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How Is Harlem Related To Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

681 Words3 Pages

A Dream Blocked Why is the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes related to the play, “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry? The characters in the play relate to some of the lines of the poem through their actions throughout the play. Some characters get really angry or change how they act later on. Two Characters from the play really show their emotion and change a lot. These characters are Walter and Mama. Walter relates to the poem Harlem. One line from the poem that relates to Walter is, “Or does it explode”. This line relates to Walter because he would get frustrated when people weren't listening to his dream. In the story Ruth, Walter's wife keeps telling him to just eat his eggs instead of listening to his dream. Then Walter says, …show more content…

She then started to beat him, “quiet without thinking about it, starts to beat him senselessly in the face” (129). Mama was usually a really gentle and kind person throughout the story but now she went out of control or, exploded because of how angry she was with Walter. Another line that relates to Mama is, “like a heavy load”. This line Relates to Mama because people keep constantly asking about what she's going to do with the check. But she really had a lot of pressure on her when Walter keeps asking about going into the liquor store business but Mama doesn’t want to, “and there ain't going to be no investing in no liquor stores” (70). The Last line that relates to Mama is “Does it dry up”. This relates to Mama because she is starting to lose the power in the family and she is giving it to Walter. Mama also doesn’t own anything and is starting to lose Walter, “I ain’t got nothing, don’t own nothing, ain’t never really wanted nothing that wasn’t for you” (106). After she gave him the power Walter started to be more happy and even though Mama lost the money, at least they are

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Taking us back to show how Mama has lots of expectations in Walter because of how much love and trust she has and how spending money in a meaningful way is a very important responsibility for Walter to have (107). After Mama gave the money to Walter, Walter said, “No, daddy ain't drunk, daddy ain't going to never be drunk again,” this sentence is giving the idea that Walter is trying to be more responsible after receiving the big amount of money (107). Mama has a different idea of responsibility, expecting and having a good feeling of Walter having a good enough responsibility for all of that money while Walter on the other hand had different ideas on how he can be responsible with started a big argument/conflict since Walter was able to throw that big responsibility away in one day and lost the money that was supposed to be helping the family. Once they found out all the money was gone Walter said, “Yessss! All of it…It's all gone…”

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In the play the author expresses, “Walter(doubled with laughter)’Mama you look ready to go out and chop you some cotton for sure” (28) while him and the family are all having fun and messing around. The quote proves just how happy Walter truly is with his family and how happy the family makes him. Mama also states in the

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Both, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansburry and I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Junior depended on Langston Hughes Harlem (Dream Deferred) because all of the texts have a theme of dreams and more specifically, dreams that have not come true. I Have

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When Mama and Walter are talking amongst themselves Walter starts to leave because he needs to get some alone time. Mama tells him “ you got a job, a nice wife, a fine boy and” Walter stops Mama and says “ Mama, a job? I open and close doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, “Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?” ( Hansberry 1567).

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This is seen by the actions she takes to get to her goal, statements she makes towards her family members, and how she responds to her family when they are troubled. Mama has lived in her apartment for a long time with her family and is about to get enough money to change that. An example of Mama’s motivation to achieve her goal is shown when Ruth, her daughter-in-law and Mama are talking about what Mama would do with the insurance money. Mama states, “Been thinking that we maybe could meet the notes on a little old two-story somewhere, with a yard where Travis could play in the summertime, if we use part of the insurance for a down payment and everybody kind of pitch in” (563). Mama is suggesting to Ruth of what could be a better future for her son and their family.

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Mama cares for the plant by feeding, watering and checking all through the day on it to make sure it was still doing well. She also does this for the family. Mama always wants the best for them and would do anything to keep them happy and well. Mama uses the plant as her fuel to always put the family first and to remember her dreams, as well as remind her family of theirs (Shmoop Editorial Team). Throughout the play, Mama’s plant symbolizes many things to the Younger family.

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I also choose to write about the play A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry. My reason for choosing the poem as well as the play. While doing research, its noted that Lorraine Hansberry took the title of the story. From a line in Langston Hughes poem “Harlem”. Both readings were written in a time of immense promise and hopefulness.

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Mama watches over her family every day. In the play, when Ruth finds out that she is pregnant, Mama helps her. Mama doesn’t make Ruth panic, Mama just cares for her. In Act I, Travis needs 50 cents for school. Ruth tells him no, but Walter gives it to him along with another 50 cents for school.

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(Act 1, Scene 1). Through the quote, it suggests that women should be ignorant about the world, and calling “baby” instead of her name shows the inferiority of the women to men. In addition, Walter is expected to be the head of the family; Mama says, “It ain’t much, but it’s all I got in the world and I’m putting it in your hands. I’m telling you to be the head of this family from now on like you supposed to be” (Act 2, Scene 2).

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Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun follows the struggles of an African American family living in a neighborhood in 1950s South Side Chicago. The play discusses several issues pertaining to African Americans of the time, such as poverty and discrimination. One of the major themes of the story is the search for a sense of belonging; whether that’s a sense of belonging to the continent of Africa, a neighborhood in Chicago, or on a personal level within the Younger family. The play explores this theme through its characters Beneatha, Mama and Walter.

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As a civil rights activist, Stokely Carmichael once said, “We are told,” If you work hard, you’ll succeed”- but if that were true, black people would own the country. We are oppressed because we are black- not because we are ignorant, not because we are lazy, not because we are stupid, but because we are black!” This quote is still relevant even to this day, blacks are still considered a minority and they get treated differently simply because of the color of their skin. People continue to treat others by the color of their skin rather than their character. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the interaction between the themes of race and dreams demonstrates that your race can affect the dreams that you have and what you choose to do about it.

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Before the story's events, the characters suffered a severe house fire. The reader can notice a flashback where Mama relives a moment of the fire.

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Mama is thinking that the family just shouldn’t move since all the money is gone. Ruth is trying to convince Mama to still move because the apartment is too small for another baby and having Mama not give up her hope of having a house with a garden. This shows Ruth just wants her family to have a nice home and is willing to work for it even more. Another example of Ruth working hard for her family is when, Ruth begs, “Lena—I’ll work…. I’ll work twenty hours a day in all the kitchens in Chicago….

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