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This poem also addresses what happens to aspirations that are postponed or lost. The brief and mind provoking questions throughout the poem allow the reader to reflect on the effects of delaying our dreams. In addition, the questions give indications about Hughes' views on deferred dreams. "Harlem" is an open form poem. The poem consists of three stanzas to catch the reader's attention, the writer made sure that specific words and questions stood out. For example the lengths of the lines vary and certain syllables are stressed in every line for example the first line in the poem. It is the longest line, it is separated from the rest of the poem, and it grabs the reader's attention. .
Langston Hughes wants the reader to understand that during this time many black Americans went through difficult times. He wants to show everyone that dreams are important in doing so most African Americans find their escape from the real world they're living which is harsh and during their dream they forget about the life they are living now and that is what this poem is about. He is saying that people should refer to their dreams when life becomes hard not that it isn't hard enough already, nobody can take away anybody's dream nor stop them from dreaming. It is a natural part of human life, in order for a human body to function properly or function at all it needs its rest and the number one way of refueling your body is by sleeping, in other words "dreaming". .
Hughes also uses rhetorical questions with the similes to show his opinion of unfulfilled dreams. He suggests that deferred dreams, like a raisin in the sun, like a sore like rotten meat, like a heavy load, cause tremendous pain and suffering. Each of these figures of speech is chosen because it clearly connects the negative reaction someone might have to rotten meat or painful sores directly to the emotion of a lost dream. He also uses the simile, like a syrupy sweet, to possibly show that above all the dream itself is what people enjoy, not the accomplishment.
