Katie Waldrop Mr. Brown English 102-901 14 July 2024 A Raisin in the Sun Achieving the “American Dream” is a goal of most American young people. The “American Dream” as defined in Jennifer Murtoff’s article is the “ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility, freedom, and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed” (Murtoff). Many Americans do not have that equal opportunity because they face many obstacles in order to achieve what they believe to be success. Lorraine Hansberry illuminated several of these obstacles in her play A Raisin in the Sun. The play centered on the Younger family back in the 1950s when colored people and women were not treated as equal. Segregation was still very prevalent …show more content…
Even in 2024, economic barriers still exist for a large number of people. According to the report by Adewale A. Maye, the Civil Rights Movement “succeeded in removing key barriers to equal rights under the law, many economic demands were left unmet. Failure to address these has adversely impacted the economic security of people of color and exacerbated many of the long-standing racial disparities in economic outcomes present today” (Maye). So, although segregation is not as prominent, there are still economic barriers for colored people and women with regard to earnings, professional status and other economic factors. Social inequality was demonstrated throughout the life of the Younger family. They faced social inequality because of their race, which was demonstrated when the people from the white neighborhood offered them money so that they would not move into their neighborhood. Beneatha faced social inequality in her family because they didn’t believe she could become a doctor because she was a
Many obstacles can prevent people from accomplishing their goals. The play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, is about a lower class, colored family that has to overcome many obstacles. Lena, often referred to as Mama, receives a life insurance check of $10,000 due to the death of her husband. Her son, Walter Lee, wants to use to money to go into business and invest the money in a liquor store. However, her daughter, Beneatha, hopes that the money goes toward her schooling to become a doctor
The obstacles that come with dreams The American dream is not as big as it used to be because people don’t want to wait for something they just want it now and without the hassle. The American dream is having the freedom to pursue your dreams regardless of your race, and social class. In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” Lorraine Hansberry show the obstacles that Walter faces to meet his American dream of buying a liquor store. It’s hard for people to meet their dreams when obstacles get in the way
Resolving Conflicts and Overcoming Obstacles in A Raisin In The Sun In the play, A Raisin In The Sun, Mother tries to keep everything under control because she believes in her children and their dreams, yet understands that they still need to learn and strengthen their value's as they begin to realize their own aspirations. She is the head of the family around whom the conflicts arise and are resolved. After the death of her husband, Mother struggles to keep her family together by providing
A Raisin in the Sun Essay Topics Breeze Carpenter. In the movie "A Raisin in the Sun," assimilation plays a significant role in the lives of the Younger family. As African Americans living in a predominantly white society, the characters constantly grapple with the idea of assimilating into mainstream culture in order to achieve success and acceptance. Walter Lee Younger, the head of the household, is particularly focused on assimilation as a means of improving his family's socioeconomic status
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
Some people have big dreams and Walter in Raisin in the Sun has a huge dream. Walter angrily says “You see this liquor store I got in mind, cost $75,000” (Hansberry 18). This quote shows it is going to take work to accomplish and Walter and his family have barely got by and don't have much money. Walter simply can't afford it, and it is a very big dream to accomplish. In the book, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, there are a lot of themes but there is one theme that stands out
Thematic Statement Both A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Macbeth by William Shakespeare examine the consequences of ambition, yet they do so in contrasting ways. Macbeth depicts ambition as a destructive force leading to moral corruption and personal downfall, while A Raisin in the Sun portrays ambition within the context of racial and economic challenges, illustrating its impact on family dynamics and collective aspirations. While Macbeth’s ambition ultimately leads to his ruin, the
A raisin in the sun, to understand the concept we must know the title’s origin. Author Langston Hughes first used the term "a raisin in the sun" in his poem Harlem. Using poetic similes to pose the difficulties of acquiring the American dream. He uses the idea of a raisin being one’s dream that has been left to rot in the sun, not being able to change the destiny of the dream. This later inspired playwright Lorraine Hansberry to write the popular play, A Raisin in the Sun which depicted the discrimination
A Raisin in the Sun In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry portrays obstacles that the Younger family and other African Americans had to face and over come during the post World War 2 era. Obstacles that had to be over come by the Youngers were economical, moral, social, and racist obstacles. Lorraine Hansberry, the author of the play had to face one of these as well growing up. Born in Chicago on the south side in an all black neighborhood, Lorraine Hansberry and her family
behind it” In “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, all of the characters in the play have difficult dreams. Each individual dream answers the question in the poem, “What happens to a dream deferred?” Mama, Walter, Beneatha and Ruth’s dreams come with many obstacles that discourage them; however, throughout the play it results to building their character. At the end of the play, the Youngers come together as a family to fight for what is right. Hansberry chose “A Raisin In The Sun” to portray that
April 2018 A Raisin in the Sun Racism is a type of prejudice, discrimination, or hatred that is directed towards someone of a different race based on the simple opinion that one's own race is superior to another. Many people find that racism can be or is very simple, or just black and white. However, it is not that simple. A major picture that is depicted in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is how racism impacted the daily life for a family that
of the American Dream is so vague, the ideal American Dream will differ from person to person. In “A Raisin in the Sun” written by Lorraine Hansberry, each prevalent character has their own unique American Dream. One of the primary characters in the play is Walter and his version of the American Dream is to be a businessman. However, just like any other dreamer, Walter comes across many obstacles in the pursuit of his dream. A dream is developed first by
The movie Hoop Dreams shows you the difficulties and obstacles that come in the way of dreams. Although it’s said that if you believe in a dream long enough it will come true, but in Hoop Dreams and A Raisin in the Sun you are shown the harsh realities of the falseness of that statement. And that the reality of a dream not coming true hits you like a brick wall. Many obstacles get in the way of the road to dreams in both stories. In both stories, all families suffer from having little knowledge
Resiliency In the play A Raisin in the Sun, how do Ruth Younger, Beneatha Younger and Walter Lee Younger show resilience in the play? Resilience is shown in many ways by the three in the Younger family. Ruth's dream is to build a happy family and wants to move into a bigger house with the insurance money, but Ruth faces major challenges. Some of Ruth’s challenges included trying to keep the household together, finding out she’s pregnant, and if she wants to tell Walter or get an abortion. Beneatha's
“A Dream Deferred” Relation to A Raisin in the Sun Throughout American history and even till now, people are able to overcome the numerous obstacles that life has thrown at them. Americans have gone to great extents to achieve many important accomplishments. These accomplishments have helped to shape the country. People move to American to achieve the American Dream. What exactly is the American Dream? It is the idea of having opportunities to succeed and own property, lead a satisfactory life