ipl-logo

The Importance Of Dreams In Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1034 Words5 Pages

An American Dream
Are dreams important? Dreams can tell a lot about a person and usually say something about the path in which they desire to take. People's dreams can become their goals in life. Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun” sets the scene of an African-American family living in Chicago’s Southside, all with dreams of their own. “There you are. Man say to his woman: I got a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs and go to work” (1298). Walter Lee Younger, one of the main characters in Hansberry’s play “A Raisin in the Sun”, has his mind set on his dream to become successful and make a lot of money. He is unsatisfied with his job as a chauffeur, and wants a big house, a nice car, and pearls for his wife, and an office job. In other words he desires the bourgeoisie lifestyle. This can be seen through Walter’s actions and attitude towards his family and how he sacrifices all he and his family have financially to make his dream come true. But through the disappointments observed throughout the play the reader learns that the commendable idea that everyone can achieve their …show more content…

His journey takes him from total jerk, obsessed with get-rich-quick schemes, to a man worthy of respect. “A Raisin in the Sun” is a respectable story about family, struggles, change, and how one can redeem themselves through moral courage and by staying true to one's own beliefs. Through Walter Younger, Lorraine Hansberry also shows how poverty and racism can twist and depress people, turning them against those that they love most. Walters dream didn’t come true but he definitely got more than money could ever buy and that’s the respect and support from his family. “A Raisin in the Sun” shows that the idea everyone can achieve their desires if they work hard, doesn't always stand up in the face of real life and people can redeem themselves through moral

Show More
Related

What Are The Similarities Between Hansberry And Frederick Douglass

463 Words | 2 Pages

In accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various startagems. " Walter was Walter is a man who is eager in becoming wealthy, while Douglass is a slave who wants to learn about reading and writing. In the play, Walter says, "I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy..." This quote is talking about how Walter wants to some many things, but he cannot have it because he does not have a lot of money. Another example, Fredrick Douglass said, "I would sometimes say to them, I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men.

Read More

Examples Of Sacrifice In A Raisin In The Sun

1010 Words | 5 Pages

They do not want to sacrifice their own dreams to please the others. Unwilling to make a sacrifice proves to bring more animosity in a family as shown in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry through conflict involving money and how the characters handle their actions. Walter’s dream is to use the money to open up his own business even if it goes against his family’s wishes. Walter argues, “.... he’s

Read More

Similarities Between A Raisin In The Sun And The American Dream

714 Words | 3 Pages

“People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get” – Fredrick Douglass. The Life of Fredrick Douglass by Fredrick Douglass was published in 1845. He was a slave who ran away to the North to be labeled as free in America. He soon became an abolitionist who was the voice of civil and political rights of slaves. On the other hand, a play called, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959, expresses how wealth is a dream in Walter’s eyes.

Read More

Examples Of Heroism In A Raisin In The Sun

1130 Words | 5 Pages

As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams. In “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, the role of the hero stays the same in Act I and Act II, but changes in Act III depending on the overall dramatic situation, yet theme of

Read More

I Have A Dream And Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1064 Words | 5 Pages

Dreams are a common thing in society that hold and bond people together. Hope is in many aspects of our life as well, and fuel many of the wishes Americans possess. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's famous “I Have a Dream” speech, to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun play, we find that accomplishing these dreams and goals is something that takes courage or passion. Throughout these two pieces of literature, equality, racism, dreams, and hope are common themes. We can find that real human beings and simple characters share the desire of freedom, and strive for better opportunities in life.

Read More

Theme Of Selfishness In A Raisin In The Sun

811 Words | 4 Pages

It shows this because Walter diminishes his sisters Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor by making a misogynist comment in which insinuates on her settling on being a nurse due to a doctor clearly being an often male dominant profession. Furthermore, Walter is deluded by greed on opening a liquor store which causes him to have no regard for the feelings or desires of others. Clearly, the central idea of the text is that in trying to achieve a dream it can bring out a person selfish tendency because people tend to disparage others dreams in order to attain theirs. The author 's use of conflict is important to the developing the central idea that oneself can become selfish when trying to obtain the American dream because it creates tension.

Read More

A Raisin In The Sun Manhood Essay

594 Words | 3 Pages

This is the final development in the play on the topic of manhood and is quite a turn or the character Walter. In A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry develops the concept of manhood and what it means to be a true man by utilizing the protagonist Walter and showing how both he and the idea of manhood can change. Walter starts out by just hoping to attain material items and ends with a deeper knowledge of what it actually means to be a man. By doing this, the play is resolved in a positive manner and Walter has grown as both a character and a

Read More

Raisin In The Sun Character Analysis

1500 Words | 6 Pages

In the play Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry takes place on the southside of Chicago where Walter and his family are racially profiled and show us how the survive throughout their struggles. The central struggles for the younger family in their search for the American dream is mostly poverty and being racially profiled against for their actions. Hansberry challenges the traditional gender roles and issues of dominance throughout the play when Mama gives Walter lee the rest of the money at the end of the play. He becomes all excited and was supposed to save some for himself and put the rest of the money to Beneatha 's education. Instead, he gave all that money to Willy another character in the play which later on that he stole from him.

Read More

A Raisin In The Sun American Dream Essay

699 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More

A Raisin In The Sun Analysis

809 Words | 4 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun Money is one of the things in the world that a person can become obsessed with. In the story “A Raisin in the sun” the author Lorraine Hansberry shows how a family is changed by the lust of money. A widow, Lena, her son Walter Younger, his wife Ruth and daughter Beneatha all lived under the same roof. Lena just lost her husband and is receiving a check for his death. With the money, Lena wants to buy a new house for the whole family to live in but everyone else in the family sees a different type of opportunity.

Read More

Examples Of The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun

1123 Words | 5 Pages

The American Dream: A Raisin in the Sun The American Dream is defined as the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination and initiative. However, in 1950s to the 1960s when the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry was written the American Dream was defined slightly different. Post World War II the idea of the American Dream was owning a home -in a decent neighborhood, starting your own business- becoming an entrepreneur, a good paying job- with longevity, and family planning-

Read More

Dreams And Faith In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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

Read More

The Power Of Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

877 Words | 4 Pages

Dreams can be very persuasive and uplifting as well as discouraging, in the right moments. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck introduces the readers to a story of dreams and how those dreams can affect you and others. Steinbeck explains through his novel how dreams can give reasons for people to succeed in life, how they can draw others in and encourage others or how dreams can stray away from reality and how the dreamer can get lost in their own fantasies and never accomplish their dreams at all. Dreams have the power to change lives by giving hope.

Read More

Reaction Paper On A Raisin In The Sun

825 Words | 4 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun "Education has spoiled many a good plow hand" (Hansberry 103). This quote is significant because it is applying that education is better than being a hard-worker. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is taken place in South Side, Chicago between World War II and the present. The main focus of this play is about a poor African-American family who has a chance to escape this lifestyle with a ten-thousand-dollar life insurance check, but is not desired to live in a "white" neighborhood.

Read More

The Importance Of Dreams In Of Mice And Men

982 Words | 4 Pages

The importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men is to give the character purpose and hope. The novel takes place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression, and life was hard because of the tough economic conditions at this time. Dreams play an important role in the novel Of Mice and Men, because the characters need an escape from the loneliness and poverty that is their reality, and it gives them something to work towards. The characters use the idea of the American Dream to feed their desire to have a better life. The characters face many obstacles along their journey, and each obstacle will have a direct affect on shaping how the character develops as well as if they reach their dream.

Read More

More about The Importance Of Dreams In Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Related Topics

Open Document