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Metaphors In Harlem By Langston Hughes

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Metaphors In Harlem By Langston Hughes
In “Harlem”, Langston Hughes ponders about what occurs when one delays their dream. He discusses how it still remains in the back of your mind, and how unpleasant it is. Often times when a dream is not pursued, it is forgotten, and as a result, it lingers in the back of one’s mind.
Langston Hughes uses the metaphor “Or does it explode” to emphasize that when a dream is put off for so long, it will have nowhere to go, and just shatter and break (Hughes 11). The previous comparisons relate the deferred dream to horrible things such as “rotten meat” to reiterate how not achieving your dream leads to disillusionment. The metaphor adds to the effect of a broken dream dying and obliterating everything in its wake. The daunting tone that Hughes uses
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