Read the excerpt from the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes. What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in th
e sun? * * * Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? According to the poem, the speaker feels that the relationship between whites and African Americans is
The excerpt from Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem" shows a speaker who feels that the relationship between whites and African Americans is tense and uneven. This is made clear when the dream of equality for African Americans is always postponed, because whites continue to be favored by society. As a result, African Americans are increasingly distant from being treated as equals and this tense and uncomfortable relationship, where their dreams weigh, sink, dry and explode.