English 11 Name ______
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Section 5 – pages 84-98 Discussion / Study Questions
Directions: Read the poems below carefully and pay attention the literary devices and the diction the author uses. Answer the questions that follow in complete sentences and use quotes from the poem when requested.
“A Dream Deferred”
by Langston Hughes
/ “Dreams”by Langston Hughes
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? / Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
“A Dream Deferred”
- Highlight or underline the similes in the poem. (There are five.)
- How does the imagery appeal to all five senses? List the senses and the words used to reach each one.
Senses / Words used in the poem
- What does the word “deferred” mean? How could it apply to dreams?
- What is the overall tone of this poem? Explain your answer using an example from the text.
- Is the question ever answered: what happens to a dream deferred? What does this say about the meaning/message of this poem?
- How does this poem relate to the themes/ideas in Of Mice and Men? Who might have these thoughts in the book? Why?
“Dreams”
- Highlight or underline the metaphors in the poem. (There are two.)
- Look at the things that life is compared to. Are these positive or negative? Explain.
- Without dreams, what does the poem suggest about the lives of men and women?
- How does this poem relate to the themes/ideas in Of Mice and Men? Choose a character and explain the dream her or she is trying to “hold fast” to. What happens to his/her dream?