Harlem by Langston Hughes was written in 1951. Hughes addresses one of his most common themes in this poem - the limitations of the American Dream for African Americans. In the poem, Hughes starts by asking what happens to a dream deferred. He then compares the outcome of a deferred dream to a shriveled raisin, a festering sore, rotten meat, crusty sweets, and a heavy load. He is basically saying the outcome of a dream deferred is not that great.