Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

In his 1931 book, The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams defined the American dream as, “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams). Throughout the 1950s, the American Dream was a major philosophy believed by many. Much of society felt no matter what race, gender, or nationality they are, they are capable of achieving success. Within the play, A Raisin in the Sun, the characters are faced with many difficult challenges and obstacles that they strive to overcome. Each of them focus on a better life for themselves and the Younger Family. In A Raisin In The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor because in her perspective becoming an

In Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959), she reveals the life of the Youngers family. In doing so, there surfaces a detrimental ideology that destroys the family financially and in their overall happiness. In Act II Scene I, Walter, the father figure of the family, says, “Why? You want to know why? 'Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don 't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” (Hansberry 532). By way of explanation, the family and much of the African-American community for the 1960’s, is built upon a loose ideology that is a brutal cycle that infects the lives of those who inhabit the area; tired of all the commotion from the Caucasians who, to them, miraculously achieve a life of ruling and

The struggles of being African American have been very evident throughout history. To present day many African Americans (commonly referred to as "black") endure injustice and inequality. As many racial protests and movies have been made to depict such hardships, so have books. The controversial topics of racism and gender roles are spread throughout A Raisin in the Sun. Lorraine Hansberry lived through such a time where racial and gender discrimination was at its highest point; which she portrays in her book. As the Younger family eventually developed into a family so do the gender issues. My goal in this paper is to identify gender injustice as it has been dominantly illustrated, whether that be where the women stand or what the men should be doing as opposed to the women having higher power.

After World War II, African Americans had unequal opportunities in many aspects of their lives. A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, mirrors the conflicts endured by African-Americans after World War II who were hoping to better their lives, but still held back by the racism and bigotry of earlier eras. Despite the legal barriers of segregation in the 1950s, black families were still being denied access to jobs, higher education, and particularly as it relates to the play, desirable neighborhoods in which to raise their families. At this time, black families like the Youngers, had planned living arrangements from zoning issues. They were blocked from the neighborhoods because of covenants and racial steering matters. The

Money is a major struggle for some families in the 1950’s. Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin In The Sun, shows that in multiple ways. The father in the family, Walter Lee Sr. passed away, and all the family has to look forward to is the life insurance check of ten-thousand dollars. The younger family is Mama, Walter , Beneatha , and Ruth. Ruth is married to Walter and they have a son named Travis. Another thing that causes major problems is the fact that Ruth is pregnant. This causes more problems because there is barely enough room in the house to begin with.

In the novel, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry , shows the reader how society was viewed back then in the 1950s .It was tough for african american lives. An African american family living on the southside of Chicago in the 1950s. The play opens from receiving a 10,000 thousand dollar insurance check to do whatever they want with it. Living with five people in a tiny- one bedroom apartment puts the environment pressures high. The book portrays the idea of a dream within all the African american characters shown differently and the different struggles they have to live with in a world of racism, social standards/higher expectations, and regret fullness. Walter Lee Younger, the man of the house, truly encapsulates the American

Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun is modeled after Langston Hughes 1959 poem “Dream Deferred.” Hughes asked “What happens to a dream deferred?” (l. 1). And later goes on to saying “dry up like a raisin in the sun” (l. 2-3) and “stink like rotten meat” (l. 6). The Young family all have their personal dreams and are all deferred at some point. Walter wants to achieve riches by investing the money from the insurance check into a liquor store. His sister Beneatha would rather have the insurance money to herself and pay for her medical school. Both Mama and Ruth want to leave the tiny house they are cramped in and move into a nicer home, mainly for Travis. They want Travis to have his own room, not a living room and coach, but an

The book Raisin in the sun took place in the 1950’s it was in Chicago southside in this era there was racism and segregation. The character is Walter and the theme is money and morality. Walters choice on using the money for the liquor store shows how insensitive he is and doesn't even think about his mother's opinion on the matter.

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, this play also comes in a series of movies. In the movie version of A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Leon Kenny, there are many similarities and differences from the play. In the play, for example, a difference is that Mama talks about the check with Walter in their apartment, but in the movie they talk in a diner after Mama finds Walter in a bar. Another difference is that Travis was in the play a lot, but in the movie he was hardly included. A similarity, however, is that Mama gives her same speech about how loving someone when they are down is the best thing you can do for them. The movie version was set in the time period of the Civil Rights Movement, and the play was not set in that time period. While both versions of A Raisin in the Sun address the similarities and differences, the differences exceed the similarities, hence a teacher must show the movie and the play so the students can understand the significance of both.

Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930. Growing up on Chicago's south side, in a middle class african american family with four other siblings . Hansberry’s childhood took a very big part in the writing of A Raisin In The Sun . During 1938 Hansberry and her family had moved into an all white neighborhood , where they were faced with a traumatic and racist experience; The family had fought against the segregation and racism pointed towards their children. Hansberry was almost killed from a brick flying through the window of her house sent flying from a hostile neighbor. After these traumatic events the Hansberry family was left with no choice, but to keep fighting.

A Raisin in The Sun, a drama by Lorraine Hansberry was produced on stage in 1959. The drama describes an black family, in the 1950’s on the Southside of Chicago, who have complications with each other, but pull through it successfully. The family consists of, Mama, the grandma, who’s name is Lena, Ruth, the mother, Walter Lee, the father, Beneath, the daughter of Mama, sister of Walter, and aunt of Travis; and Travis, the son of Walter Lee and Ruth Younger. Over the courses of the play, Beneatha and Mama, and Mama and Walter experience conflict, yet by the end of the play the family has been able to cross their differences and are able to support one another in a common cause, which is to pass by racial judgement.

The play “A Raisin in the Sun” was written in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry. This play is about a struggling black family in chicago during the 1950’s who has faced many hardships but gain some relief after receiving life insurance money from the deceased character Mr. Younger. The family formulates many ideas about what should be done with the money, some ideas being more selfish than others. But, mama makes the final decision to buy a house in an all white neighborhood so the family can move out of their apartment and start a better life,which has been a dream for the family. But, these plans are almost destroyed when her son Walter Lee loses most of the money to his friend who he thought was going to start a liquor store with him.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun” we see the many struggles of the Younger family, a black family living in Chicago. Hansberry can show the impact of decisions in family. The story of the Younger family and their problems and results of their actions, progresses with the use of the themes of dreams, race, and family. In “A Raisin in the Sun”, the Younger family is handed a chance to realize their various dreams and hopes when a $10,000 check comes.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, feminism is defined as “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (“feminism” def. 1). In the American drama, A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha, a young college student aspiring to be a doctor, embodies the characteristics of feminism through her defiance of conventional gender roles. Throughout the course of the text, Beneatha’s family, suitors, and society alike attempt to thrust subordinance upon her, and encourage her to accept her role as a woman in America. Nonetheless, Beneatha rejects this stereotype and continually challenges misogyny. Thus, in A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry employs the character of Beneatha as a feminist figure in order to criticize the unjust role of women in the

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).