Langston Hughes vs a Raisin in the Sun

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Lorelei Armstrong Journal 2 In 1951, Langston Hughes wrote the poem "Harlem" (Abcarian pp. 406). The main theme of his poem is about what happens when people put off their dreams too long. He says, "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" giving an idea as to what might happen when one puts off the dream. The last phrase of the poem has been created into its own play "A Raisin in the Sun" (Abcarian pp. 609-683) written in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry. Seeing as the play is written off of the poem, it is apparent that the themes of the poem apply to the themes of the play. One can see multiple different aspects of rebellion and conformity in Hansberry's play, but in all of which the theme of dreams, from the poem, is evident. Hughes talks about the different values a human has when it comes to their dreams, everyone in the family in Hansberry's play have their own dreams, and every one of their dreams has to do with either rebellion or conformity for them to achieve their dream. In "Harlem", Hughes is expressing his concern about how it is vital that one does not put off a dream that they wish to fulfill. Dreams are things that are vital for a human to feel as though they are a valuable component to their communities, or society in general, because it gives them a chance to provide for a group of people they care for; they feel as though they are making a powerful difference, and it not only satisfies communal needs, but the needs of the individual to fulfill their life-long mission. However, suppose something gets in the way of the person's dream, causing it to not be able to be fulfilled; the person needs to have a job that does not satisfy their needs until the atmosphere around them changes to provide them with what they need to reach obtain their goal. Until that happens, though, the person may lose sight of what it is that

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