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I Have A Dream And Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1064 Words5 Pages

Dreams are a common thing in society that hold and bond people together. Hope is in many aspects of our life as well, and fuel many of the wishes Americans possess. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's famous “I Have a Dream” speech, to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun play, we find that accomplishing these dreams and goals is something that takes courage or passion. Throughout these two pieces of literature, equality, racism, dreams, and hope are common themes. We can find that real human beings and simple characters share the desire of freedom, and strive for better opportunities in life. As many of us have read, it is stated in Dr. King’s speech, “But one hundred years later, the Negro is still not free.” (King 1). By reading this, …show more content…

Identity and moral responsibility are portrayed in this story, as well as Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic speech. In his speech he talks about who they are and who they should be. It is important to maintain your identity while still fighting for your freedom. “We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline” ( King 2). This quotes explains that, while fighting, we must stay true to ourselves and not get out of control. Our action define who we are, so it is essential that continue to be ourselves and fight for what we believe. Just like the play, Beneatha struggles finding her true background. Along the way she loses focus on what her true dreams are. She believes they may just be meaningless in the vicious circle of discrimination and segregation. Identity is something that everyone, white or black, should always keep intact. I believe both pieces of literature portray this very special detail. Moral responsibility also plays a big role in each piece. In A Raisin in the Sun , Walter believes that it is his responsibility to ensure better opportunities and a better future for his future generations. He wants to own his liquor store so badly, he goes through extreme measures and ultimately ends up losing all the money given to him from his father’s death. Their new home is just the next best thing for him to hold on to. Fortunately, the family is able to move into the new house and area.

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