In-Class Reading Response #4: Dream Deferred

12/19/2016

Please read the following poem by famous black poet from the 1920s, Langston Hughes. If there are any words you don't know, look them up.

Dream Deferred
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?

This Week's Prompt:
Analyze the poem by answering the following questions:

What is this poem about?
How would you describe the mood and tone of the poem? Why?
What kinds of poetic techniques does the poet use?
What message do you think the poet is trying to express?

29 Comments

Owen 5

12/20/2016 12:07:01 pm

Dear Class

I think this poem is about a delayed dream because in another way deferred means delayed so I think this means this person wrote this wondering about dreams. If I were to describe the mood I would think it's rather sad because when they said “Like a raisin in the sun” I thought of a dream drying up and being lost. The poetic techniques I think he used are mood and imagery for mood the poem is definitely very sad and for imagery (manley similes) because he used “Like a raisin in the sun” for a simile because he said “like” which means it's probably a simile.

Yours truly,
Owen 5

Owen 5

12/23/2016 10:46:15 am

Dear Owen 5

Sorry self but you did a very bad job I just didn't get most of it. Let me explain something I would of said I think that it really means is probably if you forget and don't commit to it. Like if you always wanted to be a zoo keeper and then you grow up and don't have enough time you will lose it and not commit to it.

Yours truly, Owen 5

Nadya

12/20/2016 12:11:26 pm

Dear Ms.Kimball,
I am going to analyze the poem Dream Deferred. The first question is what is this poem about? I think that the answer is that the person is wondering what happens to dreams that people don't want.
The second question was how would you describe the mood and tone of the poem and why? I think that the mood is kind of happy because I do not see any evidence of sadness. I think the tone of the poem is kind of curious because the person wants to find out what happens to dreams when they are turned away.
The third question is what kind of poetic techniques does the poet use. I think that the poet used some good word choice. Two words that popped up to me were fester and deferred. I also think that the poet used some good line breaks and punctuation. Also the poet used some alliteration and imagery because you can almost imagine the dream drying up like a raisin and stinking like rotten meat.
The last question was what message do you think the poet is trying to express. I think the message is that there could be more to things than you think because you think that dreams just disappear, but this poem makes you think that there is more to dreams than just disappearing.
Sincerely Nadya.

Nadya

12/23/2016 10:55:59 am

Dear Ms.Kimball,
want to fix up the first question which is what I think the poem is about. I think that the poem is about what happens when people postpone their dreams. But the dreams I am talking about are not the kind that you have during the night. I am talking about the stuff like i you dream to be a professional horseback rider. If you postpone that kind of dream it would mean that you hold off on it.
I also want to fix the question that says how would you describe the mood and tone of the poem and why? Last time I said that I thought the mood was kind of happy, but now I think that that the mood is kind of disgusted because the poet chose words such as and stinks like rotten meat. That is why I think that the mood is kind of disgusted. I still think that the tone is curious because the poet wants to know what happens when the dream is postponed.
The last thing I want to fix up is what message the poet is trying to pass. I think the message is that don't postpone your dreams or something terrible might happen like the dream stinking like rotten meat.
That is all I want to fix up.
Sincerely Nadya.

Caly

12/20/2016 12:16:33 pm

Dear Class,
I think Dreams Deferred is a poem about a boy looking up at his dreams and thinking to himself if his dreams were to ever come true. What would they bring pain, sorrow or happiness and bliss. I think this poet was a little curious and also mystical because he's wondering about his breams and will they ever come true? The poet did something that I find very interesting because he used food to describe the moods in the poem. But one of the poetic techniques that I think he used is personification like when he described a dream exploding I thought that was very interesting. That also ties into imagery that he used paints a beautiful picture in my mind. When he mentioned the sweet side of dreams and the also not so sweet side and that painted a picture in my mind of two sides of life. I think the larger meaning to this poem is something like what happen when a dream dries up?

Sincerely,
Caly

Caly

12/23/2016 10:41:29 am

Dear Class,
I was reading my response, and I actually think this poem is about someone who did not pursue there dreams. The poet is trying to get people to know what will become of there dreams when the denie them later in life.
Sincerely,
Caly

Caroline

12/20/2016 12:19:34 pm

Dear Class,
I think that the poem Dreams Deferred is about Langston Hughes wondering what happens to his dreams when he awakens from sleep. I am inferring this because in this poem it does say “What happens when a dream deferred” and deferred means later or postpone.
I think that the tone of the poem is Imagery because there are a lot of different comparisons with things that might not relate. One particular line that stood out to me, follows this category perfectly. "Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?” I like this line a lot because it is comprising meat and a sugar sweet. My mood for them poem was wondrous, because it left me thinking.
One poetic technique that stood out to me was the imagery because I could make a very good and detailed picture in my mind. I also really like how he used punctuation to give it a cool rhythm and beat. It also gives you a tone to say it in. And he used alliteration in the beginning of his poem “Dreams deferred”
Finally I think that the meaning to this poem is that after you are done with your dream, they don't disappear. They go on a journey to another child and then they have the dream.
I loved this poem for one reason and one reason only. It left me thinking. I may find the answers to my questions and I may not.

