“A Dream Deferred,” by Langston Hughes

Directions: Read the poem below.

A 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?

What does the word “deferred” mean? Define this term in your own words.

Describe in your own words what this poem is about.

Circle all of the words in the poem that appeal to the senses. Is this imagery positive or negative? How do you know?

Look at the words that you’ve circled. What effect does Hughes’s word choice have on the reader? How are these words supposed to make the reader feel?

What do you think is the main message of this poem?

What is a simile?

What is your favorite line in the poem? Copy it here.

An alternate title for this poem is “Harlem.” How might this change the meaning of the poem?

The story is about a postmaster who is trying to adapt to the new life in the village of ulapur. in what way is the postmaster's life different from his life in urban calcutta?

Ajourney with my father adapted from my reminiscences by sir rabindranath tagore probably in order to teach me to be careful, my father placed a little small change in my charge and required me to keep an account of it. he also entrusted me with the duty of winding his valuable gold watch for him. he overlooked the risk of damage in his desire to train me to a sense of responsibility. when we went out together for our morning walk, he would ask me to give alms to any beggars we came across. but i never could render him a proper account at the end of it. one day, my balance was larger than the account warranted. "i really must make you my cashier," observed my father. "money seems to have a way of growing in your hands! " that watch of his i wound up with such indefatigable1 zeal that it had very soon to be sent to the watchmaker's in calcutta. i am reminded of the time when, later in life, i was appointed to manage the estate and had to lay before my father, owing to his failing eyesight, a statement of accounts on the second or third of every month. i had first to read out the totals under each head, and if he had any doubts on any point, he would ask for the details. if i made any attempt to slur over or keep out of sight any item which i feared he would not like, it was sure to come out. so, these first few days of the month were very anxious ones for me. as i have said, my father had the habit of keeping everything clearly before his mind—whether figures of accounts, or ceremonial arrangements, or additions or alterations to property. he had never seen the new assembly hall built at bolpur, and yet, he was familiar with every detail of it from questioning those who came to see him after a visit to bolpur. he had an extraordinary memory, and when once he got hold of a fact, it never escaped him. my father asked me to copy the favourite verses, with their translation, from the book he liked reading every day. at home, i had been a boy of no account. here, when these important functions were entrusted to me, i felt the glory of the situation. 1. tireless 7 how does the narrator support the idea that his father keeps everything clearly before his mind? a. by giving the example of his father's response when his account did not tally with the money that he had in hand b. by mentioning that his father was interested in everything that happened around him c. by giving the example of his father knowing every detail of the new assembly hall at bolpur d. by mentioning that his father had marked his favorite verses from his favorite book

Urban and rural antonyms synonyms neither