"A Dream Deferred"
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?

Read the poem. What is the poet saying about dreams that are never fulfilled or realized? Apply this poem to the American Dreams of the characters in The Great Gatsby. Which one of these similes ("like....") applies best to each character's dream in the novel? Detail and explain why. Analyze the characters: 

1. Gatsby   2. Daisy    3. Tom     4. Myrtle    5. George Wilson   6. Nick

Individually, make a keynote for each simile in the poem for the character who you think it applies to.