American Masters CPB
Analyzing Theme

"Harlem" by Langston Hughes

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

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DID YOU KNOW?
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Langston Hughes was a famous poet and part of the community of black artists who led the Harlem Renaissance – his contemporaries included Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Wallace Thurman, and more.

Inspired by the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry even used a line from the poem as the title of her play. Read the poem below, share your initial thoughts, and then complete the Visualize It! activity.

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CLICK HERE TO READ "HARLEM"
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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?

Share your initial thoughts about the poem and how you think it connects to the play: