In a time when African American people had no greater desire than "will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" (King), A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, is the tale of an African American family living in Chicago's South-side, sometime between World War II and 1959 (Hansberry, 24). The characters' various endeavors take place during a time when one's gender and the color of one's skin defined their value. This results in character traits and world views that many find hard to relate to because of cultural differences caused by time. Beneatha Younger is a credulous, self-actualizing, and autarkic young woman who serves as one of the main protagonist of A Raisin in the Sun. These traits arise out of a desire to find herself yet still remain independent in an age when a woman's entire identity was tied to a man's. This was a time when men thought women were unable to have their own thoughts, values, and aspirations, independent from any man's.
Beneatha shows the quality of being credulous, meaning she is far too eager to believe any evidence she hears that supports her own viewpoint, which can lead to susceptibility to faulty ideals and affects the overall credibility of everything she believes. This is evident in her interactions with Asagai, and although he does not have a bad worldview, he does easily mold her into his way of thinking, even effecting her so far as her changing her exterior appearance rapidly as a result of him. This trait does not appear to be evident in her interactions with the rest of her family. The defining variable in whether this trait makes itself evident appears to be the amount of respect she has for the person with the ideals, not the ideals them-self...
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The play depicts the feelings and thoughts of the people of their time. Their feelings are different then what we see today in our lives. The family had to deal with poverty and racism. Not having enough money and always being put down because of the color of their skin held them back from having a lot of self-respect and dignity. I think that Mama was the one who had the most pride and held the family together.
Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in the Sun, revolves around a middle-class African-American family, struggling during World War II. By reading about the Younger’s true to life experiences, one learns many important life lessons. One of the aforementioned would be that a person should always put family’s needs before their own. There are many examples of this throughout the novel. Just a few of these would be the example of Ruth and her unborn baby, Walter regaining the respect of his family, and Mama and her unselfish ways.
King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” Current Issues and Enduring Questions. Ed. Adam Whitehurst. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. 687-690. Print.
A Raisin in the Sun In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, there were characters whose dreams were stated, some of which were shattered by greed and misfortune and others which would eventually come true. The first dream that came about was Walter’s dream of one day owning and maintaining a liquor store. He would do anything to attempt to get his dream to come true, but his mama wanted anything but that to happen. His mama had a dream of her own, though, she dreamed of one day owning her own house, where her whole family could stay comfortably.
Each character in A Raisin in the Sun has grown through out the play. The first character I will begin to talk about is Walter Lee Younger (brother). He is Passionate, ambitious, and bursting with the energy of his dreams, Walter Lee is a desperate man, influenced by with poverty and prejudice, and obsessed with a business idea that he thinks will solve all of his problems. He believes that through his business idea, he will collect all the money he will ever need. Once he has done so, he will improve himself socially and be able to impress others.
King, Martin Luther. "I Have A Dream." The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines. 8th edition, Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw Hill, 2003. 309-312.
Young. Ambitious. Dependant. A woman with big dreams will put everything aside to make them come true. Can her family support these dreams? In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry portrays an African American woman in her mid-twenties in the 1950s with big hopes of becoming a doctor. Beneatha Younger, a childish, dependant, young woman, devoted to becoming a doctor, open minded, yet sometimes disrespectful. Ultimately, Beneatha’s need for her family’s support holds them back throughout a difficult time.
The battle against racism was fought with the help of many people. Beneatha in the story, A Raisin in the Sun by Hansberry, was always trying to find herself within the story. Whether it would be the guitar lessons she would take or the clothes she would wear, it all meant something to her.
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play that displays housing discrimination in Chicago during the 1950s. Housing discrimination was partially an effect of the Great Migration. This was an event during the 1950s that resulted in about six million African Americans “migrating” from the south to the north, Midwest, and west regions of the United States. This caused the population of black people in major northern cities to increase rapidly. They are then only able to live in certain neighborhoods, which keeps their communities segregated.
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters in this play have hopes and aspirations; they all strive towards their goals throughout the play. However, many of the characters in the play have different dreams that clash with each other. Problems seem to arise when different people’s dreams conflict with one another; such as Walter’s versus Bennie’s, George’s versus Asagai’s, and the Clybourne Park versus the Younger’s.
A Raisin in the Sun is a set in 1950s after the Second World War which was an age of great racism and materialistic in America. It is about a black family living in south side of Chicago and struggling through family and economic hardships, facing the issues of racism, discrimination, and prejudice. The family consists of Lena Younger known as Mama; Walter Lee Younger who is an intense man, Ruth Younger who is wife of Walter Lee, Travis Younger who is son of Ruth and Walter, and Beneatha Younger who is Walter’s younger sister. The whole family lives in a two bed room apartment and don’t have money to live a better life. youngers are tired from their struggle to ...
“I have a dream”, Martin Luther King Jr. said in front of thousands at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. a minister and activist had a dream, his dream was to end racism in the United States who wanted economic and civil rights. This era began in the 1950’s when oppression towards African American’s became prominent. Unfortunately racism has been evident for centuries, but it took a series of events that led people to realize enough is enough and there needs to be change. After years of fighting for equality, African Americans were able to make a change.
Differences in generations can cause people to have different viewpoints in life. A Raisin In The Sun is a play set in the 1950s written by Lorraine Hansberry. The Youngers are a black family who lives in a cramped apartment in the South Side of Chicago. When Mama receives a check of insurance money, members of the family are divided in their own hopes of what it will be used for. Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha are the three women of the Younger household and their generational differences clearly show through their actions. The difference between generations is why Mama is the most devout, Ruth is an agreeable person, and Beneatha is outspoken and has modern views.
One of the first ideas mentioned in this play, A Raisin In the Sun, is about money. The Younger's end up with no money because of Walter's obsession with it. When Walter decides not to take the extra money he is offered it helps prove Hansberry's theme. Her theme is that money can't buy happiness. This can be seen in Walter's actions throughout the play.
“A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry is a play about an African-American family, who faces discrimination and financial struggles, but still remains united throughout their journey in buying a new home. Just like the Youngers, people create lifelong goals and dreams, in which they want to accomplish. When they do not fulfill their dreams, it simply becomes “a raisin in the sun” because just like a raisin loses its juice when kept outside for too long, a dream loses its significance as well. The Younger family all have distinctive dreams and throughout the play, they do not realize the importance of family until their dreams became deferred. The title “A Raisin in the Sun” is a representation of all the characters’ dreams being deferred.