Poetry Completing the Poetry Markup Worksheet for Langston Hughes “A Dream Deferred”

Poetry

Completing the Poetry Markup Worksheet for

Langston Hughes“A Dream Deferred”

A Dream Deferredby Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry uplike a raisin in the sunOr 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 sagslike a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Poetry Markup Worksheet

Name: Date:

Name of Poem: A Dream Deferred

Author: Langston Hughes


Subject:

Speaker:

Audience:

A series of rhetorical questions about living with disappointment

Someone who is bitter about having his dreams put off

Society


Tone:

Theme:

Questioning, judgmental, warning

Having to postpone one’s deepest desires can lead to destruction or destructive behavior


Intrepretation: What happens to your dreams when they are put off?Do they shrivel and die, or just eat away at you and make you sick?Do they rot away, or do you try to cover up the loss of your dreams by convincing yourself “it’s not so bad”?Or maybe the burden of your unrealized dreams drag you down like an unbearable load.Or do they build up until you can’t take it anymore?


Techniques: alliteration: “dream deferred” (line 1)similes: “dry up like a raisin in the sun” (line 3)“fester like a sore-” (line 4)“stink like rotten meat” (line 6)Sugar over-Like a syrupy sweet?” (line 8)“sag like a heavy load” (line 10)


Techniques: imagery: “raisin in the sun” (line 3)“fester like a sore” (line 4)“stink like rotten meat” (line 6)“heavy load” (line 10)“explode” (line 11)repetition: “does it” (lines 2 & 6)Rhyme scheme: “sun-run” (lines 2 & 4)“meat-sweet” (lines 6 & 8)“load-explode” (lines 10 & 11)


Reflection: I loved this poem. The author’s use of imagery and the cadence of the poem reminded me of a person who is angry or bitter, and is trying to think through possible consequences of having your dreams put off for circumstances beyond your control. It seems to me to be a warning for society, that we are potentially creating an explosive situation by denying some people the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

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Poetry Completing the Poetry Markup Worksheet for Langston Hughes “A Dream Deferred”