Dream Deferred Analysis of (Dream Deferred) Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is basically about what happens to dreams

when they are put on hold. Hughes probably intended for the poem to focus on the dreams of AfricanAmericans in particular because he originally entitled the poem "Harlem," which is the capital of African American life in the United States; however, it is just as easy to read the poem as being about 0dreams in general and what happens when people postpone making them come true. Ultimately, Hughes uses a carefully arranged series of images that also function as figures of speech to suggest that people should not delay their dreams because the more they postpone them, the more the dreams will change and the less likely they will come true. In the opening of the poem the speaker uses a visual image that is also a simile to compare a dream deferred to a raisin. The speaker asks the question, "Does it [the dream] dry up / Like a raisin in the sun?" (2-3). Here we can see the raisin, which used to be a moist, taut, healthy-looking grape, has shriveled up to become a raisin. The speaker does not emphasize the appearance of the raisin, so the description isn't as significant as an image as it is as a simile. Why compare a dream deferred to a raisin? Like a raisin, a dream deferred shrivels up and turns dark because the sun has baked it. The emphasis on the sun is important because it stresses time-we measure time by the sun's movement. Like the raisin, the dream has been on hold for a long time-consequently, it has transformed into something very different than it once was. Because they look so different, few people would believe that raisins were once grapes unless they had been told. Similarly, a dream that continues to be postponed will go through an evolution as well-it won't be the same as the original. On the surface, a reader might not view the outcome as negative because raisins are valuable on their own-they taste good. However, the speaker does not stress the taste of the raisin; he emphasizes the fact that a raisin "dr[ies]

up" or loses its life-giving moisture. The comparison of the dream to the withered raisin shows how a dream that is postponed changes dramatically and will not turn out as the person originally intended. Theme Frustration .......In 1951the year of the poem's publicationfrustration characterized the mood of American blacks. The Civil War in the previous century had liberated them from slavery, and federal laws had granted them the right to vote, the right to own property, and so on. However, continuing prejudice against blacks, as well as laws passed since the Civil War, relegated them to second-class citizenship. Consequently, blacks had to attend poorly equipped segregated schools and settle for menial jobs as porters, ditchdiggers, servants, shoeshine boys, and so on. In many states, blacks could not use the same public facilities as whites, including restrooms, restaurants, theaters, and parks. Access to other facilities, such as buses, required them to take a back seat, literally, to whites. By the mid-Twentieth Century, their frustration with inferior status became a powder keg, and the fuse was burning. Hughes well understood what the future held, as he indicates in the last line of the poem.

Once Upon A Time In Once Upon A Time, Nadine Gordimer creates a reverse fairy tale in order to represent her views of apartheid South Africa. She uses fairy tale elements such as the simple language, conflict between good and evil, and the use of a moral to create her own fairy tale. She also relates her story to the story of SleepingBeauty. Her fairy tale is a fairy tale in reverse which she uses to warn people that no good can come out of the apartheid ways of South Africa. The language Nadine Gordimer uses in her story is reminiscent of children's stories and fairy tales. First of all, the title, "Once Upon A

Time," is the epitome of a fairy tale; it is the most familiar opening line. The language she uses is simplistic, the story is full of simple vocabulary, and has very simple sentence structure. The author also makes use of repetition. The phrases, "take heed," "YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED," and "living happily ever after" are repeated several times throughout the story. This simplistic language is often seen in fairy tales because it makes them easy to understand. She uses this simple language to create a fairy tale to explain the horrors of apartheid ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Once Upon a Time Literary Analysis Once Upon a Time is a reverse fantasy story written by Nadine Gordimer. The concept of a reverse fantasy is a tale that one expects to end happily ever after but has a plot twist where the ending is cruel or injust. The structure of this story begins as the narrator writes that they are asked to contribute to an anthology of childrens literature. The next moment, while lying in bed, they are abruptly awakened by an unfamiliar noise in his house which rests upon a hollow foundation. In order to calm himself, he begins to create a bed time story in his mind (Gordimer 220).Although the first part of the short story does not yet seem to fit into the artistic unity of the plot, it is essential for understanding the theme of the entire work. The second half of the story begins with the explanation of a family living happily ever after in a suburb. The second story quickly establishes the protagonists, who are the husband, wife, and their little boy. Although having a large sign that reads, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, the wife, especially, is very paranoid about keeping their house safe and secure from the looming drunkards and riots, which are frequent in their area (Gordimer 222). The trusted house maid continues to give her advice about how to keep their belongings and lives robber-free. The plot moves on to explain that the husbands mother, or the wise old witch, buys a metallic coil with shards encircling it to top their fence, which lines the

