Key Facts

• Title: Harlem (also known as A Dream Deferred)
• Poet: Langston Hughes (1901-1967)
• Written Date: 1951
• Publication Date: 1951, as part of a longer volume-length poem in 1951 called Montage of a Dream Deferred
• Form, Meter, Rhyme Scheme: Free verse (no regular rhyme or meter, but strong rhythm and sound patterns)
• Total Lines/Stanza: 11 short lines divided into 4 irregular stanzas
• Tone: Questioning, tense, warning, and emotional