In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger struggles with their dreams as they face pecuniary and racial issues. Beneatha has many dreams, most of which require, according to her, an education to pursue. Beneatha seeks to become a doctor and to fight for equality, however, the education to complete such dreams requires money, something of which the Youngers do not have plenty, rendering her dreams deferred.
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, members of the Younger family has to set aside each of their own individual dreams in life in order to reach a collective goal that would benefit the entire family. A Raisin in the Sun displays the lives of an African-American working family living in Southside Chicago and the hardships that they must endure. Due to the death of her husband and his life insurance, Lena Younger receives a check of $10,000. Each member of the Younger family has a dream which they are determined to achieve, and they each have an opinion on how to utilize the $10,000. Oftentimes one must make individual sacrifices in order to tend to the interest of a whole population. The poem titled Harlem written by Langston Hughes contains metaphors that directly correspond with the characters in Hansberry’s play. The two siblings, Walter Lee Younger and Beneatha Younger, are major characters who experience their dreams being put on hold. Examples of cases in which their dreams are deferred are Walter with his dream of investing in a liquor store and Beneatha with her goal of attending medical school so she may become a doctor.
At the beginning of the play “A Raisin in the Sun” the main characters from the play all demonstrate that they have dreams for themselves and all of them deal with how they identify with themselves. These dreams are, for Walter, to be perceived as wealthy, for Beneatha to be independent, and for Mama to continue what she and her husband started to own their own house with space for everyone. These characters had to comprehend their own identity to settle on the whole family’s dream of moving to a middle-class neighborhood, and how that dream fulfilled all their dreams. Walter’s dream of appearing wealthy stems from him wanting a better life for himself, his wife Ruth, and his son Travis. He believes he can accomplish this by investing in a liquor store and changing his financial standing. Walters dream is exposed when he discusses it with his son Travis:
Have you ever had a dream that you have been really committed to? Has something or someone ever stopped you short of that or any dream of yours? These questions are quite relevant to the main characters in the selections Of Mice and Men and “Only Daughter”. Of Mice and Men is a well-known story by John Steinbeck that tells the tale of two travel companions, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they dream and work hard to gain a small piece of land for themselves during The Great Depression, a harsh financial time. “Only Daughter” is an autobiographical essay by Sandra Cisneros about her struggles on trying to bond with her father while being impeded by her six brothers. The two selections’ main dreams are both corresponding and distinct in various ways. The dreams are also very substantial to the one who holds it. George and Lennie’s dream, in Of Mice and Men, influenced their lifestyle, behavior, and relationship between them. Sandra Cisneros’s dream, from “Only Daughter”, had an impact on the topic of her writing, her writing style, and her relationship with her father, who she has been trying to gain the approval for her writing career for many years.
All through the play A Raisin in the Sun, multiple sorts of symbolism are clearly demonstrated throughout the play. Hansberry makes a great showing with regards to of enabling these images to be seen, similar to a specific plant object (Mother's plant) or a general item (cash). She now and then even uses symbolism through individuals (Beneatha) to help the reader understand the points that Hansberry is trying to get across. She is smart in her utilization of symbolism because she can get a sentiment the day and age in which they are in, from specific objects that represent something different. Utilizing symbolism is vital because it enables the peruser to get a more detail feeling of the issue,or occasion that is occurring.
In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, there were characters whose dreams were stated, some of which were shattered by greed and misfortune and others which would eventually come to be true. The first dream that came about was Walter’s dream of one day owning and maintaining a liquor store. He would do anything to attempt to get his dream to come true, but his mama wanted anything but that to happen. His mama had a dream of her own though, she dreamed of one day owning her own house, where her whole family could stay comfortably. She dreamed this because in the apartment that she resided in was too small, and dumpy, as Ruth called it. Her grandson Travis had to sleep on the couch, and all
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a play about segregation, triumph, and coping with personal tragedy. Set in Southside Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the individual dreams of the Younger family and their personal achievement. The Younger's are an African American family besieged by poverty, personal desires, and the ultimate struggle against the hateful ugliness of racism. Lena Younger, Mama, is the protagonist of the story and the eldest Younger. She dreams of many freedoms, freedom to garden, freedom to raise a societal-viewed equal family, and freedom to live liberated of segregation. Next in succession is Beneatha Younger, Mama's daughter, assimilationist, and one who dreams of aiding people by breaking down
Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in the Sun, revolves around a middle-class African-American family, struggling during World War II. By reading about the Younger’s true to life experiences, one learns many important life lessons. One of the aforementioned would be that a person should always put family’s needs before their own. There are many examples of this throughout the novel. Just a few of these would be the example of Ruth and her unborn baby, Walter regaining the respect of his family, and Mama and her unselfish ways.
