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The meaning of a raisin in the sun
The meaning of a raisin in the sun
Raisin inthe sun analysis
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“A racist system inevitably destroys and damages human beings; it brutalizes and dehumanizes them, blacks and whites alike” (Kenneth Clark). Kenneth Clark was a very important person in helping the Brown V. Board Of Education case win. Winning that case was important because a state law came into place that said separate public schools for black and white students were unconstitutional. A Raisin in the Sun shows how Clark was right; a racist system affected the way the Youngers’ lived. The Youngers’ apartment in the Southside of Chicago: in the 1950s; significantly affected the Youngers’ lives.
Respect Yields Harmony Written and set in the 1950s, Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun encompasses the struggles of a lower-class African-American family, living in Chicago’s Southside. Even though such struggles may seem exclusive to the time period and the family’s race, Hansberry includes multiple life lessons throughout her play that skillfully transcend any potential limitations, and stand true for the majority of people. Through the use of her characters’ actions and words, Hansberry importantly illustrates that in order to maintain harmonious relationships, people must respect others’ opinions, decisions, and dreams.
Act 1, Scene 1, we begin with the emergence of the character straight from the gate. Walter Lee, upon awakening almost immediately asks his wife Ruth, “Check coming today?” He seems, almost as if a child on Christmas morning wondering if Santa had visited and left him his present. For Walter’s character this money represents an end to his oppression and answer to his plight. The life he leads is filled with people pushing him down and keeping him in a “ditch “ of sorts.
Once she is down the stairs she is positioned in front of a mirror and we see how she stares at her self with enjoyment. We also see how she enjoys the attention of Walter watching her as she finishes buttoning up her dress and putting on her lipstick. When viewing the two characters we see that Phyllis admires her reflection in the mirror and while ignoring Walter we see how self-centered she can be. The mirror gives alertness to the viewers because she says to Walter “I hope I’ve got my face on straight”. This remark explains that mirror shots foreshadow a two-face deception and are a cinematic technique used in film noir that can create a reflection more powerful than the women they actually mirror (Place 1980).
Josh Jameson, an avid author, once said, “There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.” When facing a crossroads in life, one must always question whether to face adversity or give up in the pursuit of happiness. This idea also applies to the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, where Big Walter and his son, Walter Lee, choose between sacrificing their lives and dreams or giving up and living a monotonous life. Big Walter is an overworked father whose death provides his family a chance to escape their financial crisis. All the while, Walter is sacrificing his dream of investing since no one supports him.
“Well we are dead now. All the talk about dreams and sunlight that goes on in this house. It's all dead now” (143). This illustrates that Beneatha has given up on her dreams, saying that they are dead because she can't become a doctor. The reason she can't go to medical school is because Walter gave away Big Walters insurance money to Willy Harris, who then stole it.
Walter is a very passionate and ambitious man. According to Mama, Walter is very much like his father. Throughout the play, Walter is obsessed with the idea of purchasing a liquor store with two of his friends. He feels this business venture will solve his financial and social problems. As he tells his son, he envisions himself working at the head of a business doing important work.
The “A Raison in the sun” is a story by Lorraine Hansberry. Follows an African American family in 1945 Chicago that just received a 10,000 life insurance check but Walter and Beneatha Younger have their own plans for the money. I believe the message in A Raison In The Sun is that dreams and money affects who you are.
In the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry, our character, Walter, wants to be the head of the family, but the choices he makes are stopping him from achieving his goal in the end because he is not earning the trust of his other family members. At the start, we can see Walter waking up and going to talk to his wife, where he begins to argue with her about the money. starting with asking about the money on page 26. "Check coming today? " Walter can't get his mind off money because he wants to make a business deal.
“Choices made, whether bad or good, follow you forever and affect everyone in their path one way or another.” J.E.B. Spredemann. The theme I chose to analyze is choices and consequences. For this type of writing assignment, I’ve decided to choose the following readings. The poem titled Harlem was written by Langston Hughes in 1951.
In other words, to become a doctor. Beneatha’s dream of helping others vanished after Walter loses all of the insurance money. While explaining the current situation to Asagai ,Beneatha describes herself as “nothing” (Hansberry 132).This shows that she has given up and “stopped caring” (Hansberry 133) about her dreams. At this moment, Beneatha feels very pessimistic because after her dream was taken away she feels as if there is nothing good left for her in life.
Beneatha is a young independent woman, who has big dreams of becoming a doctor. During the 1950, it was very rare for a young woman to become a doctor. As a result, becoming a doctor was even harder for a young black woman, like Beneatha. She is constantly told that women should just sit and look pretty. Constantly being put down by George Murchison a man that neglects his roots, “I don’t go out with you to discuss the nature of “quiet desperation”or to hear all about your thoughts...
Beneatha’s dream to become a doctor connects to the American Dream through freedom. She wants to be able to achieve her own life and make a living for
Lorraine V. Hansberry Author Lorraine Hansberry, who is considered one of the Great American authors, wrote during the Modernist period. She wrote “A Raisin in the Sun” in 1959. In this work, we can see evidence of the characteristics, themes and style identified with the Modernist movement which was extant in American letters between 1850’s and after WWII. Lorraine Hansberry wrote during this time period of American literature, and such, remains one of the most identifiable and iconic writers of her time. Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois.
Throughout the play, Beneatha presents herself as a defiant young woman who meets Asagai, an assimilationist, and uses his help to scrutinize her future. Without seeking vengeance on Walter for losing the insurance money to a scam, Beneatha considers Asagai’s offer of bringing her to Africa to continue studying medicine in the country she has always dreamed of visiting. Due to her consideration of this offer, Beneatha maintains her ambitious personality and continues to display her growing