Kasey Roberts Ms. Kilfoyle 8th Grade English 18 March 2024 A Dream Deferred Having ethics and morality is crucial to a person’s success. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry introduces the Younger family, members with distinct and unique perspectives who all share a common struggle economically as a Black family in the 1950s in a segregated neighborhood in Chicago. Mama, her daughter Beneatha, her son Walter, her daughter-in-law Ruth, and her grandson Travis live in a cramped, infested, and unclean apartment on the South Side of Chicago. These living conditions, much dictated by the unjust discrimination of the racist Jim Crow laws, do not cage the family, as they too hold onto that desirable American Dream, the dream of home ownership and upward mobility. …show more content…
She says the most important time to love someone is when “he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in himself ‘cause the world has whipped him so! When you start measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right”(Hansberry 129). This concept is a moral value that Mama has and she wants to share it with her children so they understand her perspective. Mama strives for her children to understand each other and support each other, so making Beneatha aware of the love she must have for her brother is important. Mama adds, “[m]ake sure you have taken into account what hills and valleys he came through before he got to wherever he is”(Hansberry 129). The hills and valleys represent the ups and downs of one’s life, how it is always changing from positive to negative experiences, and how Beneatha must be aware of her brother’s struggles and different experiences, not just the outcome. In the end, the Younger family’s dream does become reality, although it was temporarily postponed. By using morals he learned from his mother, Walter ultimately makes a decision that shapes the future of his family, moving into the new
Where money is but an illusion and all it brings are nothing but dreams, one family struggles to discover that wealth can be found in other forms. In the play "A Raisin in the Sun," Lorraine Hansberry uses the indirect characterization of the Younger family through their acquaintances to reveal that money and materialism alone are worthless.
for his family. One may ask, why is he so intent on his dream? Walter
In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the main characters Beneatha Younger tries to find herself and figure out exactly who she is. She is a twenty year old black woman who attends college in the South Side of Chicago. One of her closest friends, Joseph Asagai, is from Nigeria and he really has Beneatha’s best interests in mind. Nigerian culture is very significant in the play because Asagai tries to teach Nigerian culture to Beneatha, in order for her to discover who she wanted to be. Right when Beneatha first met Asagai she said, "Mr. Asagai — I want very much to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my identity" (A Raisin in the Sun). So Asagai began to teach Beneatha African and about Nigerian culture. After visiting his family in Nigeria, Asagai brings back Beneatha Nigerian music, beautiful Nigerian robes and even invites her to come and live in Nigeria with him, to try to teach her to respect and embrace this other culture that she is somewhat connected to. Nigerian culture is a key factor in A Raisin in the Sun, and Nigerian music, Nigerian clothing and other aspects of Nigerian culture is very important to Beneatha on her quest to discover who she is.
One of the most notable plays on the topic of racial minorities and family issues, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, has continued to be popular since it was written in 1959. The play is about an African American family, consisting of five members, who live in Southside Chicago during the post-World-War-Two era. The Younger family is crowded in a tiny, worn, and shabby apartment and they are fairly poor. They never have much surplus money until Walter’s father, and Mama’s husband, died and the family received a life-insurance check for ten thousand dollars. The play follows the family’s journey through the fights and distress that come from suddenly obtaining a large amount of money and the differing opinions on how the money should be used. A Raisin in the Sun has been popular since its publication for its realistic portrayal of racism and segregation that remained prominent in the post-WWII era; however, it has remained popular with audiences of all races because it contains powerful themes of family confrontations and discrimination.
The play A Rasin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Walter changes from being selfish, greedy, and desperate for control, to being mature, the decision maker and he puts his family first. Walters's greed damaged many of his relationships, his relationships with his mother, sister, and wife were the main ones that were damaged. The ending of the play was a fresh start for him, and through the play he got the growth he so desperately needed. Character development is not often linear, and this story proves that. Is abandoning your dreams for your family a self-betrayal or an action of maturity?I think that Walter in the beginning of the play was desperate for control.
Society is continually confronted with challenges requiring constant evaluation by its citizens to achieve meaningful change. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, we see the characters struggling to live through the 1950's in America. The play highlights the Younger family's issues, such as racial discrimination, economic inequality, and the pursuit of the American dream. The 1950s in America was a time that followed World War II, a considerable time for social change in America. The story focuses on an African American family living in a small home in Chicago and emphasizes the characters' challenges individually and as a family.
