A Deferred Analysis of a Dream A dream is a goal in life, not just dreams experienced during sleep. Most people use their dreams as a way to set future goals. Dreams can help people move forward in life because they become a personal fulfillment. Langston Hughes' poem "Dream Deferred" is about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. The poem leaves it up to the reader to decide which dream is being questioned. The poem A Dream Deferred discusses the many potential consequences that can occur when a dream is not realized soon enough. These six moments illustrate the different ways in which a deferred dream can die, and consequently harm the dreamer. Langston Hughes, the speaker of the poem, expresses his concern about his deferred dreams as they relate to his many ruined goals. The dream can fade in six hypothetical ways, all of which are quite harmful to Hughes as a dreamer. Hughes shows his fear of having his dreams deferred by describing only negative possibilities. He hypothesizes that deferred dreams can dry out, rot, stink, crust over, sag, or explode. Hughes never assumes that his dream can wait, patiently and harmlessly, for its moment to come true because he thinks this is impossible. This learned helplessness was likely conditioned when Hughes was a young boy, trying to succeed as the only black student in a white school. While he dreamed of being treated as other students were, "the teacher singled him out for his brown color, and many of his classmates capped off the day by throwing rocks or epithets at him" (Presley, page 2). Hughes had to work harder than other students to earn the respect of his prejudiced teachers... middle of paper... Hughes finds that he is unable to achieve what he wants, his self-confidence will die as will his dreams in poetry. As a writer and as a person, Hughes is made up of his literary successes and failures, or his dreams of success and nightmares of failure. “Poetry does not choose the dream but leaves it to the reader.” From the reflective nature of the poem, the reader can infer that the dream the poem is written about is about Hughes himself and his success. In his poem, Hughes considers the many ways in which his dreams, and consequently himself, can die. Langston Hughes explains in his poem that dreams that do not come true quickly will inevitably die. Although the content of Hughes' dream is not specifically stated, all dreams are a mirror image of the dreamer. Hughes is concerned about his future and expresses that concern through rhyme and simile.