Read the beginning of the poem “A Dream Deferred,” by Langston Hughes.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?

What is the author saying about dreams that are deferred (postponed)?

They might change for the better.

They might become dry and lifeless.

They might grow and become larger.

Based on the beginning of the poem, the author is suggesting that dreams that are deferred (postponed) have the potential to become dry and lifeless, like a raisin drying up in the sun.