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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

497 Words2 Pages

Have you ever had a dream that wasn’t or was accomplished? Well many people always don’t accomplish their dreams. Lorraine Hansberry, based a play on Langston Hughes’s poem called “Dream Deferred”. Langston Hughes was a black American writer. He was from Joplin, Missouri. Lorraine Hansberry was a black writer and playwright. She was from Chicago, Illinois. They both met in New York when she was hired to write for a newspaper. Lorraine Hansberry created a play called Raisin In The Sun that reflected Langston Hughes’s poem “Dream Deferred”. “Dream Deferred” is about how dreams could possibly go good or bad. In Raisin In The Sun it is about how the characters accomplish or fail their dreams. In her play, Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry …show more content…

Walter Lee is living in the Southside of Chicago. He wants to be the the head of the household. Walter’s dream was to open a liquor store. As the book continues Walter tries to make his dream come true, but the money is stolen by his best friend Willy Harris. Willy Harris is a really good friend of Walter Lee. He gives the idea to Walter Lee about opening the store. He wants to open the store illegally in Springfield, Illinois. But when the day comes Willy Harris disappears with all the money. The next quote is Walter Lee talking to his friend Bobo. Bobo is one of the 3 guys that were in the deal to open the liquor store. In Raisin In The Sun Walter Lee says “... Man not my money with that money … Oh, God … Don’t let it be true. THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY FATHER’S FLESH” (Hansberry 128). This quote means that when his friend Willy Harris left with that money and Walter realizes that money came from his father's death. This quote is related to the poem “Dream Deferred” because Hughes asks “Does it dry up/ Like a raisin in the sun” (Hughes 2/3). The line means that does your dream keep on getting smaller and smaller as time goes by. It connects to the character because throughout the whole play Walter’s dream is getting smaller and smaller until it is absolutely gone. This connects to the thesis because by Walter doing bad things his dream is

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When he wanted me to go in the dry-cleaning business with him. And now—he’s grossing a hundred thousand a year. A hundred thousand dollars a year!” (Hansberry 32). This quote is powerful because it also displays a reason for why Walter Lee wants to invest in the liquor store so much, as it illuminates that he feels left behind.

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The original poem "Harlem (Dream Deferred)" had a significant impact on both Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream. " The narrator of "Harlem (Dream Deferred)" questions what happens when dreams are postponed. Both Lorraine Hansberry and Martin Luther King Jr. studied the effects of a society where everyone is unable to pursue their ambitions. Both works of literature highlight the difficulties faced by African Americans in realizing the American Dream by significantly referencing the themes and imagery found in "Harlem (Dream Deferred)". King's speech and Hughes' poem both examine the concept of stalled ambitions and the effects of a society that does not permit everyone to realize their dreams.

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The themes portrayed in this play were the value and purpose of dreams, the need to fight racial discrimination, and the importance of family. The plotline of the play itself is mainly about dreams, and the necessity it plays on life. The title itself is refers to a Langston Hughes poem about dreams being forgotten or procrastinated, he creates the idea that the dreams shrivel up like “a raisin in the sun.” Every character in the play has their own personal dream: Mama wants a house big enough to provide for the entire family, Walter wants to own a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to become a doctor. Throughout the play, the characters struggle with completing and achieving their dreams, however discover in the end that the most important dream

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