“A Dream Deferred”
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?
Langston Hughes
1. Using context clues, what do you think the word deferred means?
2. Write down at least 5 words that appeal to the senses. Is this imagery positive or negative?
3. What is this poem about?
4. None of the characters truly achieve their dreams. Looking at the different options in the poem, what has
happened to each of the characters’ (Walter, Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha’s) deferred dreams?
“A Dream Deferred”
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?
Langston Hughes
1. Using context clues, what do you think the word deferred means?
2. Write down at least 5 words that appeal to the senses. Is this imagery positive or negative?
3. What is this poem about?
4. None of the characters truly achieve their dreams. Looking at the different options in the poem, what has
happened to each of the characters’ (Walter, Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha’s) deferred dreams?