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, tells the story of a black family’s struggle to achieve their dreams. Beneatha’s dream is the take control of her life which would be accomplished through her feminism. In this play, she attempts to gain control by becoming a doctor which is very ambitious during this time. Bennie also changes her hair to more accurately reflect her independence. Bennie uses her feminism to take control of her life by getting an education and changing her hair to be more independent.
In “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, Mama went back in to get the plant because her hope for a garden was reignited and it reveals that she has not given up on her dreams. Throughout the whole story, Mama always had hope that her and her family would achieve their dreams, and during the end of the story, it looked like she had lost hope, but she never fully gave up. Even after she screamed at god to give her strength she said later in the story “We ain’t never been that dead inside” and it had made it seem like she had given up (3.1.116). Then when Walter called Lindner to get the money for the house, Mama grabbed Travis and said “Make him understand what you are doing” and it revealed that she didn’t just want to give up on the
“Check coming today?” The Life Insurance check that Mama will soon be receiving is the source of all the dreams in the Younger family. A major argument that Lorraine Hansberry makes in her play A Raisin in the Sun is the importance of dreams. Dreams are what each member of the Younger family is driven by. Mama wants to have her own home in a nice part of town; she does not want her children growing up in a place with rats. Walter wants to have a successful business so he can surpass the poverty that has plagued his family. And Beneatha wants to get a good education, become a doctor, and marry a nice man. Dreams are especially important to the Younger family as they come from a poverty laden family and desire to live the “American Dream.”
In A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha is an African American woman in the 1950’s who is determined to put her education first and one day become a doctor. Ruth tries to convince Beneatha to marry George because he is a rich man; however, Beneatha responds that “[she’s] going to be a doctor. [She’s] not worried about who [she’s] going to marry yet-if [she] ever gets married” (Hansberry, 1959, p. 936). After this discussion, Beneatha’s discipline and mindset is revealed. Beneatha clearly shows that she is more committed to her education than any other aspect of her life.
Lena, Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha Younger all lived under the same roof, but their dreams were all different. Being the head of the household, Lena dreamed the dreams of her children and would do whatever it took to make those dreams come true. Walter, Lena's oldest son, set his dream on the liquor store that he planned to invest with the money of his mother. Beneatha, in the other hand, wanted to become a doctor when she got out of college and Ruth, Walter's wife, wanted to be wealthy. "A Raisin in the Sun" was a book about "dreams deferred", and in this book that Lorraine Hansberry had fluently described the dreams of the Younger family and how those
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun encompasses all the ideals of the American Dream through her characters: Walter, who embodies the quest for an opportunity for prosperity, Beneatha who wants the freedom to be herself and embrace her African heritage, and Lena (Mama) who buys a home in a white neighborhood pushing the boundaries of social mobility during that time. The Youngers are in a state of poverty, because of this as suggested by Lloyd Brown “their deprivations expose the gap between the American Dream and the Black American reality” (241). However the Youngers attempt to close this gap, challenging the status quo in an effort to better themselves.
Dreams let people’s imagination soar and give them the desire to achieve wonderful things. Although, every now and then, a wall may stand in the way of you and your dreams. From small inconveniences or life impending problems, conflicts can impact your life and can make you want to give up on your dreams all together. As Amelia Earhart once said,” Everyone has oceans to fly, if they have the heart to do it. Is it reckless, maybe. But what do dreams know of boundaries?” Amelia dreamt of becoming a skilled and famed female aviator and worked hard towards her fame by taking flying lessons and participating in flying derbies long before she made history flying solo across the Atlantic and attempted her trip around the world. While Amelia was
Did you know that most African Americans were not allowed to vote until 1965, only a little over 50 years ago? This was just one among many struggles faced by black people during the 1950's. Though slavery was finally no longer a hindrance, this did not put an end to racism and financial disadvantages. Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun follows a family of African Americans and how they attempt to overcome these racial barriers in order to live out their individual dreams. When a patriarchal death brings a large check to the family, every character seems to think that money will provide a perfect path leading to their wishes. For example, Mama, the “grandmother” figure, wants to buy a house because her dream is to move out of poverty and into comfort. On the other hand, Walter wants to use the money to invest in a liquor store thinking it will help him fit in with “the whites.” However, Beneatha, Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister, has other plans in her mind. Only twenty years old, Beneatha Younger best portrays the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun with her desires to find love, keep her ancestors relevant, and cure people.