Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

888 Words2 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun

Throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun, the character Beneatha talks about finding her identity. The concept of assimilation becomes very important to the Younger family. Neither of the members of the Younger family wanted to assimilate into mainstream America, they just want to live comfortably. The Youngers are an African American family living on the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. They were living during an era where America was extremely racist towards blacks. The Younger family was made up of Mama, the backbone of the family, her daughter Beneatha, her son Walter, his wife Ruth, and his son Travis. They all lived in a small two-bedroom apartment where they had to share a bathroom in the hall with their neighbors and Travis slept on the couch.
Mama and her family were about to receive a check for $10,000 from the deceased Mr. Younger’s insurance policy. This money seemed like the answer to the family’s’ prayers. Everyone seemed to have big dreams for the money. Mama wanted to buy a house, Walter wanted to invest the money into a liquor store, and Beneatha wanted to use the money for her medical school tuition. Ruth agreed with Mama’s ideal of buying a house and she thought that the house would provide more space and opportunity for her son.
Mama wanted to use the insurance money to buy a house. She finally had the chance to fulfill the dream that her and Mr. Younger always had. Mama wanted to buy a house in a predominantly white neighborhood b...

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
570 Words | 2 Pages
While Mama is talking to Walter, she asks him why he always talks about money. "Mama: Oh--So now it's life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life--now it's money. I guess the world really do change . . . Walter: No--it was always money, Mama. We just didn't know about it." Walter thinks that the world revolves around money. He wants to believe that if his family were rich they would have perfect lives. This isn't true though, and Mama knows it. She knows that no matter how much money Walter has, he will never be happy unless he has a family that loves him. Before Walter goes out to invest in the liquor store he has a talk with his son. "Walter: You wouldn't understand yet, son, but your daddy's gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that's going to change our lives. . . ." Walter thinks that this transaction will make their lives better. What he doesn't realize is that he already has a good life and he doesn't need more money to make him happy. He should be grateful for what he has instead of worrying about money.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
530 Words | 2 Pages
A Raisin in the Sun 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 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.
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Raisin In The Sun Beneatha
917 Words | 2 Pages
The Younger’s, an African American family living on the south-side of Chicago in the 1950s, live in an undersized apartment for their family of five. Lena Younger, the mother of the house, receives a check of ten thousand dollars and dreams of owning her own house in a white neighborhood. Beneatha’s brother, Walter, has high hopes of investing the money in a liquor store. Walter’s wife, Ruth does all she can to support his ideas while caring for their son, Travis. But, to become a doctor, Beneatha wants and needs the money to pay for her schooling. Walter and Beneatha’s wants for the money cause disputes throughout the house.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
591 Words | 2 Pages
The civil rights movement brought enlightenment towards the abolishment of segregation laws. Although the laws are gone does segregation still exist in fact? “What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?'; said, in a poem by Langston Huges. The story, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry showed segregation and its affects upon all races. This essay will show how Assimilationists and New Negroes fought for their own identity in the mid twentieth century. Whether they were being true to themselves or creating carbon copies of oppression was determined by one’s view upon society.
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A Raisin In The Sun Argumentative Essay
464 Words | 1 Pages
Another reason why the want for money drastically changed the family lives for the worst is because Walter’s investment caused the family to loss most of mama's money. Walter thought the liquor store would be a smart investment, but his business partner left and the family find out “Gone, what do you mean Willy is gone…” (Hansberry, pg 27). This changed the family, it caused them to be distressed, if Walter did not invest into the liquor store the family would still have the money.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
568 Words | 2 Pages
Dream’s Recovered Everyone has dreams; everyone has goals they want to accomplish. Some know what it is instantly, and some take time to realize what they want to do. But not everyone will achieve their dreams and some, because of sad circumstances, lose their grip on their dreams and fall into a state of disappointment. Langston Hughes poem relates to the dreams of Mama, Ruth, and Walter in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
811 Words | 2 Pages
