Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Symbols can be; images, signs, colors, sounds, shapes, anything. It is like how blue can stand for sadness, and how the sun can stand for happiness. Symbolism is an object or an idea that has a representation beyond the literal meaning of the object. The functions of symbols are to add meaning to the text and underline some subtle point the author is making, also to give the reader a clue about the mood of the story and what will happen. The symbols Lorraine Hansberry used in A Raisin in the Sun are the light, plant, and the window. All three symbols; the light, the plant, and the window, have to go together for the Youngers to reach their dream.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959), she reveals the life of the Youngers family. In doing so, there surfaces a detrimental ideology that destroys the family financially and in their overall happiness. In Act II Scene I, Walter, the father figure of the family, says, “Why? You want to know why? 'Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don 't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” (Hansberry 532). By way of explanation, the family and much of the African-American community for the 1960’s, is built upon a loose ideology that is a brutal cycle that infects the lives of those who inhabit the area; tired of all the commotion from the Caucasians who, to them, miraculously achieve a life of ruling and

The play “ A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry shows three generation of women under the same roof and the struggle each women face, the dreams that they had and how they overcome the obstacle in their life to move on to something better. The women in the family has had to sacrifice a lot to make the family either happy or progress further in life.

The struggles of being African American have been very evident throughout history. To present day many African Americans (commonly referred to as "black") endure injustice and inequality. As many racial protests and movies have been made to depict such hardships, so have books. The controversial topics of racism and gender roles are spread throughout A Raisin in the Sun. Lorraine Hansberry lived through such a time where racial and gender discrimination was at its highest point; which she portrays in her book. As the Younger family eventually developed into a family so do the gender issues. My goal in this paper is to identify gender injustice as it has been dominantly illustrated, whether that be where the women stand or what the men should be doing as opposed to the women having higher power.

Do you believe it's okay to be different? In the book Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha searches her identity throughout the play. She also wants to be different from her family. How? Beneatha tries everything in her power not to give up on her dream of becoming a doctor. Throughout this play, it shows how this African American family struggles to become successful while going through segregation and racism. Beneatha doesn’t let none of this stop her, difficult situations happen and she has to still figures out who she is. In this play you’ll see how independent Beneatha is, she doesn’t believe in God but she believes in herself and she doesn't want to follow her culture.

Each member of the Younger family had their own distinct dream, but one thing they had in common was their lack of money. Their lack of income is the greatest factor stopping them from achieving their dreams. First there is Mama who dreams of moving her family into a white neighborhood with a big yard for her to garden and her children to play. She has had this dream since her and Big Walter first moved in to the apartment they currently live in. Despite the family’s hard work over the years they cannot afford the new house. The rest of this family also share this same dream, but the one it affects the most is Mama since she has had it the longest. The next dream is Walter Lee’s. Where he wants to own his own business and become rich. His main

The “I Have a Dream” speech was given by Martin Luther King Jr. on August 28th, 1963. The speech was given at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The point of the speech was to bring awareness to the public about the racial inequality and what Marin dreamed the world would be like in the near future. A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, had taken place in the 1960s and focuses around the Younger family. The Youngers are a black family living in the city Chicago who have just inherited a large sum of money and used it to buy a house in a white neighborhood and are bribed to leave it. The play and the speech are similar in many ways, such as it shows the struggle to achieve the American dream, acknowledges segregation, and shows racial discrimination.

Dreams can sometimes be very to accomplish but as long as you follow them with much support from your friends and family you’ll be perfectly fine. The Raisin in the Sun is a wonderful, touching story by Lorraine Hansberry. The theme I chose was “the importance of family.” Importance of family is extremely important because it’s what makes you yourself. At the beginning of the story the family was struggling to get things done, they were desperate for relief and guidance. As the story got deeper the family were waiting for a check of 10,000 dollars they were receiving from the death of Mama’s husband. Towards the end of the story things got a bit bumpy due to all the racial discrimination and irresponsibility but they still figured a way.

Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been betting it ain’t never going to see spring again” in Act 1 scene 1. The plant symbolizes Walter and Beneatha but they both have made questionable decisions throughout their lives but she has always stood by her children even though their boisterous behavior can sometimes cause the family to feel uncomfortable. She also helps to elaborate the plot by stating “I’m waiting to hear how you be your father’s son. Be the man he was” in act 1 scene 2. This shows the reader that she yearns for her son to stop acting like a child, and begin living life the way his father did. Finally Mama most assists in the development of the plot of the play by telling Travis “She went out and bought you a house” in Act 2 scene 1. This shows that she only wants the best for her family even though the house is a white neighborhood.

Inequality and racism are issues that have plagued our society since its beginning. From that point forward there has been discrimination and animosity towards a whole race of people. The play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explores the consequences of this systematic oppression on the family dynamic. Reading the novel was an edifying experience due to its well-developed plot, compelling characters, and relatability.

A dream is defined as an aspiration that somebody has or hopes to achieve. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the characters try to attain their dreams but this does not always work out, yet they still live on and create new dreams to work towards. At the beginning of the play, Beneatha aspired to be a doctor in America after she completed a college degree. Walter dreamt of owning a liquor store to earn money, but did not care much about his family's opinions. Mama originally just wanted to own a new house since she had never felt as if she had a big house of her own. She and her husband had always wanted a better home, and she thought it was the perfect opportunity to buy one because the

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry portrays the life of the Youngers, a lower economic class, African American family living in a 2 bed no bath apartment in the 1950s. Hansberry reveals the emotional turbulence of African Americans in this era revolved around dried up dreams and lack of money. The Younger family consists of Mama, the head of the house, Walter Lee, Ruth, Beneatha, and Travis. The American play starts with a tired family in a tired apartment and ends with a revived family in a lively house; between the two, the journey, is an emotional roller coaster of leadership decisions, money, one’s maturing, morality, priorities, and most of all dreams dependent on an insurance check left from Walter Lee Sr. Langston Hughes’ poem,

The American Dream Lorraine Hansberry in the play, A Raisin in the Sun, connects her inspiration of, “Harlem”, a short poem by, Langston Hughes throughout the progression and title of the play. Hansberry pulled the title “A Raisin in the Sun” from the third line of “Harlem”. Her inspiration of using this poem as an outline for her play brings a new light and understanding to, “Harlem” that allows for a deeper connection to the overall truths of humanity and society, as reflected her play, in the 1950s. Neither passages giving a direct or simple answer to “What happens to a dream deferred?” (Hughes, line 1).

A Raisin in the Sun: The Life Changing Book “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore- and then run?”

Why is the family support so important to make the right decisions ? no matter how bad people do things, how many mistakes they make or how little they deserve their families support, families will be always there to forgive them and give them as many second chances as they need. That is what Lorraine Hansberry wants to show in her book “Raisin in the sun “, how family support make people change their minds just being by their side.