Harlem (Dream Deferred) Choices

Our speaker of "Harlem" presents us with several juicy philosophical questions about dreams. For example, are dreams meant to be thought about or acted upon? Is it a bad thing never to pursue a dream? What happens when someone else prevents you from pursuing your dreams? Our speaker suggests that sometimes we don't have any choice but to defer our dreams, which is quite a tragedy.

Questions About Choices

1. Is our speaker thinking about people who defer their own dreams or people who delay the dreams of others?
2. Is it more of a choice to act on dreams or to defer dreams?
3. Of the four similes in this poem, which ones involve choice and free will?

Chew on This

Explosion happens accidentally. The final line of "Harlem" makes us think that dreaming is a natural thing that happens out of necessity rather than choice.