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters in this play have hopes and aspirations; they all strive towards their goals throughout the play. However, many of the characters in the play have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another; such as Walter’s versus Bennie’s, George’s versus Asagai’s, and the Clybourne Park versus the Younger’s.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun
1246 Words | 3 Pages
The chasing of a mirage is a futile quest where an individual chases an imaginary image that he or she wants to capture. The goal of this impossible quest is in sight, but it is unattainable. Even with the knowledge that failure is inevitable, people still dream of catching a mirage. There is a fine line that separates those who are oblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
836 Words | 2 Pages
"A Raisin in the Sun" was written by Lorraine Hansberry. It has won her an award in 1959, at age 29, the youngest American, the fifth woman, and the black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award of the New York Drama Critics. This book of the play has been put in its entire form. The original play did not include some scenes. This book has been an inspiration to a lot people. In my personal opinion, the central message is to show how the value systems of black families are. In some ways they are unique, but most ways are exactly the same as white families.
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Materialism In A Raisin In The Sun
1269 Words | 3 Pages
Though American citizens are recognized as adults at the age of eighteen, human brains take much longer to fully develop. The play A Raisin in the Sun takes place in the apartment of the Youngers, an African American family struggling with financial issues during the 1950’s. Walter’s father has recently passed away, and Mama receives a life insurance check for his death. Walter and Mama share their cramped apartment with Walter’s sister Beneatha, his wife, Ruth, and their son, Travis. Walter works as a chauffeur and Ruth does domestic chores for rich, white families. They do not have many opportunities for better jobs or higher quality education, but Beneatha attends college classes in hopes of becoming a doctor. Walter’s job as a chauffeur
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
485 Words | 1 Pages
In the play “ A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry the family are anxiously waiting for a insurance check. Also the family is getting the insurance check because the husband of mama passed away. the insurance check kind of divided the family because everyone wants something different with the money. Also at the end no one gets what they wanted with the money except for mama. individuals strive to reach their dreams they often disregard the aspirations of others but they may eventually learn to support one another in attempt to better their lives.
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The Effects of Oppression in Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun
1182 Words | 3 Pages
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a modern tragedy in which the protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, is unable to find the fulfilling life he wants so badly. A contrasting view of the quest for that fulfilling life is offered in the character of Beneatha (whose name seems a play on her socioeconomic status, i.e. she-who-is-beneath), who serves as a foil against which the character of Walter is defined. Both Walter and Beneatha, representing the new generation of blacks coming of age after World War Two, are in conflict with Mama, who represents the previous generation and its traditions. The character of George Murchison is also opposed to both Beneatha and Walter, since he symbolizes assimilation on the white man's terms. Walter and Beneatha are also in conflict with their environment, a society where they are marginalized and subject to daily humiliation because of what is called their race (not, in fact, a biological distinction but a cultural construct).
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
650 Words | 2 Pages
Greed is the one thing in this world that everyone has in common. Normally, money helps with what a person might need. A person might get confused with what they want rather than what they need to better their family. A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry proves that money leads to greed as shown through Walter Lee’s dreams of a liquor store, his relationship with Ruth, and how he turns on Beneatha for her dream to become a doctor.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
585 Words | 2 Pages
A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, stars a lower class black family in Chicago attempting to make a better life for themselves. The play version of the story was later adapted into a movie 57 years after. Although both versions are very similar, their are key differences between the movie and play which change how the characters are portrayed and how the events unfold in the story.
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A Raisin In The Sun Mama Character Analysis
647 Words | 2 Pages
Ruth’s and Mama’s dreams are similar. They both believe to build a happy family one needs to take a step towards his or her goal in a bigger and better home. But unfortunately, Ruth’s dream is deferred by a lack of money, which forces her and Walter to live in a crowded one bedroom apartment, where their son, Travis, sleeps on a sofa. Because of Youngers' financial difficulties, Ruth must deny
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun