The poetry of Langston Hughes is an effective commentary on the situation of African-Americans in America during the 20th-Century. Langston Hughes places specific emphasis on Harlem, a black area in New York that “became a destination of many hopeful blacks in the first half of the 1900’s” (McKay, 23). In most/much of Hughes’ poetry, a theme that is constantly shown is the theme of a “dream deferred. ” The recurrence of a “dream deferred” in several of Hughes’ poems shows a clear picture of the disappointment and frustration that blacks in America faced in Harlem.
Furthermore, as Hughes’ poems grow, the feeling of a “dream deferred” is also enhanced, increasing in seriousness and anger with each new stanza. To understand Langston Hughes’ thought of a “dream deferred,” one must have an awareness of Harlem and its history. Harlem was intended to be an “upper class white community, which was the home of many fancy brownstones, that attracted wealthy whites” (Bailey, 49). Blacks first began moving into Harlem between 1906 and 1910 when “whites forced blacks out of their neighborhoods in uptown Manhattan” (Bailey, 50).
Eventually, Harlem became an entirely black area. However, Harlem soon became consumed with “overpopulation, exploitation, and poverty” (Bailey, 50). Thus, what awaited new arrivals was not a dream; rather, it was a “dream deferred. ” Hughes’ poem, “Harlem,” shapes the “dream deferred” theme, setting the place for the poems that follow. The first line of the poem is “What happens to a dream deferred? ” (Hughes, 268 l. 1). With this poem, the dream is of the promise of Harlem, and what blacks hope to find there: opportunity, nice living conditions, and freedom from racial intolerance.
When blacks came to Harlem, though, their dream was deferred; instead of he opportunities that they had imagined, they were faced with “overcrowding, exploitation, and poverty” (Osofsky, 19). At the beginning of “Harlem,” the mood that accompanies a “dream deferred” is a questioning one that begins a search for an answer. This mood forces the reader to think about the meaning of a “dream deferred”, and prepares them for its development. The poem continues, listing the possible fates of a dream that never becomes a reality.
The poem suggests that maybe the dream will “dry up / like a raisin in the sun” (268, l. – 3), withering up and disappearing. It may possibly “stink like rotten meat” (268, l. 6), becoming a horrible reminder of what will never be. The most powerful line in “Harlem” is the last line: “Or does it explode? ” (268, l. 11). This line shows the obvious severity of a delayed dream, especially the dream of the blacks in Harlem. With this final line, Hughes seems to be alluding at a rebellion and revolution, saying that the blacks in Harlem are like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Here, the mood of a “dream deferred” has increased in intensity.
The theme of a “dream deferred” continues in the poem “Good Morning,” ith emphasis on the rude awakening that awaited the blacks upon their arrival in Harlem. “Good Morning,” unlike “Harlem,” contains direct references to the city. The references in “Good Morning” show the harsh reality of the city. The speaker has “watched Harlem grow / until colored folks spread” (269, l. 3-4). Hughes refers to Harlem as a “dusky sash across Manhattan” (269, l 16): Hughes describes the African-Americans flooding into Harlem from places such as “Puerto Rico,” “Cuba,” and “Georgia” (269, l. , 11, 14).
The poem changes it mood with the lines, “I’ve seen them come dark / out of Penn Station / but the trains are late. The gates are open / Yet there’re bars / at each gate” (269, l. 17, 21- 25). The people have not found what they expected and hoped for in Harlem. Hughes’ poem, “Same in Blues,” attempts to further the idea of a “dream deferred. ” The first stanza has a woman telling her man that she has to keep moving, followed by the lines, “There’s a certain / amount of traveling / in a dream deferred” (270, l. 5-7).
This method of people conversing happens in the next four stanzas and a new element is introduced: “a certain amount of nothing,” and “a certain amount of impotence” (270, l. 12-14). The last element the poem introduces is the most effective: “There’s liable / to be confusion / in a dream deferred” (271, l. 26-28). The poem continues to say to say that “there’s liable to be confusion / when a dream gets kicked around” (271, l. 31-32). This last line seems to suggest the anger that many blacks feel; no longer is the dream “deferred,” now it is “kicked around,” creating a harsher image.
The poem, “Comment on Curb,” contains the negative image of dreams being “kicked around,” while hinting at the false idea of hope that many had about Harlem. The poem, entirely dialogue, states: “You talk like / hey don’t kick / dreams around / downtown” (271, l. 1-4). The poem consists of one person speaking of how dreams are being “kicked around” downtown, while the other suggests that such things do not happen in Harlem: “I’m talking about / Harlem to you! ” (271, l. 6-7). The poem, continuing with the idea of dreams being abused and deferred, shows the view of Harlem as a place where dreams thrive.
The title, “Comment on Curb,” suggests that this type of conversation occurred often, a comment made in passing, alluding to the idea that everyone had this view and this mindset. “Comment on Curb” is an observation on the disillusionment of any blacks, commenting indirectly on their lack of information. The repeated use of the people’s dreams being “kicked around” expresses anger with society’s lack of respect for their (blacks) dreams. The poem “Island,” using the “dream deferred” theme, describes an island located “between two rivers” (272, l. ).
The image of the island is negative and sad: “Like darker rivers / the streets are dark” (272, l. 3- 4). The poem continues, making reference to the many different colors in this “pie of a town: “Black and white / Gold and brown-” (272, l. 5-6, 8). These lines create the illusion of a happy place without worries or problems. It is ironic, however, because the island is not completely trouble free. The irony increases with the line “Dream within a dream, / Our dream deferred” (272, l. 9-10).
Moving from an angry mood to a calm one, the poem now refers to another dream, this one inside the first. This new dream is of the “pie of a town” (272, l. 8). Perhaps, after the initial shock of the conditions of Harlem, the people living on the island have created a new illusion, one in which Harlem lives up to their first expectations. Hughes continues, saying that the “dream within a dream” (272, l. 9), and the original dream of Harlem, has been deferred. This poem gives the sad impression that although it may seem that things have gotten better for Harlem, nothing has changed.
It is all still a dream – a dream that is still deferred. Langston Hughes, in utilizing the continuing “dream deferred” theme in his poetry, creates a powerful image that develops with each poem and links one poem to the next. Hughes communicates the misery, frustration, and depression of the blacks in Harlem with great accuracy and precision. Hughes’ poems are an effective comment on the experiences of blacks in Harlem and the dream that they share: a dream that, though deferred, still exists.