entire perimeter of the familys property (Gordimer 223). Left to wonder what will happen to the cat, which often comes as goes as he pleases, the story explains that even the cat rests just within the walls and does not try to challenge the wall. Quickly the ending of this plot becomes an unhappy, surprise ending when the little boy wants to play make believe after listening to Sleeping and attempts to brave the jagged coils. He falls into the mess of metal and heavily bleeds while the gardener and housemaid attempt to rescue him while his parents are frantic (225). In some ways, the ending of Once Upon a Time is indeterminate because the story gives no exact evidence of the following events of the boy, like if he lives or dies. Although left with a sort of cliff hanger, the artistic unity of the plot leads to a full comprehension of the stories and the relationship between them. The characterization of Once Upon a Time is not very deep. Indirectly presented, each of the characters is relatively flat and static. The parents stay on the edge through the entire story, and the child does not change either. Also, the housemaid remains loyal and trustworthy. These characters are not complex, seeing as all that is known is their paranoia of the outside world. Even their names are not evident in the plot. The abstractness of the story is used so that it is not related to any other type of stereotypical childrens bed time story. Not being able to relate characters to others that are popular in childrens literature allows our minds to accept whatever happens in the tale. The mind does not have any expectation other than it thinks there will be some type of happy ending, which is a disappointment. The most important aspect of Once Upon a Time is its interpreted plot. The theme of the story is fear caused by our own paranoia can lead to bigger problem because paranoia has the ability to consume our mind. The husband and wife were so consumed by protecting their house that they failed to enjoy what was inside it. They were so preoccupied with its effect from the outside-in that they completely neglected to recognize the potential problem of what is going out. Only briefly did their mind lie on the fate of their cat. The parents never warned their child of the

potential dangers of the fence because they were so worried about the possible threats from the outside world. The paranoia of being robbed consumed the minds of the husband and wife to the point where, in a way, neglected their son. Symbols lurk in various places in Once Upon a Time. These symbols lead to the allegorical element of fantasy; however, this story is considered a reverse fantasy. The husbands mother is named the wise old witch, which is present in a lot of fantasy works. For example, the three fairies of Sleeping Beauty are wise old witches as well as Glinda from The Wizard of Oz. The appearance of the house and its security features are related to common castles which were protected by different obstacles like moats or curtain walls. The company from which the family buys the metal coil is named DRAGONS TEETH (Gordimer 224). Dragons are very common in literary fantasies. The dragon symbol is important to this story because the teeth allude to the danger of the fence coil. These dragons symbolize the dangers within this familys society. In some fanciful tales one or more of the characters has a royal right hand man, like Rasputin has the bat in Anastasia. In relations to Once Upon a Time, the housekeeper is the loyal sidekick to the family in the way that she always gives them suggestions of how to better protect their house. The most obvious symbol of the story is an attempted heroic quest in which the child grabs a ladder to fare the jagged coil. In almost any fantasy or fairy tale there is a heroine that must put themselves in danger in order to succeed at their set mission. A little twist occurs in this symbol when the little boy does not succeed like normal protagonists. This symbol of the story is often where it is believed to be a reverse fantasy. Another important element of literature in once Upon a Time is humor and irony. In the story, happily ever after is constantly repeated which is rather humorous because they live in a criminal society. This family is forced to primarily keep to their own house and be scared for their lives, yet they are living happily ever after. This situation would be ironic because of a separation of appearance and reality. The fact that the housemaid is the loyal

one in the story is also ironic because stereotypically house workers are deceitful and try to steal their employers belongings. The biggest irony of Once Upon a Time is the child getting hurt by what was to protect him, especially since bed time stories are supposed to end happily. Irony, in large, carries the interest of the plot . Once Upon a Time is an enjoyable literary fictional work that incorporates all of the important parts of a successful and interesting story. The structure of the plot makes the theme easy to understand while other aspects of characterization, symbolism, and irony spice up the story. Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer is a fantastic literary work.

Dream Deferred The question, What happens to a dream deferred? appears to be answered with nothing but more questions. But if we analyze each question we get an idea of what the speaker really believes about dreams being postponed. The dream is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. The dream is important to the dreamers life. But what dream is it exactly? The poem does not choose the dream but leaves it up to the reader. Nevertheless, the speakers position is clear that any important dream or goal that must be delayed can have serious negative affects. As we look at each question we find out what those affects are. With each question the speaker offers a possibility of each negative affect. The first one Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun: a raisin is already dry, and as a raisin, it is a good thing, useful and nutritious, but if a raisin is left in the sun to dry up, it becomes hard and impossible to eat; its value sucked out, it no longer serves its useful, nutritional purpose.

