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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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A Raisin in the Sun

The connection between the book A Raisin in the sun and the poem Dream Deferred is that both or these pieces of literature are about how it feels when your dream keeps getting deferred. Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930. Hansberry was a African-American playwright, and writer. Hansberry was the first black female author to have a play performed on Broadway. Hansberry also lived in Chicago and moved to a predominantly white nieghborhood and there her and her family were attacked and did not move until the court ordered her family to do so. Hansberry died to Pancreatic Cancer on January 12, 1965. Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902. In 1951 Hughes made the poem Dreams Deferred. Hughes died on May 22, 1967, …show more content…

Walter is a simple man that dreams big. Although he is a stingy man he has his heart in a good place trying to follow his dreams for the greater good of the family but is a fool. His stinginess has blinded him because he will do anything to get his way and it does not matter how he gets his way.Walter tries to drink his problems away. His dream is to own a Liquor store with his friends Bobo and Willy. His dream is to be better than anyone before. Walter thinks by his instinct, his knowing everything, by his determination he will succeed. Walter dream gets deferred because he thinks no one is in his corner because they will not let it be his way.Walter yells “Willy! … Willy… don’t do it … Please don’t do it … Man not with that money… Man please, not with that money… That money is made out of my father's flesh.”(Hansberry 128) This quote means that his friend betrayed him and left with his father's life insurance money. This quote is connected to Hughes poem Dream Deferred. “ Or does it explode?”(Hughes 5) This line is asking does the dream explode like does in break into tiny little pieces? It connects to Walter because in the quote Walter is exploding with rage and sorrow. This connects to the thesis by this is what happened to Walter since his problem got deferred for the last time because of a terrible …show more content…

Beneatha is a Walter little sister also she is a smart girl who tries to be WOKE but is not unless someone puts that idea in her head. Beneatha is also a little promiscuous and she has many men in her life that likes her for her and some who only want her body. Beneatha dream is is to school to become a doctor because of what happened to a friend of hers when she was a little kid because she thought it was like playing God. Furious, Beneatha shouts at the man that ruined her dreams “There he is! Monsieur le Petit bourgeois noir-himself! There he is-Symbol of the rising Class! Entrepreneur! Titan of the system! … I look at you and I see the final triumph of the stupidity in the world!”( Hansberry 138) This quote is her teasing Walter after he lost all of the money after investing in a liquor store that his friend made seem like one of the best ideas ever. She lost all of the money that was suppose to put here through her schooling because of his stupidity. The quote is connected to Hughes poem Dream Deferred “Or fester like a sore- And then run?” (Hughes 2) This line is asking did the dream fester like a sore and then you tried to run on it? The quote and this line relate because it seems like Walter put that sore on Beneatha's foot and she tried to run on it because he took her dream away from her that's how the sore created and when she tried to run is the conversation with

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This indicates Walter has forgotten just how much this means to his family and that now he has put his own greed ahead of his sister’s future. Thus, the need of money making one forget his families and needs is shown through the climax of A Raisin in the

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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,

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Walter proves that, yes, an incomplete dream can explode. Walter’s ultimate goal in the play is to make sure that his son, Travis, could lead an easier life than what he has to go throughout the play. As Walter’s mother says, “seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while” (Hansberry 503). Walter plans to use his share of money from his father’s check to invest in a liquor shop, in order to eventually make enough money to provide happiness for his family.

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He wants to be a businessman and own a liquor store. He wants to be able to provide for his family and give them what they have never had. Walter also wants to take his mother’s position as the head of the house and make the financial decisions for the family. Walter can be seen as selfish as instead of putting the money for him and his sister in the bank he uses it all and loses it trying to fulfill his own dreams with no regard to his sister’s dreams or the rest of the family’s.

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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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Both characters try to reach their dreams by moving their families and responsibility aside. For example, Walter Lee dreams of opening a liquor store, so to reach his dreams he took his family is money trying to act like a man but then that money was stolen by his friend Willy

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Due to this, Walter, the leading family member, and father, was limited of jobs. He worked as a driver nevertheless, he had a dream to open a liquor store as well as, provide better for his family. He worked hard to obtain the “American Dream” however, his race is the first thing people saw at this

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His dream is to open up a liquor store with his friends. Walter wants this liquor store to have more money for his family. It isn’t easy for him because he doesn’t have enough money to start. He is left with disappointment because when he was saving up money for the liquor store the money was stolen by his friend and was left betrayed. To begin with, Walter has a dream of owning a liquor store with his friends.

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In A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, the audience was able to obtain a sense of the struggle for the American dream. We are introduced to the Youngerś a black family living in the Southside of Chicago around the 1950’s. Each member of this family has their own meaning to what is the American dream. A Raisin in the Sun teaches us that even though life might be full of conflicts, it is important to not give up on our dreams.

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All Walter wanted was to have money and open his own liquor store but it was not possible. Walter’s dream was unfortle not able to come true

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(2-3) immediately starts describing what the author is feeling in that by not being able to fulfill his dream he starts feeling useless, and no longer valuable like a raisin that has been left in the sun and is all burnt up. Hughes does not stop there with just feeling useless. We see in the line “Or fester like a sore

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A Raisin in the Sun addresses major social issues such as racism and feminism which were common in the twentieth century. The author, Lorraine Hansberry, was the first playwright to produce a play that portrayed problematic social issues. Racism and gender equality are heavily addressed throughout the play. Even though we still have these issues today, in the 1950’s and 60’s the issues had a greater part in society. Racism and gender have always been an issue in society, A Raisin in the Sun is an important piece of American history during that time period.

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Despite the fact that dreaming of a liquor store is shallow, Walter’s motivation to be able to support his family helps reconcile his somewhat immoral hopes. Later, Walter shows the idiocy of his plan to own a liquor store when he gets drunk. In act 2, scene 2, Walter borrows Willy Harris’s car and drives around Chicago for two days, then “just walked”, and finally “went to the Green Hat” (2.2 105). Through his actions, Walter shows that he is immature and cares more about pretending to be rich than his job that would allow him to provide for his family.

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Walter’s dream is to own a liquor store, although other characters in the story don’t believe in his dream. For example in this quote Walter explains how Ruth shuts his dream down and does not support him. “There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream.

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Big Walter 's dream drys up like a raisin amidst the harsh and imprisoning environment of poverty in Chicago. Mama experiences this first-hand as her husband withers away as she says, “I seen….him….night after night….come in….and look at that rug….and then look at me….the red showing his eyes….the veins moving in his head….I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty….working and working….killing

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