A Raisin in the Sun: Comparison with "A Dream Deferred"

     When thinking of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, I cannot help compare this well-known, American Drama with Langston Hughes's poem, A Dream Deferred.  It is as if A Dream Deferred was written after finishing A Raisin in the Sun.  In the poem, the process of having a dream taken away is described as stinking, drying up, festering, crusting over, sagging, and exploding.  In the play, Walter goes through this painful process.  In attempting to make a man of himself, Walter experiences a hopelessness which could be described as a lingering sign of his failure.  This pain causes Walter Lee bears the heavy load of shame and disappointment.  Like in the poem, a deferred dream has a looming stink that serves as a constant reminder of abashment.  Mama claims that it "seems like God didn't see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams" (Hansberry).  In analyzing this, I feel that Lena means that the people who see most likely to achieve their dreams will never stop having those hopes and aspirations.  These people will go their the agonizing emotions noted by Langston Hughes due to the beliefs of the society in that era.  Both pieces of literature discuss the emotional dealings of what happens to those whose dreams are pushed away from them.