A Raisin in the Sun Final Writing Apollo Burton The play A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansburry, features a number of complex and contrasting characters. The play features the Youngers, a black family downtrodden and beaten by the systemic and societal issues that plagued the 1950’s. Throughout the main events of the story, we witness how these characters evolve as they battle the oppression and poverty that threatens to undo the already loose threads that bind their family. The character that we will focus on is Walter Lee, the desperate father of the Younger family, who embodies the central themes of the play. Using quotes and examples from the text, we will dive deep into Walter Lee’s character, analyzing his dreams, fears,
The play addresses themes of race, identity, and social mobility, and remains relevant today. In A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family grapples with issues of poverty, discrimination, and the American
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is an explorative narrative of the life of an African American family living in the heart of Chicago during the 1950s. Each member of the Younger family has distinct desires and qualities, all seeking a better life within their unique frames of reference (Hansberry). Before the play’s beginning, Big Walter, Mama’s husband and father of Beneatha and Walter, has passed away, leaving Mama in a position of authority over the household and promising the arrival of a large sum of life-insurance money (Hansberry). Hansberry’s protagonist, Walter Younger, harbors a dream to open a liquor store in partnership with friends Willy Harris and Bobo (Hansberry 1.1). Mama, however, disagrees sternly with Walter’s plan
Aiden Ayers Ms. Blue Voices of Dissent 14 April 2024 Dreams Deferred Have you ever had a dream that you just can’t get off your mind? In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the story takes place in a small apartment in the Southside of Chicago during the 1950s. This also took place when the women’s feminism movement in America started. Many African-American people migrated from the South to many big cities like Chicago during this time. The younger family lives paycheck to paycheck and often have verbal fights with one another.
Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is symbolized through the insurance check to show how dreams and reality co-exist with money. This play reveals how the shadow of financial security can connect and divide the family. The $10,000 insurance payment represents the hope and possibility that the life-changing money will be spent on the "American Dream. " Receiving the check means something different to each person and reflects many possibilities. Walter Jr. wants to enter the liquor business, which he hopes will grow and bring financial freedom to the family.
The late 1950s was filled with racial discriminations. There was still sections living as well as public signs of Colored and Whites. Blacks and Whites were not for any change or at least not yet. A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Vivian Hansberry, tells a story of a black family that is struggling to gain a middle class acceptance in Chicago. The family of five, one child and four adults live in a tiny apartment that is located in a very poor area. Dreams of owning a business and having money to accomplish goals is two key parts played out throughout the whole play. Walter Younger is determined to have his own business and he will go to ends met to see that dream come true. Financial bridges are crossed and obstacles arise when Walter makes a bad decision regarding money that could have help the family and not only himself, if he would have thought smarter. His pride and dignity are tested throughout the story and he is forced to setup for his family. The Raisin in the Sun helps readers to understand history of racial discrimination and how racial discrimination has an effect on the people in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as how that has an effect on the characters within the play.
A Raisin in the Sun Essay Achieving dreams can be a struggle. A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry on the Chicago South Side. It is an African American family who receives a life insurance payout and must determine what to do with money while having to face challenges such as racism, discrimination, and assimilation. A dominant theme in the play, A Raisin in the Sun, is that despite the obstacles faced in life, it is important to pursue your dreams. The author uses the character of Mama, the matriarch of the Younger family, who is determined to pursue her dreams.
Imagine trying to chase a dream and wishing it would come true, but it always seems to be just out of reach, not from the abilities, but from the color of your skin. This is the harsh reality fave by the Younger family in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, “A Raisin in the Sun,” set in Chicago, the story emphasizes the struggles of an African American family trying to thrive against the barriers of racial inequality. In “A Raisin in the Sun,” racial inequality deeply affects both Walter and Mama, causing Walter to struggle with his dreams of financial success and self-worth, while Mama faces tough choices in the past while trying to protect and support her family by in the need of living in a better home for them. Walter’s experiences with racial
Thematic Analysis of “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Hansberry wrote the play “A Raisin in the Sun” about an African American family dealing with the repercussions of racial tension between blacks and whites in the 1950’s. The family struggles to achieve their dreams due to social and economic setbacks. Each family member has their own goals and dreams for themselves and their family. Each character experiences losses while trying to achieve their dreams, and some let their dreams get in the way of reality and family. Lorraine Hansberry has portrayed an accurate representation of the importance of family, in general, in “A Raisin in the Sun” through showing how the family makes sacrifices for one another, overcome adversity