Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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 dream doesn’t become reality through magic, it takes sweat, determination and hard work” This quote by Colin Powell reminds a person of the Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun written by Larraine Hansberry. It is a drama and is about a black family that lives in southside Chicago in a small apartment. They are waiting on an insurance check for $10,000 due to the father’s passing. Mama put downpayment on a house in this drama/play. There are three main objects of symbolism. They are light, plant and window however the strongest are the light and the plant.

American was built on dreams. Many people do come to this freed country for all kinds of reasons such as; having a better education, trying to have a better life, and just following their dreams. In the book A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a story about the Younger family living in America in the 1950s or 1960s, tells all about the struggles of living as a colored person in American. Throughout the story, the Younger goes troubles that an African American family would go through back then, but yet somehow achieve their American dream.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, she depicts the struggles of an African American family striving to overcome poverty and make a better life for themselves in the harsh reality of a white-dominated world. Walter, Beneatha, and Lena Younger all exhibit extravagant dreams for a better future, yet through one reckless action, all of their dreams become unattainable. Walter’s lust for money and desire for respect and authority causes him to throw away sixty-five hundred dollars, dissolve his family’s dreams for a better future, and waste the prospect of financial stability his father spent his life working for.

In this article, the author presents various criticism of Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.” This article shares mixed criticism of Hansberry’s play. Some critics praised her work, calling it a “significant contribution to American dramatic literature”. While some “saw it only as a protest play or social drama about a Black family's struggle to buy a house in a white neighborhood”. One critic by the name of Harold Cruse, is quoted as saying, the play is "the most cleverly written piece of glorified soap opera" he has ever seen. “A Raisin in the Sun” is said to have inspired a younger group of writers due to the quality, courageousness, and commitment that her work displays. In this work, Washington also includes commentary from, Ann Cheney, who wrote a biography on Hansberry. According to Cheney, “the simple eloquence of the characters elevates the play into a universal presentation of all people's hopes, fears, and dreams.” Reading this article of mixed criticism is important for my research because, even though some had negative negative reviews of “A Raisin in the Sun,” most of the criticism in this article is explains what this play did for young black Americans. Many believed that Hansberry’s play discovered the basis of this universal hope, indeed of her faith in humanity, in the Black experience. The theme I am exploring in my final project is the deferred American Dream in African American literature and this article had a great impact on my research.

Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun follows the story of the Younger family over a time period of several weeks, in which great internal and external change quickly occurs for its characters. Throughout the play, readers are able to see the arduous daily lives of the Younger family, as created by the segregated, racist society in which they live. Though no longer slaves like their ancestors, the African-American family is still unable to claim the same level of success as the white community without yielding aspects of their native culture. The accumulation of their struggles weigh heavily on each of the characters and, as the play continues, readers can see characters begin to acknowledge the restrictive social roles they have been placed into. Such confrontation likewise urges the characters to search for meaning in who they are and what they stand for in the face of oppression and segregation. The distinctions between the segregated white and black American communities of the 1950s are placed at the fore-front of the play, with the concept of assimilation taking on a large, necessary role as a great opposing force. By bringing assimilation into focus, A Raisin in the Sun manages to reveal the ____ through the play’s characters and their beliefs, highlighting the specific issues which hinder the Younger family on their journey towards a better life and in their search for identity and belonging.

Social or political issues of the time period can be portrayed in books or plays written during that time. One example is A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. This play portrays many social issues, for example the achievement of the American Dream and racial tension and discrimination. Sexism is another social issue that is prominent in A Raisin in the Sun. There are the gender stereotypes for both male and female.

A Raisin in the Sun is one of the most acclaimed plays written by Hansberry during the Civil rights movement which is around the time the story taking place where the Younger family face racial discrimination, poverty, and cultural conflict. A theme that was constantly referenced in A Raisin in the Sun is the harsh and long lasting conflict between money and morality through the development of the character Walter, the man of the Younger family. Throughout the play Walter strongly represent the conflict between money and morality of his actions such as believing that money is the way of life, risking the family by using all the insurance money, and redeeming himself through his action at the last scene of the play.

*(Need hook) Growing up, Hansberry lived in Southside Chicago during a time when segregation was still very prominent among blacks and whites. Although there was no specific policy for segregation in Chicago, there was an unspoken rule that divided the two races. Her family was one of the first ones to move into a white neighborhood, and as a result they endured frequent threats of violence. Due to the fact that real-life experiences inspired the play, Hansberry managed to create an authentic image of African Americans living in America during that time. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry establishes an honest depiction of a black family living in America in the 1950s through the use of character foils, external conflicts,

Racism is a very common and serious issue that still takes place in real life and in real time. In the 1950s-1960s racism was at its peak and it is reflected in Lorraine Hansberry’s well-known play, A Raisin in the Sun. In the play, Hansberry depicted many of the racial problems that African American families suffered and the impact of it. Some literary critics we’re quick to respond to the racism showed in the play while others preferred not to commentate. This play also brought much controversy among people with different opinions. My goal in this paper is to effectively inform readers about what the racism in Hansberry’s play caused critics to argue. In Lorraine Hansberry’s famous play, A Raisin in the Sun the author raises many questions about race, fueling a debate among the literary critics.

A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" portrays the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the domination that black people continuously felt even though steps had been taken towards civil rights. According to Corley, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. "Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do give the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings" (Corley).

Within society there is often a gap between people’s race, religion and even economic status, which causes hatred, discrimination, racial prejudice and injustice. People are often shaped by these types of forces that surround them in the world which causes people to be more or less successful in the real world. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry is about a colored family, the Younger’s, whose only wish is to be expected by society in terms of economic status and social justice. But given the time, place and society that they live in, is it even possible for the Younger’s to break the cycle of racial prejudices and succeed, even when living in poverty? It seems that the title, A Raisin in the Sun, plays a major role

Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun is an extraordinary work for her time. Written in the mid-1950s right before the heat of the Civil Rights Movement, the idea of centralizing a play on an African-American family, the Youngers, was extremely progressive. Hansberry portrays her characters in a light that was positive opposed to the more common negative view people had towards African-Americans. The fact that she included cultural diversity into a work of literature changed the idea of art. (umich)

The 1950's was a decade in which black literature emphasized the issue of integration. Black writers also consciously stressed the similarities between Blacks and Whites. Hansberry believed that blacks and Whites had similar character traits and values, as A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates. However, Hansberry "assumed a consciously ambivalent stance in regard to social integration" (Turner, 4). The Youngers did not want to move into a white community merely out of a desire to live with whites. They moved out of a desire for freedom and opportunity rather than for social integration. But this motivation should not be construed as a desire to assimilate. Instead, it is a desire to achieve an ideal shared by all Americans. In this regard, A Raisin in the Sun is not a mere proponent of black assimilation--the play deals realistically

In Loraine Hansberry’s play, “A raisin in The Sun” outlines the racial controversy in the late 1950s. Identifying related topics such as segregation, discrimination, and Jim Crow laws. As the play progresses, the family finds themselves in a financial frenzy. The financial opportunity, influences the Youngers move from Southside Chicago to Clybourne Park. During the transition from a “black” to a “white” neighborhood, the family is faced with discrimination. They’re at odds with being themselves and being “white” enough to fit in, Hansberry depicts this theory by presenting the characters with conflicted ideals of their own racial identity and the persona they are to portray as they try to achieve their dreams.