A Dream…

On September 18th we launched the fall semester of  THE SPARK of Le Flambeau program; a language and culture exchange experience between students in Haiti and in the U.S.  As we head into the  fifth year of the program we embarked on our first college edition, the result of a collaborative effort with the University of Miami.   Weekly winners are nominated by their moderator peer students at the University of Miami.  This program is an on-line round-table exchange focused on elevating English language and culture fluency for college and/or employment.  Included are two field trips to be featured in forthcoming updates.

The discussion topic for the first week focused on the poem written by Langston Hughes – Harlem (also referred to by some as A Dream Deferred).  Read the poem at the end.  Featured below are the two written pieces that took first place this past week (they tied) for the Haiti team.

Question: What does the American Dream mean to you? What can cause that dream–or any of your dreams–to be deferred? Why might a “dream deferred” “fester like a sore,” “stink like rotten meat,” “sag like a heavy load,” or “explode”?

Response from Danice

Dream holds in our life and somewhat reflects every single ones’s conviction. It’s the extreme motivation which inspires us on the way of success in all fields we are engaged in. Most of times, potential people fail in achieving their goal because they probably haven’t followed their dream with love and conviction. It’s worth revealing what happens to a dream deferred. At my knowledge it can be inferred that deferred dreams are in common for every single one; since we all have our owns. As a matter of fact, they are vain, belong to someone that acts reasonably, meaningless when he is proud of his purposes -whichever they would be, and eventually insignificant as much as he aspires himself to listen to the voice of his heart.

No matter the failing, your dream is matter than ever, keep working on it! Don’t let any place for negative aspects of your life to be multiplied upon your perspectives as well as you work on the way of success. Then you will be the one to ask me “how can a dream be deferred?” huhh! you just don’t know… Since you have got enough skills to work on your deferred ones. And I must tell you that these skills are relevant to proves of travailing your daily handicrafts or persevering in your fields that may have enhanced your fluency to follow the right paths to your success. A great life is created both by design and wonderment. It leaves no place for deferred dreams.

This American poem by Hughes is both comfortable and helpful. You had better work on your dreams -since you probably have your owns. Once you would not care about working on it, what do you think will happen? Do you want a hint? Then, don’t be afraid when you will see how it festers like a sore, stinks like a rotten meat… It’s allright, your dream is unattainable and is the right thing that would make you feel the right person you wrer meant to be. However, it depends on how you entame the real (concrete) aspects of your hobbies/activities. Then are you satisfied to be unfortunate? Are you convinced that you were born to live homeless and give up fighting to get prospered? Are you pessimistic about what will happen tomorrow? If yes, please, don’t hesitate revising or meditating the American dream and you can avoid that your dream be deferred. You’re worth it, so I am convinced that you can break up the challenges in your life!

Response From Christopher

A dream is an ideal that one daily strives to attain. Usually, this ideal becomes the center of this person’s existence and if it is not achieved, it is like missing a life purpose.  I consider a dream deferred as a dream that someone has to put aside for any reason, with the hope that this ideal can be fulfill later on.  But in the mean time, what happened to that dream, does it fester like a sore, stink like a rotten meat, sag like a heavy load or explode.

I think that a good dreamer who defers a dream doesn’t let his dream fester like a sore. But instead, a good dreamer is the realistic and flexible one, who still caresses his dream, however he is smart enough to wait for the right time to fulfill that dream. Besides, a dream is a motivation, and even it has been deferred, it should not sag like a heavy load nor explode. Instead, it should boost the dreamer to pursue that deferred dream and even pass it to generation.

Lets say Dr. Martin Luther King for example, he had a dream. He pursued his dream until death , but he never fulfilled it. The dream had to be deferred, however, today president Barack Obama is the first black president of the U.S

I thoroughly believe that the only way that a  deferred dream might fester like sore or rotten like a meat or even explode, is when the dreamer is hopeless and he sees no way out. However, at that time the dreamer has to be faithful and still dream passionately , because human being dies but ideals don’t. For instance,  following your dream with passion and love is the most efficient way to satisfy yourself and participate in the construction of a better world, however it is essential to be flexible in life and always know when to hold and when to fold.

What happens to a dream deferred?

Thank you to students Cristine, Sam, Kyle, Andrew, and Autumn for engineering the question.  Nice work to the winners and to all who participated in the first week.  On with Week#2!