LITR 5731: Seminar in American Multicultural Literature

Poetry Presentation, spring 2006

Thursday, 23 February

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

Poetry reader / discussion leader: Kim Pritchard

 Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams

For if dreams die

Life is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly.

      -Langston Hughes, “Dreams”

“An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he must choose.”

-Langston Hughes, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain”

3a. 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.)

Freedom of personal expression, whether personal or collective, is one of the many legacies of Hughes, who has been called “the architect” of the black poetic tradition. This author refused to differentiate between his personal experiences and the common experience of Black America.

His canon is the largest of any African American poet (16 books of poetry, two novels, two autobiographies, seven collections of short stories, five nonfiction works, nine children’s books, more than 30 plays).

“He made literature what it was supposed to be, for the people.”

                  -Langston Hughes Centennial, “The Beat Goes On” (2002)

“He loved being black and made it possible to be so without shame.”

                  -Langston Hughes Centennial, “The Beat Goes On” (2002)

“Like the sharp peal of a jazz trumpet, Hughes' poetry announced to the world that the streets of black America contained a culture rich and vibrant and fiercely poetic.”

                     -Jeff Trussell, “Poet Heroes”

 “Harlem”

The author’s use of graphic imagery and imaginative similes leads the reader into the impoverished, desperate world of Precious Claireece Jones. Locked in a world of deferred dreams, Precious struggles to survive the blackness that has stifled her hope for success. Precious holds desperately to her dream of becoming an educated woman who dares to rise above her bleak existence.  Unfortunately for Precious, her success may once again come to a screeching halt and subsequently explode due to the tragic fact that she now carries the AIDS virus.

“Dream Variations”

In this poem Hughes creates a palpable tension between black and white.  In the first stanza, the dream is to dance and whirl within the dominant culture without truly being a part of that culture. The African Americans merely occupy space within the culture.

Unlike “Harlem,” this poem celebrates the “dream” and its possibilities.  Hughes encourages the African American to realize and consequently celebrate the dream of living harmoniously within the dominant culture.

The second stanza brings the reader into a world where the African American has become an essential member of the community and not just an outsider looking in.  Macon Dead is a perfect example of the outsider looking in. 

Macon’s purpose in life is to acquire things – car, property, money – and he subsequently lives a modified version of the American Dream.  However, Macon’s dream will never be fully realized because he attempts to achieve a dream that has limits for the Black American. 

Conversely, Milkman finds Hughes’ dream when he returns to honor his past.  Only then is Milkman able to “fling [his] arms wide/ In the face of the sun” and rest peacefully and contently in the fact that he is a Black American.  Unfortunately, Macon Dead never comes to this realization.

Discussion Questions - “Harlem” and “Dream Variations:”

1. Precious references Langston Hughes several times throughout the narrative Push.  Given Hughes’ celebration of the Black Aesthetic as well as his insistence on accurately portraying the African American community and culture in his work, what parallels can we draw between Precious’ dream, the African-American dream, and Hughes’ “dream deferred?”

2. “Dream Variations” can be read as a poem celebrating the assimilation of the African American into the dominant culture.  In what ways does the speaker in the poem embrace the new culture?  Conversely, in what ways does the speaker assimilate into the dominant culture with reservations and limits?  Take into account the poetic devices used in the poem for the specific purpose of illustrating this point.