What is the speakers tone? How do you know ? Harlem by Langston Hughes
To determine the speaker's tone in a poem, we need to analyze the language, imagery, and overall mood of the poem. Let's refer to the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes together and try to identify the speaker's tone.
First, we should read the poem and pay attention to any specific words or phrases that stand out. Here is the poem "Harlem" by Langston Hughes:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Upon reading the poem, we can observe that the speaker's tone seems to be contemplative and somewhat frustrated. The speaker is questioning what happens to a dream that is postponed or unfulfilled. The use of vivid and metaphorical language, such as "dry up like a raisin in the sun" and "festering sore," suggests a sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction.
The repetitive structure of the poem, with several questions asked in succession, conveys a sense of internal struggle and uncertainty. The final question, "Or does it explode?" implies that the speaker views unfulfilled dreams as something that may eventually lead to a burst of emotions or actions.
In conclusion, the speaker's tone in Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem" is contemplative, frustrated, and filled with a sense of longing and unease.