Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s The Sun Essay

Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry was one of the most poetic voices in American theatre. She was a playwright and an activist who wrote the incredibly successful play, A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. Throughout her short life she was deeply involved in civil rights. She was the first African American playwright and the youngest American to win the New York Critics’ Circle award. Raisin in the Sun was the first of many that she envisioned challenging the limits of American political discourse in the postwar period. Hansberry represented the life, experiences and dreams of the African America working class in the 1950’s. In the Oxford American Dictionary, ‘American Dream’ is defined as, â€Å"the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.† Realistically everyone’s definition of the American Dream is different, but they all have one thing in common which is to live a better and easier life. The poem â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes starts off by saying, â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred?† is this question is exemplifying the black experience of the American Dream. Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† Hansberry answered this question by â€Å"fashioning a playa bout the struggle and frustrations of a working-class black family living in Chicago’s south side ghetto during the 1950’s.† (Wilkerson, Margaret). This is how the title â€Å"A RaisinShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s The Sun Essay1723 Words   |  7 Pagesraisin in the sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, who was one of the very first African American ever to have her play performed on Broadway, during the civil rights movement. The play takes place in an uncomfortable small two bedroom apartment which the Younger family stays in. Throughout the play the fam ily faces money, as well as family problems, but when they receive a large check the oldest son lets it get the best of him. According to Frank Ardolino journal article of Hansberry’sRead MoreAn Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 914 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is an autobiographical play written in 1950 by Lorraine Hansberry, an African American writer. The main characters are the Younger family, Mama, his son Walter and her daughter Beneatha. The play dramatizes a conflict between the main characters’ dreams and their actual lives’ struggles in poverty and racism. The main characters’ lives as African-Americans contribute to their feeling of entrapment by poverty and racism. The play predicts the black society struggles in the yearsRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1343 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is play written by Lorraine Hansberry about a struggl ing African American family. Set in the nineteen-fifties, the play explores the dynamics of how the family operates in a time era Chicago that challenges the family with poor economic status and racial prejudice. Hansberry uses dreams as one of her main themes in this play. Three of the characters, Walter, Beneatha, and Mama, all have a similar goal in their respective dreams, to improve the life of the whole family, butRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin And The Sun Essay2363 Words   |  10 Pagesis always a great place to start a story, yet is there a lesson to be learned if the characters ends up right where they started? That is one of the several predicaments in the story â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Afro American writer Lorraine Hansberry. The story takes place in Chicago during the late 1950’s the civil rights era, and the most prevalent question is what makes an African American different to any other person. The story dives deep into what t hat is through the use of money, as the familyRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1876 Words   |  8 PagesA Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. This is a story about an African American family striving to reach the American Dream despite significant financial difficulties and a racially oppressive environment in the postwar era. The passage I chose was from Act 2, scene 3 of the play. This is when the chairmen of the neighborhood committee in Clybourne Park, Mr. Lindner comes to speak with the Younger family about their future presence in the neighborhood. This passageRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1854 Words   |  8 Pagesdrink from the same water fountain. Schools being desegregated has helped young American people grow together in an educational environment, where they can build friendships with students of other races. Throughout the play, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, Lorraine Ha nsberry vividly portrays the racism and discrimination of white people towards African-Americans in the fifties, as well as similarities to her own childhood. Walter Lee Younger, husband of Ruth Younger, works as a chauffeur for a rich white familyRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1797 Words   |  8 Pages Worthless money itself All money brings is nothing but dreams and evil. Where there is money there is also dishonesty or corruption.. In a play called â€Å"A Raisin In The Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, she focuses on the struggle that was faced by one African American family from late 1950s. As the play opens, the family are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the death of Mr.Younger’s insurance policy. Everyone was very excited and were waiting for the money to beRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Beneatha In A Raisin In The Sun1487 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis â€Å" A Raisin in the Sun† is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry about the life of an African American family during the era of segregation. The play starts off with the Younger family receiving a 10,000 dollar check from Mr. Younger’s insurance policy. The family argues over what they are going to do with it. Mama wants to buy a house with it, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to use the money to go to medical school. The contrast of the characters’ personalitiesRead MoreThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1570 Words   |  7 Pagesabout it their whole lives? Many families struggle to even get close to the American Dream. In Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, the Younger family struggled for money, despite having numerous jobs, and a descendant living space. Being African American in the 1950’s made it difficult for the family to move up in class to achieve the American Dream. In â€Å"A Rai sin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger’s cannot fully achieve the American Dream due to societal obstacles they experienceRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Archetypal Analysis1452 Words   |  6 Pagesarchetypal analysis that enables one to gain insight into the conventional and universal experiences within the society of which that form of literature is based upon. These repeating and shared experiences are especially prevalent in the literature of the 1950s, as it is a period of time characterized by social injustice and prejudice targeting not just individuals but entire groups such as blacks, women and other disenfranchised communities within American society. Accordingly, Lorraine Hansberry’s