Sincerely,
Caroline

Caroline

12/23/2016 10:40:19 am

Dear class,
When I wrote this response I did not understand the meaning of the poem. I thought that the poem was about a dream at night and what happens when you awake. But the meaning is actually what happens when you want to follow your dream but life gets in your way.

Sincerely,
Caroline

Ellie

12/20/2016 12:22:12 pm

Dear Class,

Here is my RRB.
This poem is about what happens to a dream that is "deferred," or postponed almost indefinitely. I think the mood of this poem is rather sad and angry. Some of the words he used: "festered, stink, crust, explode," are more vivid than regular words, showing that he's sad and angry. However, the tone seems to say that, no matter what people say, you can still follow your dreams.

Langston Hughes used quite a few poetic effective poetic techniques that added more emphasis to his words. His structure and line breaks add a lot of emphasis to what he says. He uses a lot of imagery - he certainly has a lot of similes. Here are some examples: "like a raisin in the sun," "stink like rotten meat," and "like a heavy load." All these things help add emphasis to his poem.

I think the poet is trying to say that, even if so many people yell at you for doing ridiculous things (at that time, a black person trying to make his poetry famous), you can still follow your dreams if you try again and express your feelings. I think that maybe that a bunch of people said to him that his poetry would never get famous because he was black, and he wrote this poem to express his feelings and try again. And then it got famous!

That is my RRB.

Sincerely,
Ellie

Thomas H

12/20/2016 12:22:30 pm

Dear class,
I think this is a poem about Langston Hughes’ theories of different things that could happen to a deferred dream. One of the reasons I think this is because all of the stanzas--except for five--end in a question mark. I think the tone of this poem is curious, because he is testing his theories in questions. Also, his ideas make sense, because he does not know what will happen to a deferred dream. I think the mood of this poem is interested, and curious, because the poet develops a very mysterious structure throughout the poem with all his questions. One of the most mysterious lines in the poem is the last line-- “or does it explode?”-- because the poet never seems to close his theories about deferred dreams.
Langston Hughes used a lot of poetic techniques--one of my favorite is the line breaking strategy to build tension and mysteriousness throughout the poem. He uses the strategy every time he finishes an idea, which I think is a good strategy to build tension. Referring back to the last line of the poem, “or does it explode?”, the line break there really bring mysteriousness to the poem. The message the poet is trying to express is that no one knows what happens to a deferred dream. Backing this up, all of his stanzas are theories on what will happen. I enjoyed reading Dream Deferred.
Sincerely,
Thomas H

Thomas H

1/3/2017 10:44:15 am

Dear class,
When I reread Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes, the poet used a number of poetic techniques. One of the poetic techniques is tone. The poet used a different type of tone to get the meaning out. The meaning is that if your dreams become deferred, they will, as it says in the text, "Dry up like a raisin in the sun, sag like a heavy load, or does it explode?"
Sincerely,
Thomas H

Katie

12/20/2016 12:24:55 pm

Dear Class,
I think that the poem, “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes, is about dreams and what will happen to them when you give up on them. I think this because, in the text it reads explicitly, “What happens to a dream deferred?”
Next, about the mood and tone, I think that the poet’s tone of the poem is just hopeless and depressed. For example, in the text it reads, “ What happens to a dream deferred… Does it explode?” The mood is also like this because it just seems hopeless.
A poetic technique that Langston used was definitely similes. One example, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” Hughes also used some alliteration. For instance, “Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet?”
Lastly, I think that the poet is trying to express that if you give up on your dreams, will these things happen to it? I think he’s saying that he might’ve given up on his dreams so don’t give up on yours.
Yours Truly,
Katie

Ellie

12/20/2016 12:27:16 pm

Dear Ms. Kimball,

Oops! I forgot to add something to my meaning! I'd like to say that also, the title is "Dream DEFERRED," not "Dream Stopped Forever." Deferred means postponed. I think that means that, even though everybody disdains his dreams, I think that he's thinking that his dreams are not canceled forever... just postponed a little. This helps prove that you can fulfill your dreams if you try and try again.

