an essay on poem “HARLEM (Dream Deferred)”
...tion there are list of four other questions which shows the negative effects that what can be happened to a dream deferred. “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun”? He compared the dried raison with a deferred dream that raisin is already dry and raisin is useful and nutritious but when it is left in sun to dry it becomes hard and is no longer useful. Same thing can happen to one’s desires when it is postponed. Once it is dried up, it can never be developed. In next question, he compares it with a fester sore “Or fester like a sore-- And then run?” If you have a sore, you want to dry it up so it will heal. But if it fester and runs, that means it is infected and will take longer to heal. So, the dream that becomes infected with restlessness and dissatisfaction may lead to crime. In next question “Does it stink like a rotten meat?” a deferred dream is compared with rotten meat. Dead animal’s flesh gives horrible odors if not used within certain time. On the other hand, if the dream is not realized on time it may seem to decay because it dies. “Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?” means syrup or honey unused for several months forms crust, a hard material that is no longer useful. An idle dream and thoughts unusable may cause to destructive thoughts, and leads to anger, hatred, doubts etc. The next stanza of the poem is a suggestion to these questions “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.” It seems like an answer to all the questions above that means, the dream not realize may become heavy to bear, because it still weighs on one’s mind. It may leads to depression and mental illness. The last stanza of the poem leads to an interrogative question “Or it explodes”. The poet here is comparing a deferred dream with an explosive material like a bomb. A p...