Lorraine Hansberry

A short play is usually filled with a theatrical energy of diverse anthologies. The time allotted may be only ten or fifteen minutes, so it must be able to capture and engage the audience with some dramatic tension, exciting action, or witty humor. Just as in a short story, a great deal of the explanation and background is left for the reader or viewer to discover on their own. Because all the details are not explicitly stated, each viewer interprets the action in their own way and each experience is unique from someone else viewing the same play. Conflict is the main aspect that drives any work of literature, and plays usually consist of some form of conflict. In “Playwriting 101:

How are the main characters in a play constructed to represent the text’s underlying values and attitudes?

Lorraine Hansberry grew up in an era filled with racism and segregation. Hansberry was a victim to racism and prejudice when she was a little girl growing up with prosperous dreams as well as, when she was a in her prime. The racism and struggles she faced growing up is reflected in her literary works. Lorraine Hansberry embarked on a life with what would seem like insurmountable challenges and chose to be a leader and a role model for little kids. She urged children to follow their dreams and never give up. She talks to all of the kids of the world in her essay “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black”.

The Raisin in the Sun is about an African American family who live in Southside Chicago in the 1950’s. In that time period, African American families typically didn’t have nice houses, good jobs, or a lot of money. The family of five in the book live in a two-bedroom apartment with a bathroom that’s down the hallway that they have to share with other families in the building. This causes a lot of tension and issues since they can never really get away from one another. These issues help develop some of the plot in The Raisin in the Sun and develops some of the character’s personalities and how significant they are in the play. Most of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun By Lorriane Hansberry that make influence in the story. The two

The stories would not have the same effect if they were from anyone else’s perspective as they put the reader in place of people who are uneducated. The seven players lack of education serves as their downfall, while the reader learns with Sylvia through Miss Moore’s lesson.

3. The power of the play is its relevance to today’s society. We are surrounded in everyday life by men and women who might as well have been characters in this play.

7. What is the purpose of Miller’s comments and explanations throughout the play? If these were omitted, would your understanding of the play been affected? How?

“A Raisin in the Sun” is a long play by Lorraine Hansberry. The action of it is set in Chicago, and the time of the play is between World War II and the present. There are approximately eleven mentioned characters; Ruth Younger, Travis Younger, Lena Younger and etc. The hero in “ A Raisin in the Sun” is Walter Lee Younger, who is one of the sons of Lena Younger.

First, let’s review the characters in the main story, of which there are few in the literary story

Not only do the roles of the characters compel a reader, they also illustrate the

To begin with, in this play the author unfolds family conflicts that involve its characters into a series of events that affected their lives and pushed them to unexpected ways.

Upon walking out of Krannert's production of "A Raisin in the Sun," an eerie silence drizzled about the audience as people murmured and slowly shuffled towards the exits. After witnessing such a powerful yet melancholy piece of theater work, words seemed inappropriate. For three hours, "A Raisin in the Sun" encompassed us with racial, economic, and social issues of the 1950s. Swirling portions of humor, disgrace, pride, and sadness into a smooth blend, the play developed many twists and turns that kept the audience and myself completely alert. Throughout the three acts I could feel the audience, as well as myself, totally devoting themselves to the play. But after taking a step back, the play proved to

Characters – agents of the play, they provide motivation for the plot. “Vivid Characters” are the ones who are faced with “obstacles that we the audience can recognise”.

The characters are a pivotal part of a narrative “because they provide a personification of the beliefs being described” (More, 2009, p.349). There are two different types of characters within a narrative: round and flat. Literary devices states, that “round characters are major characters in a story, who encounter contradictory situations, and undergo transformation during this phase. Therefore, these characters do not remain the same throughout the narrative.” In contrast, a flat character is a “type of character in fiction that does not change too much from the start of the narrative to its end” (Literary Devices, 2018).

There are several themes present in A Raisin in the Sun. The subjects of hope, dreams, and values are all recurring motifs throughout the play’s entirety. Despite the repressive conditions faced by the Younger family due to the racist and sexist societal views of the sixties, they still maintain a degree of hope throughout their ordeal. They hold onto the hope that, in the face of their circumstances, things will get better and they will be able to achieve their dreams. The symbolism used in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun helps emphasize the themes and tone of the play.