Sincerely,
Ellie

Willie

12/21/2016 08:38:28 am

Dear Class,
We were asked to analyze Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes and answer the questions. I think this poem is about how people will put off their dreams if they can't accomplish them right away. Then the poet describes what might happen to that dream once it is put off or put away. I also think think the tone of the poem is that funny/serious but also in question. I think that is the tone because it doesn't have any words like scorch that are strong and really tell what’s happening. He uses normal everyday words instead like dry and stink. Words like dry and stink tell me it’s more of a calm mood. Didn’t use any exclamation points. Exclamation points are basically a way of stating that you should feel and read that sentence excitedly. The poet used a lot of figurative language when describing what could happen to the dream. It really helped paint a picture in my head. I noticed the poet had a rhythm and tone that kind of came together when I read the poem. It had that serious/funny tone with some question in it that matched the rhythm making the poem smoother. Lastly, I think the poet is trying to say people’s dreams can just shrivel up or explode with a snap of your fingers.
Sincerely,
Willie

Kate

12/21/2016 10:23:04 am

Dear Class,

1) This poem is about what happens to dreams when someone gives up on them or they are “deferred” and no longer a goal. In this poem Langston Hughes is wondering what happens to them and offering some ideas. 2) I would described the mood of the poem as curious, and the tone of the poem as serious and inquisitive. The mood of the poem is curious because the whole poem is mostly just questions, or ideas for what happens to a dream deferred in the form of lots questions. Next, the tone I think is serious and inquisitive because again Langston Hughes is asking lots of questions, and he’s giving descriptions of each thing that could happen to a dream deferred. The tone is also serious because the poet is not silly about this topic he really wants to know. 3) Langston Hughes uses lots of poetic techniques the 4 most prominent in my opinion being rhyming, of course mood and tone but I already talked about that, word choice, and lastly imagery. I think the rhymes were spread out between stanzas and for me rhymes always seem to help a poem flow and have rhythm. Next, word choice in this poem there wasn’t very many advanced or complex words but the poet definitely used vivid words and words that described extremely well what he was thinking. 4) I think the poet is trying to express the message of that you should never give up on your dreams. For example, Langston Hughes is describing all these undesirable things and he’s trying to say that no matter what happens to a dream deferred because no one knows what happens to a dream deferred it won’t be good. So in summary the author is trying to say that you should hang on to your dreams tight and don’t give up. All in all, "Dream Deferred" is a very interesting, and well written poem.

Sincerely,
Kate

Anika

12/21/2016 10:24:33 am

Dear Class,

First, I think that this poem is about a person who has struggled in life and gave up on a dream. I think that this person is someone who is confused about his/her future and this is why . . . When the poet says "What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun?" I think that this means that this person is regretting giving up on a dream, like they gave up on that dream to soon. To support this evidence, when the poem says, "Or does it explode?" means that this dream blew up in their face because the dream became greater but this dream is lost at sea. This all supports my thinking because all this text shows what giving up a dream can do to a person so I think that the meaning of this poem is , " Those dreams you never try is what you'll regret most some day," so this is what I think the meaning is. Next, I think that the tone is more confused or upset maybe even a little mysterious because this poet used words like sags or heavy load to add a mood of sadness and the fact that the poet used the word deferred which means postponed or cancelled, this adds great tone, mood, and meaning to the poem. Third, I think the poet used techniques like word choice to add suspense to his poem, meaning to add importance to his poem, imagery so his readers can feel and see his poem, and a pinch of symbolism to to give away the poem’s meaning. Finally, like I said I think that message to this poem is, " Those dreams you never try is what you'll regret most some day.” So this is all I think about “Dream Deferred” in technique wise. I also think the poet believes this too.

Sincerely,
Anika

Emma

12/21/2016 10:27:57 am

Dear class,
I just read the poem “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. The first question is, what is this poem about? I think this poem is about wondering what happens to a dream that is delayed. I think this because the poet used question marks after almost every stanza. In these stanzas he’s wondering what will happen to my dream that was delayed or cancelled.
The second question is, How would you describe the mood and tone of the poem? Why? I would describe the mood as sad or depressing. I think this because of the words he uses. For example, “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load”. These words make the mood feel sort of sad and depressing.
The third question is, what types of poetic technique does the poet use? I think the poet uses a lot of similes. Some examples are “Or fester like a sore--And then run?”or “Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?” I think Langston Hughes uses these similes to elaborate on how much he wonders about what happens to a delayed. Elaborating more on the similes he uses, I think he uses them to make a picture in the reader's mind. For example in the second stanza he uses the words” Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? “
The fourth question is, what message do you think the Langston Hughes is trying to express? I think the poet is trying to express the meaning of not every dream comes true. I think this because of the Langston Hughes’s mood/tone. The reason I think this is because the he isn’t describing what happens when your dream come true. But he is describing what happens to a dream deferred, or delayed. For example the first line of the poem says “ What happens to a dream deferred?” Not what happens to a dream come true. This is why I think the meaning of the poem dream deferred is not every dream comes true.
Sincerely,
Emma

Caly

12/21/2016 10:28:03 am

Dear Class,

I think Dreams Deferred is a poem about a person who had a dream but then it got Deferred. But he is trying to find some way to find it again, and he's wondering to if they will succeed or lead away to failure. I think the poet used a curious tone in the story because he's wondering if his dreams will get neglected or succeed. I think the poet used a lot of imagery to make the poem come to life in a different way. Throughout the story the poet uses personification by describing dreams as food. Like dreams could be sugar sweet or sour and rotten. The last part of the poem I think has a lot of meaning when he asks a big deep question; ¨or does it explode?¨ I think the meaning of this poem is to never give up and when times get hard try harder.

Sincerely,
Cały

Alex

12/21/2016 10:29:26 am

Dear Class,
I liked this poem. It was a hard poem to analyze and there was a lot of secret messages.
1. I think it is about Langston Hughes’ personal life. Because he was a black man in the 1920’s, I imagine life being hard for him. I think he wrote this poem just to kind of express his emotions and try to make a tiny fix in the broken 1920’s world. It also could be a message that he can pass down to many that are young and old, and they might try to help other people. It just feels really strong in that was to me.
2. I think the mood of the poem is sad, and the poet wants you to realize something. I think the last line, “ Or does it explode?” really gives the poem some deeper meaning. I feel it just sets the mood more.
3. I think Langston Hughes used line breaks, punctuation, mood, imagery, meaning, and word choice. I like the line breaks because it sets a good mood. I think the punctuation tells the readers how to read it more clearly. I liked how he used questions and dashes. The word choice was smart and I liked how he used fester instead of rot or dry out.
4. I think the poet was trying to express that dreams are good to keep with you even through tough times. He said that they might explode, a I read that as a bad thing.
Sincerely,
Alex

Alex

12/23/2016 10:42:20 am

Dear Alex,
You did a bad job on your response and didn't get the poem at all. The poem is trying to explore the deeper side of the expression "follow your dreams" and is wondering what would happen if you DON'T follow your dreams. It is not about fixing dents in 1920.
Yours Truly,
Alex

Thomas B.

12/21/2016 10:31:52 am

Dear Class,

I think the poet is expressing how he wonders about what happens when you give up hope on a dream. I think he is trying to tell us how it feels. For example, it says here:

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?

This gives proof that the poet might be saying how he wonders about what happens when you give up hope on a dream.

For poetic techniques, I admire the way he used a lot of similes. In every line, he compares a dream deferred to a different thing, withering out and dying.
I think the mood of this poem is not sad, but curious. Think back to the first line:

What happens to a dream deferred?

In this line, the poet is asking a question. Usually this hints at a curious mood.

Sincerely, Thomas B.

Isaiah

12/23/2016 10:47:30 am

Dear past Isaiah

I don’t think completely understand what the poem ment. When the poet asked the questions those where metaphors the poet didn’t literally mean is this what happens to a deferred dream. What the poet ment as the message was if you keep on postponing a dream it will never happen.
I hope know you understand the poem.

Sincerely present day Isaiah

Isaiah

12/21/2016 10:41:24 am

Dear class,

this poem is about a man or woman who wonders what happens to a deferred dream. I know this because right in the beginning of the story the poet said what happens to a dream deferred.
I think mood of this poem is not a happy or sad poem, I think it like a calm poem and a wondering poem. I think this because the poet asks questions about what happens to a deferred dream, like does it explode, or does it dry up, or fester
The kind of poetic features that Langston Hughes used were rhythm the poem had a good rhythm. Repetivity Langston Hughes used repetivity by asking a question then saying “Or,” and asking another question.
What I think the message of this poem is… well I can’t really tell. It might just be that when a dream gets deferred these might be some things that happen to it.

