The repetition highlights how captive the bird is. It emphasizes the fact that the bird is purposely stripped away from its freedom. They not only tied the feet, but also clipped the wings. They wanted to ensure that the bird will stay caged. This poem can be interpreted as the fault with racism or segregation. These lines helps the reader empathize with the bird. The bird wants to be free so bad, but has all these obstacles in its way. This can be compared to racism. Similar to the bird, individuals can be caged in with certain stereotypes which could lead to missed opportunities.

This was a perfect way to end the poem. The beginning stanza discusses the hopelessness that is felt and the second shows the strength. Being a master of your fate means that you will dictate what impacts you. It means that you will decide the major decisions in your life. Life can be extremely unpredictable. Life is often compared to the ocean. Captains run ships. They are the ones that take control over situations. Being a captain of your soul means that no more can overpower you or make you feel upset. You rule all.

The second stanza states that their is pain but the situation will not be the end. They were no cries. This allows the reader to understand the strength in the poem.

The first stanza sets the tone for the entire poem. It allows the reader to envision a very dark night. The night could be interpreted as hopelessness, and uncertainty.

This line highlights how a deferred dream weighs on an individual's heart. It can feel suffocating, and unbearable. The word sag is negative. Sag makes the reader think of wrinkly skin, or breasts. The word sag is a perfect way to envision a deferred dream. Some individuals feel like the whole world rests on your shoulders. They feel the pressure to provide, and create a good life for their families. The simile used by Langston Hughes "sags like a heavy load" allows the reader to imagine the struggle of carrying around the failures in their life.

The word rotten meat creates a negative imagine in the reader's head. It also establishes time. Meat is very desirable, and delicious until it gets to a certain point. When meat is left out over time, It starts to smell and needs to be thrown away. People feel that their dreams that are unachieved ultimately need to be forgotten or thrown away.

This part of the poem really allows the reader to get an idea of what an unachieved dream might feel like. This simile creates an imagine in the reader's head. Sores are known to be extremely painful. Dreams that are left deferred can be emotionally painful. The idea of having to run with a sore causes the reader to imagine the pain and discomfort that occurs. This is something that most African Americans were experiencing during this time. The line "And then run" can be interpreted as carrying on with life. People had to endure the pain of having unachieved dreams, and continue on with their lives. They still needed to provide for their families, and carry on with day to day tasks.

The entire poem discusses the question on what happens to the dreams that are never achieved. This poem was a way for Langston Hughes to give the African American people a voice. This was a perfect way to highlight the racial injustice that was occuring at this time. Several opportunities were never given to black people, which led to unachieved dreams. The inequality led to several individuals only being able to dream about a day where they were able to provide a better life for their families. The poem allowed the reader to emphasize with the African American people. The poem does not say what exact dreams are being discussed, but we can all agree that this poem is discussing the dreams of a better life or better future. This poem is filled with imagery, and similes. I feel that Langston Hughes wanted the reader to really imagine what a unachieved dream feels like. He writes about a dream being similar to a dried out raisin in the sun. Raisins are known to be juicy, and nutritious. He compares a deferred dream to a dried up raisin. A dried up raisin is hand, and undesirable. .