Identity Unit Blog 4

Dream Deferred
Langston Hughes

I felt as though Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes was a very thought-provoking poem. Initially, I noticed that the poem started and ended with a question. I thought that this might have shown that each person could have had different inital and concluding thoughts upon reading the poem. Before learning that the author was African American, I felt as though the poem was put into a different perspective for me. I thought that maybe the poem stood for all of the dreams of African Americans that had to be put to rest because they simply did not have the right to pursue such things. Many of the dreams of African Americans did "fester like a sore"(Hughes, 805). Because of their race, they did not have the same freedoms as whites had to pursue their dreams. As a result, many African Americans had to settle. Consequently, their dreams were also compromised as well. I think that Hughes was speaking on behalf of all of the African Americans whose dreams were put to the side. This poem also serves as a type of warning for those who might be questioning the pursuit of their own dreams. Hughes is telling the reader that unless one pursues his dreams, the dream itself will dissipate somehow.