1. Maybe because Harlem was the place where he mostly tried to fight racism towards blacks, and so naturally that's where he got shot down the most. His dream was that blacks and whites could live together as equals as much as possible in a world of inequality, and people, black and white, fought against this dream. So since Harlem was where this dream of his was biggest, as lots of black working class people shared it with him, so even more people fought against him and his dream.
Very likely. Harlem drew a lot of dreamers, and I'm sure he saw what happened to people who kept pursuing what they wanted to do, versus those who kept putting it off until it would "someday" be easier.
3. Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? I think this one is the most powerful, because a dream is something good, in the sense he's talking about it at least, and a "sugary sweet" is also something good. So for a sugary sweet to stop being yummy is especially sad, because you naturally expect it to be delicious and enjoyable. It's also the most surprising because everything else he mentions is objectively UNenjoyable (inCLUding raisins, haha!), and most of them are things that pain someone: A sore, a heavy load; but sugary sweet things don't give someone pain, just disappointment. And I think that's how a dream would be. It's not going to hurt you probably, if it gets crushed. Certainly not physically, at least. But it very well might bring you sheer disappointment.
Definitely. New York City has always been a big pull for people with a dream -- a dream of getting famous, getting rich, getting a cool job, etc. And then they discover that they are one out of a zillion dreamers, and maybe two or three of them will actually achieve their dreams in a big way, a lot more will make things work in a smaller way, and most will just give up. And I think that Harlem, which was famous for being this hotbed of creative success, would have drawn an even bigger proportion of black dreams, because it was one of the few places where music and art and writing were very very valued and actually lucrative in the black population at that time.
3. I think the idea of a deferred dream sagging like a heavy load is pretty powerful, since it gives the impression that it doesn't just go away, but it can actually be a hindrance.
I think that one pulls a lot from actual African American experience too -- slaves and then sharecroppers in the south basically being used instead of beasts of burden. It makes me think of the song Prissy sings in Gone with the Wind: "We gots to tote the weary load."
1. Maybe because Harlem was the place where he mostly tried to fight racism towards blacks, and so naturally that's where he got shot down the most. His dream was that blacks and whites could live together as equals as much as possible in a world of inequality, and people, black and white, fought against this dream. So since Harlem was where this dream of his was biggest, as lots of black working class people shared it with him, so even more people fought against him and his dream.
ReplyDeleteVery likely. Harlem drew a lot of dreamers, and I'm sure he saw what happened to people who kept pursuing what they wanted to do, versus those who kept putting it off until it would "someday" be easier.
Delete2. A Dream Deferred, perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI tend to think of it as "A Dream Deferred" and had the hardest time finding it for this class!
Delete3. Or crust and sugar over—
ReplyDeletelike a syrupy sweet?
I think this one is the most powerful, because a dream is something good, in the sense he's talking about it at least, and a "sugary sweet" is also something good. So for a sugary sweet to stop being yummy is especially sad, because you naturally expect it to be delicious and enjoyable. It's also the most surprising because everything else he mentions is objectively UNenjoyable (inCLUding raisins, haha!), and most of them are things that pain someone: A sore, a heavy load; but sugary sweet things don't give someone pain, just disappointment. And I think that's how a dream would be. It's not going to hurt you probably, if it gets crushed. Certainly not physically, at least. But it very well might bring you sheer disappointment.
I disagree. I like raisins.
DeleteYou know, I like craisins, so I think I WOULD like raisins, I just find them too sweet.
DeleteAbby agrees with you, Nadia -- she just said she enjoys craisins, but she really doesn't care much for raisins at all.
DeleteThat crusting over of a sweet is SO evocative. I like what you pulled out of it.
1. Maybe Harlem was where he saw the most dreams get 'deferred', including his own. So Harlem and deferred dreams went together in his mind.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely. New York City has always been a big pull for people with a dream -- a dream of getting famous, getting rich, getting a cool job, etc. And then they discover that they are one out of a zillion dreamers, and maybe two or three of them will actually achieve their dreams in a big way, a lot more will make things work in a smaller way, and most will just give up. And I think that Harlem, which was famous for being this hotbed of creative success, would have drawn an even bigger proportion of black dreams, because it was one of the few places where music and art and writing were very very valued and actually lucrative in the black population at that time.
Delete2. Don't accuse me of copying Nadia because I had the same idea before I read her comment
ReplyDeleteCopy cat! <):-b
Delete3. I think the idea of a deferred dream sagging like a heavy load is pretty powerful, since it gives the impression that it doesn't just go away, but it can actually be a hindrance.
ReplyDeleteOh that's a really good point!
DeleteI think that one pulls a lot from actual African American experience too -- slaves and then sharecroppers in the south basically being used instead of beasts of burden. It makes me think of the song Prissy sings in Gone with the Wind: "We gots to tote the weary load."
Delete