Lorraine Hansberry drew inspiration from personal experience when she sat down to write a play about a working class family on the South Side of Chicago. See how she worked to find the words to describe their hopes and struggles, and how she pressed on to complete “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Is A Raisin in the Sun based on a true story?
The events of the play, which portrays an African-American family’s effort to improve their lives by buying a home in a racially restricted neighborhood, are based on true events to a degree not fully appreciated by many theatergoers (or at least this one).
What poem is A Raisin in the Sun based on?
Harlem
The play’s title is taken from “Harlem,” a poem by Langston Hughes, which examines the question “What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?” This penetrating psychological study of a working-class black family on the south side of Chicago in the late 1940s reflected Hansberry’s own
What does A Raisin in the Sun stand for?
Dreams in A Raisin in the Sun represent hope and possibility conceptualized in the American Dream. The pursuit of the American Dream is generational. Mama describes both her and Big Walter’s dream about buying a house on Morgan Park, “fixing it up,” and making a little backyard garden.
How did Walter lose the money?
How does Walter lose the insurance money? Walter loses the insurance money to Willy, a crook that he mistakes for a friend. Mama entrusts Walter with all the money that remains after the down payment on the new house.
How much money did Walter lose in A Raisin in the Sun?
The Youngers refuse the deal, even after Walter loses the rest of the money ($6,500) to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash.
What does Mama’s plant symbolize?
Mama’s Plant
Her care for her plant is similar to her care for her children, unconditional and unending despite a less-than-perfect environment for growth. The plant also symbolizes her dream to own a house and, more specifically, to have a garden and a yard.
Why did Lorraine Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun?
She wanted to focus on the working class. She wanted them to be in struggle against racial discrimination, and she wanted them to come through struggle and to make some kind of heroic choice. Hansberry drew on the lives and the personalities she grew up with on the South Side of Chicago for her drama.
What themes are in A Raisin in the Sun?
The major themes of A Raisin in the Sun include dreams, pride, money, race, and family. Each character in the play demonstrates at least one of the themes through their interactions with other characters.
What is the irony in a raisin in the sun?
Lesson Summary
Lindner from the welcoming committee visits to inform the Youngers that they are not welcome. Dramatic irony is when the audience has insight that the character does not have, like when Bobo walks in the door and everyone but Walter Lee is aware that his own investment has gone poorly.
What does Ruth symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
In this regard, Ruth is symbolically aligned with Mama, with whom she shares a vision of providing the family with better living conditions. While Walter wants to use the insurance money for his business, and Beneatha needs it for her schooling, Ruth advocates strongly for moving the family out of the South Side slums.
What does Africa symbolize in a raisin in the sun?
Basically, Asagi is Africa. He represents one extreme of the American debate on assimilation. His presence in the play forces the audience (and Beneatha) to ask what it truly means to be an African American. How can blacks live in America yet retain some of their unique cultural identity?
Why does Ruth want an abortion?
She contemplates an abortion, for example, not because she wants to, but because she is worried about the additional burden she would bring to the family that she already has. Still, Ruth is not an “emotional weakling.” She never raises her voice (as Walter does quite often), but she exhibits a remarkable strength.
Why did Walt take Holly?
Holly betrayed him, just like the rest of his family had. Walt grabbed the baby on his way out of the house to punish Skyler, of course, and to remind her how powerful he was. But he wanted Holly because she was the last person in the family who still respected him.
Why does Ruth collapse?
Answer and Explanation: Ruth collapses after her exhaustion, stress, and new pregnancy gets the best of her. She knows that they cannot afford another child, nor can they take the stress that comes with pregnancy, as their situation is bad enough already.
Why is Mama’s Little plant so important to her what does she mean when she says it expresses me?
Mama’s Houseplant
When Beneatha asks why Mama would want to keep that “raggedy-looking old thing,” Mama Younger replies: “It expresses me.” This is Mama’s way of recalling Beneatha’s tirade about self-expression, but it also reveals the affinity Mama feels for the enduring houseplant.
Who is the hero in a raisin in the sun?
Walter
Walter is the protagonist in Raisin, for even though he does not appear to be a hero in the traditional sense of the word, he is the person around whom the drama revolves.
Why did Mama give Walter the money?
She believed the realization of her dream could eventually open the door for other family member’s dreams. When she realizes she was doing to Walter what the rest of the world was doing, not giving him a chance to be a man, she corrected her actions by giving Walter part of the money to open a personal bank account.
What does the 10 000 check symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
The life insurance check that Mama receives after the death of her husband represents hope, as each member of the family sees it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make their dreams come true. However, the money doesn’t solve as many problems as they imagined.
What does Beneatha name symbolize?
Much like the character of the play, the name Beneatha means Beauty, excitement and wonderment, curious and knowledge-seeking, joyful, playful, artistically inclined to make an impact on the world as we know it.
What does Beneatha’s hair symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
Beneatha’s natural hair symbolizes her pride in her African heritage and her desire to explore her African roots.