In the poem “dream deferred,” langston hughes asks the questions "what happens to a dream deferred? " and "does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? " what does the author mean by comparing a postponed dream to a dried-up raisin?

the dream will flower and bear fruit.

the dream will come true with hard work.

the dream will be sweet like a raisin.

the dream will wither and shrivel.

The answer is the last option: The dream will wither and shrivel.

Explanation:

Langston Hughes was a poet belonging to the Harlem Renaissance, an African-American artistic movement that took place in the 1920's and 1930's. He used vivid imagery to convey his ideas, and the poem "Dream Deferred" is no exception.

When Hughes asks what happens to a dream deferred and then completes "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?", what he means is to ask if a dream can wither and shrivel if it is not accomplished. Hughes is alluding to the suffering of the African-American community, constantly forced to let go of their dreams due to oppression. A raisin is nothing but a grape dried in the sun, a shriveled fruit. If a dream is not pursued, Hughes wonders, can it shrink and lose its original shape?

The full poem is as follows:

What happens to a dream deferred?

     Does it dry up

     like a raisin in the sun?

     Or fester like a sore—

     And then run?

     Does it stink like rotten meat?

     Or crust and sugar over—

     like a syrupy sweet?

     Maybe it just sags

     like a heavy load.

     Or does it explode?