In a person's daily life, the driving force is the dream. In Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem," he asks "What happens to a dream deferred?" (Hughes, 1277). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a dream as a visionary creation of the imagination and of deferred meaning (Merriam Webster). This poem expresses the general feeling that African Americans had. The war was over and so was the Great Depression, but for African Americans nothing seemed to change. The poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes essentially states what happens when dreams are put on hold. When dreams are postponed is giving up an option? Or do others have this control? African Americans dreamed of being freed from slavery. But once that happens, everything still looks the same. African Americans were free from slavery for nearly hundreds of years, but continued to live in segregated schools. They were not treated well. In the opening of the poem a dream deferred is compared to a raisin. The raisins have shriveled and were once moist, healthy looking grapes. This is a metaphor that states that a dream can start well once postponed, it is like a raisin in the sun. It shrivels and turns dark because the sun has dried it to its maximum capacity. He then asks “Or fester like a sore and then run away” which symbolizes an infection. Deferred dreams will infect and irritate your mind. Langton Hughes then compares the smell of rotten meat to a dream deferred, which can be seen in two different concepts. When something goes bad and tends to smell terrible, it's very disgusting. On the other hand, if looked at more deeply, it could refer to the smell of lifeless bodies because that's how all African Americans smelled in 1900. This could date back to... middle of paper... the reams shouldn't reflect any hope, no life, a sore that is festering, meaning it is infected, or smells like rotten flesh, meaning the smell of death. Nor should it be compared to a syrupy dessert-like crust, meaning undesirable on the outside and sweet on the inside. “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load” should not be compared to dreams because a dream should not be a burden. (Hughes, 1277). Nor should it be observed or questioned “explode” because a dream should not become so hopeless, infected, lifeless, undesirable or a burden that it causes an explosion of depression. Dreams shouldn't be comparable to any of this, they should be achievable; made reality. Dreams should be something that someone can aspire to and look forward to realizing in real life, something that pushes you forward. A dream, a precious, healthy, juicy and vibrant time, if deferred will die.