Posted by Sara Dastoum (24.10.25.68) on June 22, 2005 at 7:48:52 p.m.:
In Reply to: A Raisin in the Sun and "Harlem" Wednesday Discussion posted by Jeanne Guerin on June 21, 2005 at 12:57:24 p.m.:
>Discuss the title of A Raisin in the Sun
>and the connection with Langston Hughes poem
>printed right before the play.
>Read and respond to your classmates
>(8 sentences minimum).
Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem" questions what can happen to a dream if it becomes deferred. This is much like the theme of A Raisin in the Sun. When a raisin is left out in the sun, it dries up. The raisin is no longer ripe and fresh. This is the same as what happens when a dream has been left out too long. The dream is no longer fresh, and it eventually dries up. Perhaps my favorite line from Hughe's poem is the line "...maybe it just sags like a heavy load..." This often happens to so many people. People have dreams and some can never reach that dream. So the dream just sits on their shoulders, weighing them down. Langston Hughes' poem is a great introduction to the play, and it allows readers of the poem to truly comprehend the play. Readers of the play can also truly comprehend the the poem "Harlem." Both the play and the poem complement each other well, as both are inspirational and provocative.