In Harlem, Langston Hughes utilizes figurative language to show how

dreams fade away with time. Hughes illustrates the idea of dreams fading by
mentioning that dreams dry up/ like a raisin in the sun (Hughes, 2-3). Hughes uses
the raisin metaphor because over time, grapes become raisins after being left
untouched, just as how dreams fade away after not being acted upon. Hughes uses
this metaphor to help stress his central purpose that dreams fade away with time.
Another way Langston Hughes uses figurative language to construct his idea of
dreams fading away over time is by asking if fading dreams stink like rotten meat
(Hughes, 6). Hughes incorporates rotten meat in his poem to remind the reader
that rotten meat stinks, which causes its presence to linger around. Although
the smell of rotten meat seems unneeded, Hughes links it to a dream because
a forgotten dream lingers around for a while just like the stink of rotten meat
and a dream will eventually fade away. In Harlem, Langston Hughes
efficiently uses figurative language, and he incorporates very subtle detail in
order to reveal his central purpose that dreams fade away with time.