Dream Deferred, Langston Hughes

“What happens to a dream deferred?” Langston Hughes asks in his 1959 poem “Dream Deferred.” He suggests that it might “dry up like a raisin in the sun” or “stink like a rotten meat” however at the end of the poem, Hughes offers another alternative by asking,” or does it explode?” this is the view Lorraine Hansberry supports in her 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. The drama opens with Walter reading, “Set off another bomb yesterday” from the front page of the morning newspaper; however he is unaware that bombs will soon explode inside his own house. These bombs are explosions of emotion caused by frustration among members of Walter’s family who are unable to realize their dreams. Although they all have a common dream of having a better life, they must compete with each other for the insurance money from the death of Walter’s father. Walter wants to get rich quickly by investing the money in a liquor store, but his sister, Beneatha, would rather use it t...