dreamed of freedom from slavery. But once that happens, everything still seems the same. African Americans were freed from slavery for nearly hundreds of years, but they remained in segregated schools. They were not treated fairly. At the beginning of the poem, a deferred dream is compared to a raisin. Raisins that were once moist, healthy grapes are shriveled. It's a metaphor that says a dream can begin well once deferred, it's like a grape in the sun. It shrivels and turns dark because the sun has dried it out as much as possible. Then he asks “Or fester like a sore and then run” which symbolizes an infection. Deferred dreams will infect and irritate your mind. Langton Hughes then compares the smell of rotting meat to a dream deferred, which can be viewed under two different concepts. When something goes wrong and tends to smell bad, it's very sickening. On the other hand, if we look closely, it could be referring to the smell of dead bodies, because that's what all African Americans felt in the 1900s. It could go back... middle of paper... oars should not reflect no hope, no life, a wound that fester, implying infection, or one that stinks of rotten meat, meaning the smell of death. It should also not be compared to a crust like a syrupy candy, meaning junk on the outside and sweet on the inside. “Perhaps it sags like a heavy load” should not be compared to dreams, because a dream should not be a burden. (Hugues, 1277). A dream seen or questioned should also not "explode", because a dream should not become so hopeless, infected, lifeless, unwanted or a burden that it causes an explosion of depression. Dreams should not compare to all this, they should be achievable; transformed into reality. Dreams should be something that someone can strive towards and hope to achieve in real life – something that keeps you moving forward. A dream, once precious, healthy, juicy and vibrant, if deferred, will die.