...Or does it explode.

...Or does it Explode?
In 1951 Langston Hughes wrote a poem called Harlem about dreams that never
came true. Hughes lists about a half dozen effects of these “deferred dreams” in his
poem “Harlem” (Abcarian and Klotz 448) The poem does not just ask what happens to
and what are the results of these dreams, but by naming it “Harlem” the poem becomes a
social commentary on the people and impossible dreams of Harlem, and leads to further
questions about why certain dreams would be impossible for these certain people. This
poem, and these questions inspired a woman named Lorraine Hansberry to write a play
titled “A Raisin in the Sun” after a line in the poem, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the
sun?” (Abcarian Klotz 448). Hansberry wrote “A Raisin in the Sun” with such a realistic
plot and low expectations, that the eventual appreciation, and effect of her work was
unexpected (Corley 1). Hansberry’s personal experience, inspired by so much his...