“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it
true.” -Richard Bach, relates to “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. The quote tells
you that you can make all your dreams come true. This relates to how all people
but especially African Americans had the dream of freedom, equality,
opportunity and success. But had to work harder to make their dreams a reality.
The line “What happens to a dream deferred?” is saying, how even though legally
they had rights, people were still treating them like they were nothing, like dirt.
So the whole poem is talking about the dream that they’ve held on to for so long.
Then the line “Or does it explode?” refers to the time that
African Americans were experiencing immense hurt, pain and
suffering, that’s the explosion. But among all the hurt, the
world around them had begun to change for the better.
African Americans started to realize they had something
more to give and they wanted to share it. Eventually their
dreams were heard. Just like an explosion, there is pain,
but eventually things begin to change for the better.