The first question Hughes asks is, "It dries / like a raisin in the sun" (2-3). The evolution of grapes into raisins is a slow and gradual process. By cutting the grapes directly from the vine, they are left to dry without any sustenance. The worsening goes almost unnoticed by the average person. By calling the dream a raisin, it is meant that the dream once had enormous potential like a grape. While raisins may taste good, they don't compare to the succulent taste of grapes. This correlates to the African American Dream, suggesting that once ignored for too long, the potential will be sucked away and leave behind only an unhappy.