Analyzing the Poem - Harlem

Analyzing the Poem “Harlem”

There are many poems that we have read so far, that have an overall theme. A theme is a central idea or dominant idea of a piece of literature. It is an overall message that the Author or poet wants his readers to recognize. The theme for this poem was tricky. At first, I thought it was about the American dream. However, if you take a good look at the poem, it is so much more. The overall theme was racial equality. Langston Hughes uses similes to convey his overall message of racial equality through the use of dreams.

Langston Hughes wrote the poem “Harlem” in nineteen-fifty-one. If you look at history during the time period “Harlem” was written, you will notice a lot has been going on. The poem was written after world war two and the Great Depression. Good thing the Harlem Renaissance took place so that it can uplift people’s spirits. It is a celebration of creativity and strength, a movement. Langston chose the perfect setting for this poem. Most people see Harlem as the capital of African American life. In the fifties, Harlem was not a good neighborhood to live in. They were fighting for equality during that point in time. The only thing they could confide in was their dreams. Most of them would dream to be in a better place. The dream does not necessary have to be about a person rather than who’s keeping the dream away from them. They are trying to obtain their dream, which has conflict with the poem’s theme, racial equality.

The Poem starts by asking the readers, “What happens when a dream deferred?” They are asking you, what happens when you put off a dream. Is it a good thing, a bad thing, or maybe it is neither? The next line in the stanza asked, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? This is a clever use a simile to compare a dream to a raisin. This stanza can be broken down. When you leave grape out it the sun, it dehydrates and turns into a raisin. The sun plays an important significance