LITR 5731: Seminar in American Minority Literature
University of Houston-Clear Lake, fall 2004
Poetry Presentation Summary

Poetry: Langston Hughes, "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)"; "Dream Variations"

Poetry reader / discussion leader: James Hood

A preliminary interpretation of these two poems begins with looking at two of our Course Objectives, which are found in our syllabus:

Objective 5e seeks “to emphasize how all speakers and writers may use common devices of human language to make poetry, including narrative, poetic devices, and figures of speech”

and

Objective 3a refers to the “African American alternative narrative, ‘The Dream.’ (‘The Dream’ resembles but is not identical to ‘The American Dream.’ Whereas the American Dream emphasizes immediate individual success, ‘the Dream’ factors in setbacks, the need to rise again, and a quest for group dignity.)”

For the moment, we will “defer” discussing the relevance of the content of the two poems to Objective 3a, which concerns “The Dream,” until after we have heard the poems, and instead focus at this time on the question of style—what do these poems accomplish that a prose narrative cannot?

I think that a well-crafted poem can make a more profound statement than prose, but the challenge lies in creating certain imagery and provoking meaningful thought while maintaining an “economy” of language. Let us now read these two poems by Langston Hughes and see if the old saying that claims that “less is more” holds true.

(READ POEMS)

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"Harlem (A Dream Deferred)”                                                     

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?

—1951

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"Dream Variations"

To fling my arms wide

In some place of the sun,

To whirl and to dance

Till the white day is done.

Then rest at cool evening

Beneath a tall tree

While night comes on gently,

Dark like me—

That is my dream!

To fling my arms wide

In the face of the sun,

Dance!   Whirl!  Whirl!

Till the quick day is done.

Rest at pale evening…

A tall, slim tree…

Night coming tenderly

Black like me.

From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright © 1994 the Estate of Langston Hughes.

Tomasina Alford, a former student, offers her perspective on the two poems:

Tomasina’s interpretation of “Harlem”

“This poem emphasizes the idea of dreams being made easily, but never coming true. The images Hughes uses in the poem accurately depict what can happen to a person whose dream is put off.”

Tomasina’s interpretation of “Dream Variations”

“‘Dream Variations’ expresses the longing to express and enjoy Hughes’s racial heritage.”

Questions for both “Harlem” and “Dream Variations” discussions:

1)    What sort of imagery are we seeing here, and what connotations might they carry with respect to “The Dream?”

v     “Harlem” has more “negative” imagery (Note also the heavy use of simile in producing those “images”).

v     “Dream Variations” evokes an image of quietly yet proudly celebrating one’s heritage.

2)    Since a deferred dream is still, technically, a “dream” by virtue of not having yet been realized, does this mitigate the fact that, as Objective 3a suggests, the African American “Dream” often suffers setbacks?

v     (Open discussion)(e.g., Does this imply that some people are content to “just” dream, or does this, in fact, illustrate that they are much more aware of the harsh realities that life sometimes imposes upon us?)

3)    If we likened the narrative of Sapphire’s Push to the genre of “Hip-Hop” music, to which genre of music might we compare these two poems by Langston Hughes?

v     Blues?

v     Jazz?

v     Be-Bop?

v     Why not opera?