Sincerely Isaiah

Dear class,

this poem is about a man or woman who wonders what happens to a deferred dream. I know this because right in the beginning of the story the poet said what happens to a dream deferred.
I think mood of this poem is not a happy or sad poem, I think it like a calm poem and a wondering poem. I think this because the poet asks questions about what happens to a deferred dream, like does it explode, or does it dry up, or fester
The kind of poetic features that Langston Hughes used were rhythm the poem had a good rhythm. Repetivity Langston Hughes used repetivity by asking a question then saying “Or,” and asking another question.
What I think the message of this poem is… well I can’t really tell. It might just be that when a dream gets deferred these might be some things that happen to it.

Sincerely Isaiah

Jacob

12/23/2016 08:35:31 am

Dear class,

I think the poem is about, when you have a dream and then it just gets deferred or denied. The text gives you explicit examples of things that got deferred and makes a comparison. The mood or tone is definitely sad or upset. I infer this because it's kind of like lost dreams and hopes, and then inferring them to stuff. Like, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”. One of the poetic techniques Langston Hughes used is his Imagery, he used imagery almost every stanzas. When he compared a dream to bad things / sad things. I think the message Langston Hughes was trying to get across was never give up on a dream, keep on dreaming! Never ever give up if something gets in your way, keep on persevering!
I think this poem might have been made because at the time it was still the segregation Era. So maybe the poem was created to give hope in the Era. Or it was about the author's life, and how since he was black there were limited things. So his dreams got…. Well denied.

Sincerely,
Jacob

Jacob

1/4/2017 10:58:17 am

Dear class,
I think the poem is about the struggles this guy went through. Because he was black. Also, I think he meant if you delay a dream for too long you forget. You just let other things take its place. So you don't have nothing more to dream about. That,s why, he said " It gets coverd like pie crust wit
Plus he was a black man so it might have affected his mood. During that time.

Sincerely,
Jacob

Max

12/23/2016 08:39:39 am

Dear, Class

1. I think that this poem is about dreams that happen but you never remember when you wake up. I think this because it says "What happens to a dream deferred?" and I think that means whats happens to a dream when you wake up.

2. I would describe this poems mood as questioning because he is asking whats happens to dreams.

3. I think this poem used a lot of rhythm and good line breaks.

4. I think this poet is trying to express that to never give up trying your dreams.

Sincerely,
Max

Wyatt

12/23/2016 10:35:39 am

Dear Ms.K,
I think this poem is about if your dreams are deferred then what do you do about it. They are asking you a question throughout the poem. I think this poet is in a bad mood because of the tone of their voice that they are using. When he wrote “Maybe it just sags like a heavy load” the heavy load part was unnecessary, but this person added it to hide some feelings in the text. The poet used a rhyming technique and they added so many similes in their poem. They wrote “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun”. They used like, and like is part of similes. There are a lot similes in this poem. I think that the author’s message is if your dream is keep on getting differed then you keep on fighting though it. I think this kept on happening to the author so he wrote a poem about it.

Sincerely,

Wyatt

Owen C

12/23/2016 10:39:47 am

Dear class,

Question 1, The poem is about langston wondering what happens when a dream gets deferred and what will happen to it.

Question 2, I think the poem gives a speculate feel to the reader because, he is describing what might happen to the dream. So it gets you wondering about will that happen.

Question 3, I think the poet is using assonance, some rhyme, similes, and maybe a metaphor. To really spice up his poem.

Question 4, I think the meaning is don't give up on your dreams They may be postponed, but don't give up on them.

Sincerely,

Owen C

Tal

12/31/2016 02:04:06 pm

Hi!
Two years ago, I was in Ms. Kimball's class. She is really great, right? You guys are super lucky to have her as your teacher!
Unlike many of you, I don't think that this dream that is being spoken about is a night time while you are sleeping type of dream. I think that this dream is like a I wish that this will happen type of dream. I think the poem is about how if a dream is deferred, and isn't followed, then what happens to it? I think that the point of this poem is to say "If you don't follow your dreams, then it isn't going to happen, and you're 'dream' is basically ruined".
I would answer the rest of the questions, but sadly, 7th grade comes with a ton of homework that I need to do, so I can't answer more until I do my homework.

Sincerely, Tal (He, Him)

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

In-Class Reading Response #4: Dream Deferred

Leave a Reply.

Reading Response Blog
For
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2016-2017

Archives

Categories

Automation Setup

﻿In-Class Reading Response #4: Dream Deferred

Leave a Reply.

Reading Response BlogForMs. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2016-2017​

Archives

Categories

Automation Setup

In-Class Reading Response #4: Dream Deferred

Reading Response Blog
For
Ms. Kimball's Grade 5 At Pine Hill, 2016-2017