Critical analysis of Harlem.

In 1951, Langston Hughes wrote "Harlem" to address the limitations of the

American Dream for African Americans. The poem was named after the Harlem
Renaissance, a creative explosion in music, literature, and art during the 1910s
and 1920s. Harlem was seen as a sanctuary from discrimination, but its
glamour faded during the Great Depression, leaving many African American
families destitute. The poem highlights the importance of addressing the
limitations of the American Dream for African Americans.
The speaker contemplates the fate of a "dream deferred," a question that
evokes a sense of silence. Langston Hughes uses vivid analogies to describe the
decay of a postponed dream, including drying up, festering, stinking, crusting
over, or exploding. These images, while not violent, have a slightly dark tone,
making the reader smell, feel, and taste these discarded dreams. Hughes
argues that a discarded dream does not simply vanish but undergoes an
evolution, approaching a physical decay state.
The speaker suggests that African Americans cannot dream or aspire to great
things due to their oppressive environment. Even if they dare to dream, their
grand plans will eventually rot or explode. Critic Arthur P. Davis argues that the
speaker's depiction of the hopes, aspirations, frustrations, and deep-seated
discontent of the New York ghetto reflects the feelings of Negroes in black
ghettos throughout America.
The term "dream deferred" explores the frustrated dream of African Americans
of freedom, equality, dignity, opportunity, and success. It does not define the
dream but instead focuses on possible reactions to its deferral, ranging from
mild to threatening. The first five responses are passive, while the last one is
active. The poem highlights the long-postponed and frustrated dreams of
African Americans.
"Harlem" depicts the diverse responses to the deferral of a dream among the
citizens of Harlem, reflecting the post-World War II mood of African Americans.
Despite the end of the Great Depression and the war, African Americans still
held onto their dreams, regardless of their form. The poem serves as both a
place and symbol, expressing the hopes, aspirations, frustrations, and deep-
seated discontent of Negroes in black ghettos throughout America, as
described by Arthur P. Davis in 1952.
"Harlem" by Hughes uses vivid metaphors to explore the consequences of a
dream deferred. The metaphors suggest a pattern of behaviour, such as a
dream drying up like a raisin in the sun, a person festering like a sore, and then
running. These metaphors suggest that a dream or person may be shrivelled,
wrinkled, and desiccated. The metaphor also suggests that a life may be lost,
and it will "stink like rotten meat," as life is gone from the organism and
putrefaction has set in. The use of "stink" is intentionally offensive and vulgar,
fitting the occasion.
"Harlem" is a poem that explores the ongoing struggle against societal
discrimination and assassinations. The final line of the poem is linked to
reactions to these issues, showcasing the poet's skill in blending history, art,
and politics of resistance, as noted by W.C. Handy.