Read these two lines from the poem “a dream deferred,” by langston hughes. which figure of speech is used in the bold lines (2023)

FAQs

Which lines from the poem is a sample of personification in the poem dreams deferred? ›

In this poem, Dreams, there is an example of personification on lines 4 and 8-9. They are both comparing life to a bird that can't fly and a barren field.

All of these respond to the question at the beginning of the poem: ''What happens to a dream deferred?'' The first is: ''Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?'' This simile compares a deferred dream to a dried-up raisin in the sun.

A Dried Raisin

This use of figurative language is a simile, a type of figurative language that uses "like" or "as" to compare unlike things. The raisin simile is a brilliant and compelling one, because everyone can relate to it.

The line “fester like a sore- and then run?” conveys a sense of infection and pain. Comparing the dream to a sore of a body, Hughes suggests that unfulfilled dreams become part of us, like a longstanding injury that has gathered pus. The word “fester” connotes something…show more content…

Answer & Explanation. In "Harlem," Hughes uses the metaphor of the figure of speech to describe a dream deferred. He then compares the dream to a dried fruit that has already lost its potential. The metaphor suggests that a dream can never be fulfilled if a project is put off too long.

Written in 1951, Langston Hughes' poem “Harlem” (also known as “A Dream Deferred”) uses figurative language, primarily similes and imagery, to create a powerful image of what happens when a wish is left unfulfilled.

For example, look at this line: "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or does it fester like a sore-- and then run?" Doesn 't that put a sour feeling in your stomach? Similes like this are how Hughes helps the reader understand the intensity of what can happen if a dream never comes to life.

What are the two metaphors in Dreams by Langston Hughes? The two metaphors in Dreams by Langston Hughes are "when dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly" and "when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow."

The first one is when he writes "Life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly". He is comparing the lack of hopes and dreams to the tragedy of a bird that can no longer fly due to its damaged wings.

Overall, the word dream can be used as a noun or a verb, either literally or figuratively. Literally, this refers to the imagery that a person sees during certain stages of sleep. Figuratively, the word dream can refer to a goal or ambition that a person wants to accomplish.

What literary device does Hughes use in A Dream Deferred? ›

Simile. The speaker of “Harlem” introduces several similes over the course of the poem. Notably, each simile appears as a supplement to one of the possible outcomes the speaker describes in response to their opening question: “What happens to a dream deferred?” (line 1).

In the opening line of the poem the speaker asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” (l. 1). The phrase “dream deferred” is an example of alliteration and emphasizes the universal theme of the poem, the fate of a postponed dream. Multiple examples of end rhyme occur throughout the poem such as “sun” and “run” (l.

In "Dreams Deferred" a simile is "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load." This means that if you don't follow your dream it is gonna wear you down. In "Dreams" a metaphor is "Life is a barren field" This means that life would be empty if we had no dreams.

Or fester like a sore…” (lines 2-4). This implies that one's perception of a dream that has been deferred can be compared to that of raisins because the once juicy, fresh, and delicious grape is now shriveled because it was placed in the sun.

Just as an untreated sore will not heal, but get more infected, a deferred dream will not go away, but become more intense. A wound that gets worse will eventually start to smell bad. Hughes compares this to rotten meat.

Life is a dream. (Metaphor)

Second, Hughes displays the crucial need for dreams and ambitions through personification. In line one and five Hughes writes, “Hold fast to dreams” (1,5). “Hold fast” indicates that one should hold firmly to dreams and never let go. Also, “Hold fast” demonstrates to the reader that one can touch and seize dreams.

Writers and poets use figurative language to build imagery and give words more power. Simile, metaphor and a host of other non-literal methods of expression help make foreign concepts familiar and graspable.

Answer. Explanation: They contain the Figure of Speech called Epigram.

What is the simile in I dream a World? ›

Simile: famously depicted through Hughes' comparison of a pearl and joy. It is a surprising but apt comparison. Joy is not going to be easy to achieve, especially on the level he's dreaming of. It's like a pearl in that way.

The poem's major conceit consists of a metaphor that likens waking life to a dream within a dream. This metaphor is deceptively simple. On the surface, it seems to suggest that life is nothing more than a dream. In dreams, we can't always control what we do or how we feel.

Metaphor is a common poetic device where an object in, or the subject of, a poem is described as being the same as another otherwise unrelated object. A beautiful example can be seen in the first stanza of The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes, in the line: The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas…

Psychiatrist Ernest Hartmann wrote in 1996 that dreams are explanatory metaphors in mostly visual form: “The dream pictures metaphorically the overall state – especially the emotional state – of the dreamer….

Other examples of similes include: The boy was as brave as a lion in the jungle. The assistant was as busy as a bee when she was preparing the podium for the presidential address. The new teacher is as tall as a giraffe.

I can swing on this play gym just like a monkey. ' She swung bar to bar until one bar she missed, Then she fell and was so mad like an angry cat she hissed."

Simile: She was brave as a lion on the rollercoaster. Simile: My mom was busy as a bee. Metaphor: The classroom was a zoo. Metaphor: The computers at school are old dinosaurs.

In this case, the life of the speaker is compared to that of a happy dream, which cannot be literally true. Thus, the correct answer is Option A) - Metaphor.