The dream or life goal of a human being is central to what makes the human a valuable member of society, but suppose that person with the dream is told he cannot fulfill his goal just yet; he must wait until society changes, until institutions and laws change to allow him to become the doctor, lawyer, professor, or poet that he finds his talent and desires direct him to be. What if he has to take some other job that he lacks interest in until his environment allows him to attain his goal? What if he has no idea how long it will take? And what if he feels that perhaps in his lifetime that time will never come? What happens then? Surely, his talent will dry up, if he is not allowed to develop it. If the dream does not dry up, maybe it will fester like a sore / And then run. If you have a sore, you want it to dry up so it will heal, but if it festers and runs, that means it is infected and will take longer to heal. The dream that festers becomes infected with the disease of restlessness and dissatisfaction that may lead to criminal activity, striking back at those who are deferring the dream. Perhaps a dream put off too long is like meat that had rotted. Dead animal flesh that some people use for food will turn rancid and give off horrible odors if not used within a certain period of time. If the dream is not realized in a timely fashion, it may seem to decay because it dies. The dream may crust and sugar over / Like a syrupy sweet? If you leave pancake syrup or honey unused for several months, and you go back to fetch the bottle, you might find that there is crusty accumulation on the top of the bottle and the contents are no longer usable. Lack of use had formed that crust, that hard material that is no longer useful because no longer pliable. The dream forced to sit idle hardens into an unusable substance of thoughts that have separated themselves from the goals and formed idle destructive thoughts that are crusted over with despair, doubt, anger, and hatred. The second stanza is not a question but merely a maybe suggestion: maybe the dream-goal just sags like trying to carry

something heavy. A heavy load makes one walk slowly, makes one clumsy as he tries to move under the load. The dream not realized may become heavy to bear, because it still weighs on ones mind with musings like what might have been, if only, I guess Ill never know, the one that got away. All these useless thoughts that dip back into the past weigh heavy on the mind that has had to defer a dream. This sagging under a heavy load might lead to depression and mental lethargy. The last stanza returns to the question again, but this time instead of simile, the speaker employs metaphor of an explosion. What explodes? Bombs explode and cause great destruction. If all the other possibilities of a deferred dream are bad with some worse than others, then the last possibility is the worst. If the person whose dream is deferred loses all hope, he might explode with his despair. He might commit suicide, homicideor both. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? [A raisin is already shriveled up] Or fester like a sore [fester- to become infected] And then run? [The sore becomes infected and is filled with funs and then the pus runs down] Does it stink like rotten meat? [Rotten meat smells REALLY BAD] Or crust and sugar overlike a syrupy sweet? [It's so sweet it's disgusting; when this line is seat outload- the tongue responds just like when someone eats something that tastes odd.. the tongue rubs up against the roof of the mouth] Maybe it just sags like a heavy load [for once, this isn't a question like all of the ones above; this is written 'sagged'] Or does it explode? [Does it build up with tension until, like a bomb, explodes] The Patriot Nissem Ezekiels poem The Patriot can be and has been read in at least two conflicting ways: as a satire and mockery of the speaker of the poem, and as an affectionate portrayal of the

poems speaker. According to the first view, the poem implicitly ridicules the speakers use of the English language, making that use seem awkward and uninformed. According to the second view, the poem presents the speaker in such a way that we cannot help but admire him (or her) by the end of the work. Of these two views, the second seems more convincing. If the poem had been written to satirize and ridicule the speaker, surely Ezekiel could have made that intention clearer. Besides, little that the speaker actually says seems worthy of severe mockery. The speaker seems to be a person with a generous outlook on life and on other people. The title of the poem is worth considering, and, by the end of that work, the title seems rich with significance. The second line of the poem seems to imply that the speaker dislikes the kind of patriotism that leads to fighting. In the ensuing lines, however, the speaker seems to express strong Indian patriotism and rejection of non-Indian influences: Why all people of world Are not following Mahatma Gandhi, I am simply not understanding. Ancient Indian Wisdom is 100% correct, I should say even 200% correct, But modern generation is neglectingToo much going for fashion and foreign thing. (4-9) In the next stanza, however, we learn that the speaker reads an Indian newspaper written in English in order to improve his or her English, and so any sense of fierce Indian patriotism is undercut. The speakers quotation of Shakespeare in line 16 might seem part of the poems mockery of the speaker, or it might more plausibly be seen as an endearing touch, showing the speakers desire to appreciate and use the language of another culture. Later the speaker offers his or her interlocutor an Indian drink (lassi) and proclaims that it is better than the wine associated with other cultures. This proclamation might again lead us to think

that the speaker is giving vent to Indian patriotism. Yet soon the speaker not only expresses misgivings about the patriotism of such other countries as Pakistan and China (30-31) but also suggests the non-patriotic idea that All men are brothers (34). The speaker also laments ethnic tensions among Indians themselves (35-37), suggesting a recognition that there is no limit to the narrowness of the kinds of patriotism one can observe and to the kinds of tension and conflict such patriotism can cause. By the end of the poem, the speaker expresses the kind of cultural open-mindedness that is not common among extreme patriots: Still, you tolerate me, I tolerate you . . . . (39-40) Although the speaker looks forward to a new day rooted in Indian cultural beliefs (One day Ram Rajya is surely coming), even later still the speaker implies an openness to contact with persons of all cultures (I am not believing in ceremony [45]). All in all, the speaker of the poem seems an admirable figure who takes pride in the best aspects of his/her own culture while still being able to appreciate the best aspects of other cultures, and other peoples, as well.