18 pages 36 minutes read

Langston Hughes

Harlem

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1951

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Themes

Dreams

“Harlem” begins with a direct reference to a primary theme: dreams. Specifically, it asks “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Line 1). Using the indefinite article “a” instead of the definite article “the” widens the scope of the exploration.

Dreams in the poem are, in part, individual hopes held by people living in Harlem. But readers who can identify with the disappointments of blocked or delayed dreams may certainly see themselves in the poem, too.

Most specifically, the poem explores a collective dream for justice and an end to racial inequality. Titling the poem “Harlem” makes that clear even when it is read as a work separate from the book length Montage of a Dream Deferred.

Hughes’s poem examines one of the most cherished pieces of the American mythos: the American Dream and its promise that prosperity is achievable for anyone. Bigger, brighter, better futures for Americans and their children is a major part of the dream. “Harlem” asks what happens when the American Dream is made inaccessible to so many of its citizens. The poem exposes rot in the foundation.

Change

Hughes’s poem explores change. Each of the possible effects of thwarted dreams involves transformation. Raisins dry into dust, healthy tissue develops sores, good meat turns rotten, and sweets become unpalatable.

Related Titles

By Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Children’s Rhymes

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Cora Unashamed

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Dreams

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

I look at the world

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

I, Too

Langston Hughes

I, Too

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Let America Be America Again

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

Me and the Mule

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Mother to Son

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Mulatto

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life

Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston

Study Guide
logo

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Not Without Laughter

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

Slave on the Block

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Thank You, M'am

Langston Hughes

Plot Summary
logo

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

The Big Sea

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

Theme for English B

Langston Hughes

STUDY + TEACHING GUIDE
logo

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

The Ways of White Folks

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

The Weary Blues

Langston Hughes

Study Guide
logo

Tired

Langston Hughes

Tired

Langston Hughes