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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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During 1950’s, African-American people faced a lot of challenges here in America. They experienced racism, discrimination etc. These challenges inspired many African-American writers to create poems and stories about it. And one of those is the book, The Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was from a poem by Langston Hughes, Harlem, which is about having a dream but cannot make it happen. Lorraine Hansberry gave highlight to this part of the poem “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat or crust and sugar over--- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” Which the author was asking, what will happen …show more content…

They went through a lot first and after all the hardships, they did realize the American dream. It may be not as perfect as they wanted or as planned. In act I, there are a lot of parts where they were talking about the check that they were waiting. It was the insurance money from Mama’s deceased husband. Mama was dreaming about having a house for her family. In act II, Mama told Walter “Son-- I just tried to find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family.” And she thought that getting a house is like having a new beginning for the family. She said “Son--you--you understand what I done, don’t you? I--I just seen my family falling apart today.. Just falling to pieces in front of my eyes.” Walter did not like the idea of buying the house using the insurance from his father because he has different plans for it, which is to invest to the liquor store that he wanted. Ruth, was glad of what Mama has done. During this time, Ruth is pregnant and thinking about aborting it. But now that Mama bought a house for the family, she thought as well that this will be a new beginning for them. And moving to Clybourne Park is like the opening of new opportunity and gave hope to them. In act II, Ruth asked Mama “Is there---is there a whole lot of sunlight?” Mama answered “Yes, child, there’s a whole lot of sunlight.” Sunlight symbolises hope and opportunity to the Youngers. And now Ruth is planning to

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It was your money and you did what you wanted to do with it”. Walters words and actions in this scene is very melodramatic, he is thinking of himself and how it only affects him with what the money was used for. Mama was very saddened by what Walter had said to her; it ended the scene with Mama saying, “Walter Lee”. The stage directions put Mama sitting alone in the house with no one around. Walters’s words affected Mama greatly, making her

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’s look, which shows she is desperate to talk to Walter and she cannot bare to see him suffer like this and therefore lets go of her money, dreams and everything that she has left to save her son, like any mother would do. Even if Mama is not normally selfless, she has become selfless because most women will do anything to save their family and through this difficult time, Mama has given away all she has because Walter means more to her than everything that she

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856 Words | 4 Pages

“Honey…life don’t have to be like this. I mean sometimes people can do things so that things are better… You remember how we used to talk when Travis was born…about the way we were going to live…the kind of house… Well, it’s all starting to slip away from us…(89). Ruth is talking to walter about how if they don't act fast things will slip away and they won't be able to obtain their dreams and she is scared about that.

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Beneatha’s money too?” (29) after she finds out he just blew all of the money. This quote emphasises the discomfort and pure shock and disappointment of Mama at losing all of the money. Mama also cries in the play, "You mean your sister 's school money, you used that too?" (29) revealing her discomfort and despair in this quote shows just how upset that she is that Walter has gone and blown all of Beneatha’s money that was going to be her future on his little gamble.

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948 Words | 4 Pages

You’re goin to lose you job…with you mother working like a dog every day –’” (Hansberry 1072). When she confronts Walter about him missing work this is her attempt to keep her husband from falling off the wagon. Ruth is continually fighting to keep her family together and everyone seems to be fighting against

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938 Words | 4 Pages

and she feels like her and Walter are drifting apart. She wants her family to have everything they want or need. She try’s her best. Next, Ruth wants to help her family with everything but sometimes she can’t do everything for her family “Oh Well, they bound to fit something in the whole house. Anyhow, they was too good a bargain to pass up.

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1195 Words | 5 Pages

Ruth is tired, weary, and she is thinking about giving up everything, even something that is living. Ruth is willing to do anything just for her family and so that they can stay together and live in a house where is hopes there will be fewer problems. Tayebeh Nowrouzi in his essay “In Search of Equality: A Dream Deferred for African Americans in A Raisin in the Sun” stated why each character could be the dream deferred, “Ruth is "dried up" for she was weary, tired, disappointed, settled, and "older than her years" and her hope had disappeared”(2273). His description of Ruth illustrates her well being throughout the play. She is a religious woman, and she stands with Mama on that too.

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533 Words | 3 Pages

Walter feels worthless and his wife Ruth does not support him ,and Walter spent all the money that Mama gave him on a liquor store. And everybody waste because he used Beneatha money on a store, and Beneatha wanted to save that money so she can go to college and be a nurse ,and Ruth wanted to buy a bigger house for them. Walter sent all the money ,and Ruth can not go to work and how she do not want to have a baby because he has no money. “Just tell me where you want to go to school ,and you will go just tell me, what it is you want to be and you will be it whatever you want to be Yessir. ”In

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451 Words | 2 Pages

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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998 Words | 4 Pages

When Ruth questions Mama about her feeble plant, Mama has a twinkle in her eye and replies, “Well, I always wanted a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the house down home. This plant is close to as I ever got to having one” (Hansberry 53). The plant illustrates her growing ambition for house ownership and investments. She still keeps the plant as it represents hope for the future and the comfort in her family that she is trying to save from poverty and deferred dreams. The money would grant Mama opportunities for her family in the future, so her outlook on life is optimistic.

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933 Words | 4 Pages

Walter says to his mom, Momma, you are always telling us to have a dream, and now that I finally have mine, you won’t support me. Walter is crying because of the hurt and betrayal he

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502 Words | 3 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, derived from “Harlem,” a poem written by Langston Hughes. Both the play and poem explore the theme of deferred dreams. A raisin symbolizes one’s dreams, while the sun represents time; as more time is spent in the sun, the longer the dream is deferred. The theme signifies that not everyone is able to accomplish their version of the American Dream. Also, feminism is a key theme exhibited through the women of the Younger family.

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732 Words | 3 Pages

In Susan Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the themes identified are dreams and faith that each character signifies throughout their struggles in their daily lives. The theme dreams refer to how each of the main five characters: Ruth Younger, Walter Lee Younger, Travis Younger, Beneatha Younger, and Lena Younger dealt with different oppression situations that took part in their lives that put the dreams on hold. Furthermore, the theme also connects towards the faith that each main character had to pursue to keep their family together after the death of a love one. The characters’ in A Raisin in the Sun tries to chase after a separate dream, unfortunately their dreams are utterly pushed away to realize the importance of their family

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654 Words | 3 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry is about a black family in 1959 Chicago, is all about aspirations. It focuses on the American Dreams that people have in their life. In this story, it focuses on the different dreams of each member of the Younger family as they discuss what they can do with a $10,000 life insurance payment. This story is based on the idea that anyone can do well for themselves if they work hard and actually try to strive for the goal. The American Dream differs for each member of the Younger family because each one has different dreams forged from their life experiences.

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Trusting Walter, her son, she mistakenly gave him the money. Mama specifically told Walter to put away some money away for Beneatha Walter's sister. Like Walter Beneatha has big dreams. She wants to go to medical school

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