Question

Read the following poem, "Harlem" by Langston Hughes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Which best describes the AUTHOR'S PURPOSE for writing this poem?
Question 9 options:

To inform readers about what happens to rotten meat


To explain to readers how easy it is to follow one's dreams


To help readers understand the dangers of achieving one's dreams.


To describe the negative effects of not being able to achieve one's dreams.

Answer 1

1. A dream deferred is a wasted opportunity which leaves scars in the individual concerned. This dream when not realized might also result in negative consequences on the society when it explodes.

2. To describe the negative effects of not being able to achieve one's dreams.

Step-by-step explanation:

The poem, Harlem, written by Langston Hughes in 1951 describes certain things that could happen to a dream not realized due to certain circumstances. The different things that can happen to it are visualizations of decay, rot, a sore, and something stinking. This dream becomes relegated to the background and might soon become extinct.

It is also possible that this dream could explode, perhaps when the individual engages in negative things because of not realizing his dreams.