Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
A raisin in the sun theme essay
A raisin in the sun theme essay
Themes in a raisin in the sun
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Claudia Arevalo English 1 Mr.Paul 3/22/23 In the play “Raisin in the Sun'' by Lorraine Hansberry, the author conveys the idea that people can become selfish when trying to achieve the American Dream. This is shown through multiple events throughout the play when the characters search for a better way of life. For example, when Walter made a misogynist comment and told his sister to settle on becoming a nurse like all women instead of a doctor.
The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry debuted on Broadway in 1959, and the movie was made in 2008. “A Raisin in the Sun” is about the Younger family, the fifth generation of lower-class African-Americans living in Chicago’s Southside. They are faced with problems such as racial discrimination, poverty, and conflicting dreams. As the family decides on how to spend the insurance check of $10,000 from Walter’s father’s death, these problems cause many conflicts to rise. Reading the 1959 play and the 2008 movie, I have realized certain similarities and differences in how the story plays out.
In the social drama Raisin in the Sun, Written by the playwright, Lorraine Hansberry shows how a struggling family in Southside Chicago act because of money. In the 1950’s a son puts pressure on his family in order to own a business so he can provide. Sacrifices were made in order to try to repair the family. This popular story has been made into movies and stories. The stories were not altered but the appearance and attitudes were sure different.
A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry and whose title was derived from the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes, is a tragic play taking place in South Side, Chicago, where it portrays the life of an African American family known as the Youngers in the 1950s. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects modern thought by reconstructing the ideals of a modern family in American society through the idea of assimilation and its cause of cultural clashes, how wealth plays a role in social status, and how racial discrimination is still pervasive today even after movements that brought such changes of better equality to light. The assimilation movement that appears as the primary contender for cultural clashes within the play presents the social struggle
Another way Hansberry elucidates the impact of being greedy is when Ruth goes to get her baby aborted and Walter says nothing about it. Once the audience learns that Ruth is going to abort her baby, Lena says, “When the world gets ugly enough -- a woman will do anything for her family. The part that’s already living” (Hansberry 198). Ruth rationalizes her decision to kill her baby by stating that killing the child will leave more money for the family, and since Walter only wants to be rich, he is not willing to save his child. Hansberry uses Ruth’s attempt to abort her baby to show the reader that being too money focused can lead a person to sacrifice their own family members for the sake of earning more money.
A Raisin in the sun is a play that portrays a black family living in the bad side of Chicago. The family comprises of Mama; the matriarch of the family, her son Walter, daughter Beneatha, Walter wife Ruth and their son Travis. The family is living in a cramped apartment, with limited privacy and space as well as a shared bathroom with another tenant. The two members of the family that are actively working in the job market hold low paying jobs in the service industry. The family has money problems.
In A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, thoughts of femininity and masculinity are woven throughout the play. The play is set in the 1950s, a time where racial tension still existed among black and white Americans even though segregation no longer existed. A Raisin in the Sun is about the Youngers, an African American family living in the slums of Chicago. The father has just passed away, and the family is about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. Each family member has his or her own idea as to how the money should be spent.
In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, she discusses many types of dreams and familial situations. The drama shows how life was in 1950s Chicago for a lower-income, African-American family: the Youngers. Composed of Walter, his wife, son, mother and sister, the Younger family faces many trials as they try to move up in status, figure out what to do with the ten thousand dollar life insurance check, and attempt to achieve their dreams. In the story, Walter plays both the protagonist and antagonist, in a very antihero sort of way, aiming to help the family, but ultimately losing some respect from his family, along with most of their money. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Younger grows from a money-obsessed man into a more caring
Every hero has a some short of hard work in his or her success. In the story, “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, Len Younger (Mama) is down to earth, hardworking black woman who does not suffer fools. She had dedicated her life to her children and struggles to install her values in them. Throughout the play, Mama struggles to connect with her grandchildren, Beneatha and Walter. Mama’s faith was put to the test near the end of the play when she entrusts Walter with the $6,500 that is left from the insurance check.
A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry about the struggles, dreams, and views of a black family in the 1950s. The Younger’s get a large check, which changes everyone. It fuels their greed, dreams, and actions. Beneatha wants to be a doctor and wants to marry a man who will respect her, Walter wants to run a liquor store, and Mama wants everyone to get along. They have their own ambitions but share a common goal; happiness.
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.
Reader Response: 3 “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about a black families experience in 1950s South Side Chicago. The story revolves around what happens to the family when Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, receives a ten thousand dollar life insurance check upon the death of her husband. Everyone from the family has different plans for what they want to do with the money. Lena Younger serves as the head of the family. She is Walter and Beneatha’s caring mother so they and Ruth call her Mama.
In doing so, she becomes dependent on others and cannot fulfill her personal goals. In contrast, opposing the norms allows both members of a relationship to further themselves while still supporting each other. Because each member develops their independent characters, they establish a healthier relationship and a healthier family. Thus, Hansberry encourages her audience to reject the patriarchy, arguing that focusing on one's personal needs is as important as supporting the
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, there are many examples of sexism throughout its entirety. The character, Walter, demonstrates the acts of a sexist human being. Walter is sexist to not only women in general, but to the women in his family. Not taking into consideration of other people’s sayings and their feelings, Walter generally only thinks about himself, says what he believes, and truly only cares about money. Walter constantly is fighting with all of the women in the family as well.
Hansberry portrays the role of fathers within their families through her only male character in the play, Walter Lee Younger. She stresses the fact that the role of fathers is to be a role model for his child. Fathers influence their children significantly especially their sons. Boys will model themselves after their dads since they look at fathers’ behaviors and recognize those behaviors as successful (Gross). As a father, Walter believes that he is not a qualitative role model to his son, Travis Younger.