Posted by Kristi Vang (67.174.158.14) on June 23, 2005 at 9:45:08 p.m.:
In Reply to: Re: A Raisin in the Sun and "Harlem" Wednesday Discussion posted by Kammy Sahota on June 21, 2005 at 7:17:24 p.m.:
Hi Kammy,
My understanding of the word deferred is something that is put aside but not neccessarily forgotten. This is demonstrated in the play "A Raisin in the Sun" when the Younger family eventually attains the home in the Caucasian community. The poem by Hughes speaks of someone who longs to leave his past behind and seems at though he never will. One does not get the impression that this is a happy ever after story. A raisin in the Harlem community most likely will explode.
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>There is a very good connection between the Langston Hughes poem Harlem (A Dream Deffered) and "Raisin in the Sun" as both have the underlying them of hope in the face of constant despair. Both give me the feeling of constantly being kicked down, but despite it all it only makes those dreams stronger. The Younger family constantly wanted better for themselves and to rise to affluence in society and was constantly faced with racial opression and poverty, however they never stoped believing that one day they would be at the top of the mountain. Langston Hughes writes that the dream can either sag and you can let it be a dead dream that follows you around or you can keep fighting for what you want in life and the dream will explose into an eventual reality. Hughes also speaks to the elusiveness of the dream that was very apparent in the Youngers's quest for happiness and prosperity that seemed to be constantly eluding them. It is during these times that those with dreams must decide to make a move and do something meaningful or give up and give into the pressures that attempt to thwart those dreams. When a dream in continually deffered it is the tendancy of some to give up on it or not believe that it will ever happen. However, it is the tendancy of a few to keep on believing that in their dreams and that will set those few apart from the many. When offered the easy out by the homeowners the Younger's could have easily given up on their dream of happiness and had all the money they wanted and more, but they chose the path of the few and decided to stick things out knowing that the road ahead could possibly be even a greater difficulty than their current situation. As a reader I questioned the sanity of the family initially as I thought they were putting themselves in grave danger, but looking deeper I was moved to see that the family truly stood behind their dreams and beliefs and it is those heroic acts that make dreams possible. Moving into the new neighborhood could cause the death or bombing of the family and despite that obstacle the family would not let their dream continue to be defferred. It is this attitude of the Younger's that exempefies the thought and feeling behind Hughes' poem.