Comparing Martin Luther King And Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

A dream is to envision another life or characteristic that could be better or worse than what the person already has. In the case of most people it is a dream that is positive. People mainly are selfish dreamers who dream only about themselves but there are some who dream about the world or others such as friends and family. Two examples of these types of dreamers are Mama from the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I Have a Dream”. In Dr. King’s speech he brings up that his dream is not only for him but for others with the same problem. He is a caring dreamer, one who believes others come first then himself. Mama is also a dreamer of this sort. Her dreams are for her

In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, and 1961 movie written by Lorraine Hansberry and presented by Columbia pictures, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters have hopes and dreams. They all strive towards their goals throughout. However, many of the characters have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another.   Another theme is racism. Racism was rampant during the 1950’s and this often hindered African American dreams.

In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character

Lorraine Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun,” was a radically new representation of black life, resolutely authentic, fiercely unsentimental, and unflinching in its vision of what happens to people whose dreams are constantly deferred.

Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, centers on an African American family in the late 1950s. Hansberry directs her work towards specifically the struggles faced by African Americans during the late 1950s. Through the dialogue and actions of her characters, she encourages not only a sense of pride in heritage, but a national and self-pride in African Americans as well.

A Raisin in the sun shows the hardship many needed to face in order to attain this notion of the American Dream. The play did more than simply show what everyone faced, she shows the struggles that many African Americans families had to face when trying to achieve the notion of the American Dream. She does this by showing the environment that many African Americans lived in when there was bombing in the neighborhood or when white people would force African Americans who finally bought a home, out. Lorraine also shows the struggles of the characters of the play like Walter who struggles with the decision he makes and the contradictions that stop him from achieving his goals of being wealthy or when Beneatha goes against the norms of society by becoming a Doctor and trying to do activities that men usually do.While American Dream is quintessential to America because you’re able to go from nothing to something, this notion is unique to African-American since the society work against them even with having the same aspiration because of the prejudice they faced from the society.

The story of this play is simple and the majority of African-Americans faced such issues in the 1950’s, living on the south side of Chicago, struggles with poverty, dignity and dreams of a better life. Wanting better for your children and trying to fit in, while maintaining family values. A Raisin in the Sun is an excellent example of the relationship between family values and conflict. In this play it portrays: values and purpose of dreams, the need to fight for racial discrimination and the importance of family.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a novel about the life of a black family in Chicago after World War II, took an allusion to A Dream Deferred, a poem by Langston Hughes. Therefore the characters in the play and their dreams share similarities to the simile provided by Hughes. The simile of “a raisin in the sun” (2) encounters with Beneatha Younger, a young college student, who dreams of studying in a medical school but is criticized by her family. The dream seems aggravates the family conflict, but it represents Beneatha’s hope of helping the family.

Though there was a heightened sense of tension over civil rights in the late 1950s when A Raisin in the Sun was written, racial inequality is still a problem today. It affects minorities of every age and dynamic, in more ways than one. Though nowadays it may go unnoticed, race in every aspect alters the way African-Americans think, behave, and react as human beings. This is shown in many ways in the play as we watch the characters interact. We see big ideas, failures, and family values through the eyes of a disadvantaged group during an unfortunate time in history. As Martin Luther King said, Blacks are “...harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what

Throughout Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, we see the positive and negative effects of chasing the American Dream. Hansberry expresses her different views on the American Dream through the characters and she portrays the daily struggles of a 1950 black family throughout A Raisin in the Sun. In this play, she is able to effectively show the big impact that even small decisions can make on a family. Hansberry shows the many different attachments that come with the fulfillment of this American Dream. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, each family member has their own pursuit of happiness, which is accompanied by their American Dream.

A Raisin in the Sun and Dr. King’s speech discuss similar topics such as dreams and pride. In his speech, Dr. King proclaims, " We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline" (King). King encourages his fellow Americans to keep their dignity by remaining benevolent in their protest. He states that fighting for one's belief is vital, however, that it should not result in barbarity. Once it has reached that point it signifies the loss of one's pride. In the play, honor is one of the major themes and is expressed in several ways. The pride in their heritage and family that they all share is a major correlation between the views expressed by Dr. King and the story. His idea that one should show discipline and

Before the 1950’s, slavery had just been recently abolished and most people did not like slaves. During that time, the white people had discriminated against African Americans, talking badly and using violence against them. Also, they didn’t have rights that others did and were living in a nightmare. A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about the life of a poor black family that attempts to pursue their dreams but are brought down by society. “I Have a Dream”, by Mr. King, is a speech that deliberates the way that he and other people like him feel living their toxic lives that society creates. In both forms of literature, African Americans are trapped in a grueling life that white people are controlling.

A Raisin in the Sun was written by Lorraine Hansberry and is a play about an African American family who are struggling in the 1950’s to keep the family together. Although the play is portrayed in the 50’s many issues like the economy, racism, and family dynamics the characters had to face; these issues are still issues in the 21st century.

The title of the play itself, A Raisin in the Sun, directly references the poem Harlem written by Langston Hughes. Written in 1951, the poem targets one of the most common themes of that time period: the limitations of the American Dream for African Americans. In the poem, Hughes wonders if a “dream deferred” dries up “like a raisin in the sun” (Hughes 1). In other words, Hughes wants to know whether or not delaying dream will make the dream lose its “juice.” Hansberry alludes to the poem to explore the same notion Harlem addresses through Walter Lee Younger, a black man whose struggles throughout the play to achieve his dream. Walter is, by definition, a dreamer. He dreams of being wealthy, he dreams of being important, and he dreams of being a leader, but his goals are often deferred as a result of racial inequalities. However, one dream at the end of the play is fulfilled: the Younger family moving into Clybourne Park. The Youngers defy the societal norm of the time. Instead of backing down when Lindner tries to prevent them from moving, the Younger family fights back. Critics, when evaluating the ending of A Raisin in the Sun, compare the “explosive ending” of the poem to the “unexpectedly happy ending” of the play (Gill 1). Upon hearing the word “explosive,” a negative connotation is created because the word is often used to describe a dangerous weapon. However, it juxtaposes the

The play A Raisin in the Sun is a drama that was written by Lorraine Hansberry, who loosely based it off of her own family. It’s about an African American family made up of five people that each have their own individual dreams. Dreams is the main theme of this play. The main character to be focused on though is Walter. His dream is able to show how oppression of a dream or a deferred dream can tear a person down until Walter is able to change and not have a dream that is self-centered.