In poetry, it is essential to bring out a theme. This allows the reader to learn something and understand what the poet is trying to say. A good theme can really make an impact on the reader. Most poets use elements of poetry to do this. In Harlem, Langston Hughes uses elements of poetry to show his theme: When you give up on your dream, many consequences follow. In the poem Harlem, Langston Hughes uses many elements of poetry to prove his theme, including similes, diction, and personification. Langston Hughes uses a profusion of similes in “Harlem” “Does it dry like a raisin in the sun? This simile compares a deferred dream to coarse, dried out food. Likewise, when you give up on your dream, it dries up. “Or fester like a sore?” This comparison shows that a deferred dream can be painful and stay in your thoughts for the rest of your life. Langston Hughes uses similes to convey his theme in Harlem. Langston Hughes also uses diction in "Harlem". “Or does it explode?” This powerful use of diction compares a deferred dream to an explosion. This really drives home to the reader that a dream deferred can just blow up in your face if you don't use it. “Or a crust and sugar like a sweet candy?” This use of diction shows how a deferred dream can seem good but actually turn out to be very bad in the end. It's different because the rest of the poem is negative, and this sentence seems positive at first. However, this is actually negative, because a deferred dream may simply no longer be usable. It may disintegrate. Hughes' powerful use of diction conveys his theme very well. Hughes also uses images to show his theme. “Does it stink like rotten meat?” This use of imagery shows how a dream deferred simply rots into something that is no longer usable. This makes the reader imagine a ball of rotting meat with maggots crawling on it. Not only does this disgust the reader, but it makes them understand what Hughes is trying to say, which is that if you give up on a dream, it can no longer be used. "Is it drying? Like a raisin in the sun?" This use of imagery makes the reader imagine a fruit that you could have eaten fresh, but because you didn't, it dried up..