Personification examples

Some examples of it are phrases: “The sun smiled down on us.” 'The story jumped off the page.” “The light danced on the surface of the water.”

The tone of “Harlem” is anticipatory and prophetic. Everything the speaker says in the poem is oriented toward what will happen in the future.

What is the tone of dreams by Hughes? ›

Answer and Explanation: The tone of "Dreams" by Langston Hughes is somber. The repeated lines ''hold fast to dreams'' are a solemn command, and the descriptions of what happens if the audience does not heed the warning to hold onto dreams indicate that the speaker has experience with the gloomy results.

Despite the lack of a rhyme scheme or metrical pattern, there are still several poetic techniques at play in 'I Dream'd in a Dream'. These include syncope, anaphora, enjambment, and alliteration.

Alliteration and Assonance

King uses alliteration in one of his most famous lines, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Alliteration in "I Have a Dream" speech is used in a few ways. Dr. King uses alliterative adjective-noun pairs such as "sweltering summer" and "mighty mountain" to draw attention to the obstacles to overcome in the fight against racial discrimination. The italicized words signify the words that are alliteration.

In Greek mythology, dreams were sometimes personified as Oneiros (Ancient Greek: Ὄνειρος, lit. 'dream') or Oneiroi (Ὄνειροι, 'dreams'). In the Iliad of Homer, Zeus sends an Oneiros to appear to Agamemnon in a dream, while in Hesiod's Theogony, the Oneiroi are the sons of Nyx (Night), and brothers of Hypnos (Sleep).

“ You could be a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare, either way I don't want to wake up from you” , from Beyonce's, Sweet Dreams. This is an example of a metaphor because it compares Beyonce's lover to a sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare. This means that no matter what happens she will always love him.

Sleep like a log is a simile that means to sleep soundly without moving.

For example, In “Harlem,” the author uses a simile to compare a dream deferred to rotten meat. He is trying to show the reader that a dream that is not accomplished stinks. In “When Sue Wears Red,” the author uses a metaphor to compare Susanna Jones to an Egyptian Queen.

The first example of irony in the poem is when the speaker shares that his ' college on the hill above Harlem'. As the only African-American in this class, it is ironic that the speaker's college is so near Harlem, an area commonly known for its African-American population.

What happens to a dream deferred? like a raisin in the sun? And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat?

Does a dream stink like rotten meat? ›

Hughes states, “Does it stink like rotten meat?” (Hughes 6) If dreams are stored away for a long period of time, will they cause a disturbance like rotten meat when it sits too long in the refrigerator or if it gets thrown away of all together will the smell still linger and haunt the person for a long time.

The theme of a poem is the message an author wants to communicate through the piece. The theme differs from the main idea because the main idea describes what the text is mostly about. Supporting details in a text can help lead a reader to the main idea.

A Dried Raisin

The poem suggests that a dream put on hold might "dry up like a raisin in the sun." A dried, stiff raisin is the sensory opposite of how it began its life -- as a juicy, thirst-quenching green or rosy grape.

Personification. A clear example of personification appears in the second stanza, when the speaker laments their inability to save even one grain of sand from “the pitiless wave” (line 22). Personification is a literary device in which a poet or speaker attributes human qualities to an inanimate, nonhuman object.

Examples of Personification in Poetry

A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. By describing the daffodils as "dancing in the breeze" (line 4), Wordsworth is able to create an image of whimsy by personifying the flower.

Personification is using language to give life-like or human qualities to non-human things. In Act 1, Shakespeare writes: ''Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is wing'd Cupid painted blind. '' In this quotation, love is being treated like an entity of action.

The speaker uses a a human characteristic(holding) to a non-living thing (dreams) which is a personification. So the message is to hold on tight to your dreams and never let go. Secondly, Langston Hughes' use of metaphors also points out to the poem being about never to let go of your dreams.

The basic idea behind personification is that you take an object or animal and give it human qualities, such as emotions or thoughts. For example, instead of just describing the wind as blowing, you might describe it as “breathing” across your face. When you do this, you're personifying the wind.

personification, figure of speech in which human characteristics are attributed to an abstract quality, animal, or inanimate object.

What are 4 examples of personification? ›

Lightning danced across the sky. The wind howled in the night. The car complained as the key was roughly turned in its ignition. Rita heard the last piece of pie calling her name.

Act 3, scene 1

In her speech, Titania personifies the moon by giving it the power to weep.

Using a simile, she likens the waning moon to a silver bow bent into a curve in the sky and looking down on her wedding celebration. Personification is used here also, as Hippolyta visualizes the face of the moon as that of Diana watching her marry Theseus.

What are the two metaphors in Dreams by Langston Hughes? The two metaphors in Dreams by Langston Hughes are "when dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly" and "when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow."

Langston Hughes in this poem uses hyperboles by dramatizing what will happen if you lose a dream or let them go. For example, in the second stanza he says, “For when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.” In this, he is exaggerating what will happen if you let dreams go.

Metaphor is a word or phrase that takes on the meaning of something else. For instance, a person may say that a job is a dream, or that a football coach is a business manager (even though neither statement is true). It's a figure of speech often employed in poetry.