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Summary Of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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Lorraine Hansberry, author of the play A Raisin In The Sun, was the first ever African American woman to ever have a play published and later have it performed on Broadway. Hansberry was born on May 30th 1930 in Chicago Illinois into a middle class family where she lived with her grandmother who was a freed slave, her father, mother and the 3 of her siblings. Her father was a very successful real estate broker and her mother was a teacher. Once Lorraine was 8 years old, her family moved into a white neighbourhood. Her family did not move due to the racism in the neighbourhood, and therefore took his situation to court. The court ordered him to evacuate the home, but then challenged the United States Supreme Court and succeeded. But after the …show more content…

This title is derived from a line in the Langston Hughes poem, Harlem. This poem analyzes what happens to someone 's dream, especially what happens to them when they are not accomplished. This reflects on the family’s hopes to overcome hard times and hopefully live a better life. Another example of symbolism is the time where we are introduced to Mama’s plant. The plant represents her family and desire to grow and Mama is often found tending to the plant as she does for her family. Mama knows that the little plant can survive through harsh conditions and it also represents hope. Mama also takes the plant to live with her family into the new house, meaning a new beginning and that it will continue to survive and thrive just like the …show more content…

At times, the tone is sarcastic and it is critical due to the characters ' dialogue. Beneatha and Walter are constantly bickering because Walter believes Beneatha 's life long dream of being a doctor is not even nearly possible. He often crushes her dream by telling her to become a nurse, which is more likely to be possible. Otherwise, Beneatha criticizes Walter 's because he wants to start off his business career by opening up a liquor store. The tone is sarcastic and realistic during most of the play especially when family members bicker. Sometimes the tone is saddening and solemn. The Younger family overcomes such a hard obstacles in life just to be where

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Lindner and the family, are all nearly resolved by the end of the play. The conflicts are only settled after the family members are in agreement with one another, respecting each other and their individual decisions. This new sense of harmony is displayed as Walter acknowledges Beneatha’s dream of being a doctor, and Beneatha realizes that Walter has come into his manhood, respecting his decision to stand up to Lindner and move into their house. These acknowledgments starkly contrast the dysfunctions seen before; whereas the family members were only being attentive to their own wants and needs, towards the end of Hansberry’s play, the family is able to see what its individual members need and give one another just that: each other’s

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Lorraine Hansberry had went to the University of Wisconsin in 1948 to study visual arts and went there for two years. After two years later, she had went to New York in 1950 to study writing, according to an article called, “Legendary Loraine”. In 1952, she became an Associate Editor and then a year later, she got married to Robert Nemiroff, a broadway producer. From an article called, “A Brief Biography of The Playwright, Lorraine Hansberry”, it says that she was beginning to write her first play called A Raisin in the Sun in 1956. When her Dad had passed from a brain aneurysm, she was pretty depressed about it, but this also helped her with writing her book.

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Although Walter does not deserve the power, the manhood of Walter Lee enables him to “control” the family. Conversely, Beneatha’s talkativeness and her aggressive personality are against how a 1950s African American should act. Ruth asks “Can’t you be a little sweeter sometimes? (Act 1, Scene 1)” to indicate the modest characteristics women should have. Furthermore, Ruth’s decision of abortion at the beginning of the play was unconventional since it was against gender expectation because it is against her duty as a wife and a mother.

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Introduction Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” led a great quest for the Younger household. Raisin is set in subsidized housing in Southside Chicago, in which three Black female relatives live and interact with their brother, husband, and son Walter. African Americans were frowned upon before the writing of “A Raisin in the Sun”. However, it her notorious story provided individuals of multiple races new hope for life. In 2006, Diana Adesola Mafe provided the world with her opinion of “A Raisin in the Sun”.

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Tons of people on a normal day get made fun of because they dont look like others and that they don 't act like other people. In the book A Raisin In The Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, A african american family living in the suburbs of Chicago pre civil rights movement trying to find a better life outside of their rundown apartment. In the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding Toula changes her appearance to go out and get the guy that she likes and when they see each other and it was love at first sight, Ian and Toula later get married. In the book American Born Chinese written by Gene Luen Yang, Jin changes his appearance because he wanted to fit in and get the girl that everyone likes. Some People think that they don 't fit into society so they change themselves to fit into society.

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. ain't never had enough sunshine or anything.¨ Like the plant, the Youngers have also struggled to overcome the circumstances, such as racial prejudice, that curb their growth and social mobility. The most overt symbol in the play, Mama's plant represents both Mama's care and her dream for her family. In her first appearance onstage, she moves directly toward the plant to take care of it. It all means hope, in which Mama takes the plant to their new house.

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Kisanet Sium English 1B Professor M. Jones July 10, 2016 Walter-Lee Younger It is pretty ironic when the man of a house is set up for a failure. But that’s who Walter Lee, one of the main characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, Raisin in the Sun, is. He is emotional macho man with almost no capability of leading his household as the head.

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“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle” -Napoleon Hill. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, the poem The Negro Mother, and article Innocence in Irrelevant all show struggle. How their lives aren’t all rainbows and butterflies. It shows how you have to make certain sacrifices to protect your family, how some people aren’t accepted like others, and how someone who is struggle should be remembered. Lorraine Hansberry wrote the play A Raisin in the Sun.

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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.

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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.

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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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Throughout the 1950s, people of color have struggled with achieving their dreams due to the lack of equality that is portrayed in that specific time era. It has been a constant battle for equality for all races and genders over the course of time. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin In the Sun the character Beneatha struggles with her racial inequality, education, and gender stereotyping. These specific struggles are the blocks she deals with trying to achieve her dream.

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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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Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women establish their rights to fulfil their individual dreams which diverge from traditional conventions of that time. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feminist ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, the play encourages women to develop an identity for themselves, particularly through education and career.

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Whereas Ruth adheres to patriarchal standards, Beneatha rebels against them. Hansberry contrasts Ruth and Beneatha to study how their adherence affects their personal and social well-beings. Through her play, she suggests that opposing the patriarchy leads to a more positive mindset and more stable relationships. In conforming to patriarchal norms, Ruth fulfills the roles of homemaker and wife. In the first scene of the play, Ruth makes breakfast and tells her son Travis, “Sit down and have your breakfast,” signifying that she has embraced her role as mother (Hansberry 490).

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