Final Line Of The Poem example essay topic

Langston Hughes leans heavily on simile to illustrate his thoughts on mid 20th century Harlem that, while terse, evoke vivid mental pictures to warn the future. He details a less known side of people and everyday life in Harlem. The reference to "Raisin in the sun" in the second line was 'borrowed' as the title of a renowned play about the hopelessness of the situation of black people in the mid-20th century. A raisin starts out as a grape, full of juice and potential and sweetness.

Grapes are often tied to images of fruitfulness and the Christian Bible, which many black slaves were taught as the word of God, a grape being the fruit of the vine- the vine being the Church, or Christ. A raisin is a grape separated from the vine and left out in the hot sun to dry. A raisin is dried out, and while it can be eaten, its juice is gone and it is shriveled remain of what it once was. This is a way of showing how neglect has caused the dream and the town of Harlem to shrivel and become old and almost useless. A grape also becomes darker and more concentrated in the process of becoming a raisin, and it becomes something "else". It is a static image and you feel the stillness of a non-moving raisin, a dried up thing.

"Does it fester like a sore?" This line slowly brings action into the poem, because although the sore is not going anyplace, there is a kind of infection within, a growing of ugly things like pus. What is growing is not a pleasant thing, but it is growing because of neglect. "And then run?" The movement is intensified slightly and by degrees as the festering and the growth of the corruption is oozing out of its sore and erupting out on the skin. These words indicate 'coming out'. "Does it stink like rotten meat?" Hughes tantalizes us with gross images of rotting, deteriorating things.

He shows that neglect does not have a lack of affect to match its lack of care. Something happens- the neglected thing rots, festers, and dries out. "Or crust and sugar over - like a syrupy sweet?" This might be the counterpoint simile, going from purifying and dead things to something that is so sweet that it is also disgusting. The counterpoint argument also is meant to show the ridiculousness.

We have been "conditioned" by the first horrible similes and so we see the sweetness of which he speaks as also a disgusting thing in this context. In the final line of the poem, Hughes leaves the reader with the question, "Or does it explode?" This is a question [about] whether or not the dream still exists. I think that Hughes wants us to believe that the dream can live on and still flourish. Hughes lists several possible fates for the dream, but ends with the question.

In the natural progression of the poem, this indicates to me that the dream is expanding, not exploding into nothingness. The final line of the poem offers a sentiment of encouragement to oppose the despair of the preceding phrases. Hughes suggests that as long as you don't forget about your true dreams, they will live on forever, no matter what hopelessness encompasses you. It is stated in the final line of "Harlem", that a dream may "explode". Most would see this as a negative event, meaning (that) your dreams would be shattered into bits and pieces, never to be restored. I feel, (however, ) that this particular phrase is positive and encouraging (towards reaching your dream.) I see the word "explode" as referring to "leaving an impact", just as a bomb leaves an impact on what it comes in contact with.

Therefore, the memory of the dream is still there -- it's very visible..