Dreams and Struggles: A Comparative Study of 'A Raisin in the Sun' and 'Harlem'

748 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Langston Hughes a raisin in the sun

Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun and the poem, "Harlem," written by Langston Hughes expresses the challenges and pressure felt to fulfill dreams. The Younger family is an African American family that lives in Chicago, spending their lives trying to achieve their dreams. A Raisin in the Sun was named after the poem "Harlem" because Hughes communicates how devastating dreams can be. A Raisin in the Sun and the poem, "Harlem" exhibit controversy between the poem and the book, but during certain points, they agree with each other rather well. Overall the play and poem exemplify Lena's dream of owning a house, Walter's dream of being successful, and Beneatha's dream of a normal life. Lena, who is also know as Mama, certainly has her dream obtained, contradicting the poem "Harlem". Mama has a dream to have a house so she can provide the opportunity for her family to be happy. Mama has a symbolic, small and almost lifeless plant, that represents her dream and, …show more content…

Beneatha puts a lot of effort in to fitting in to the American culture and is even accused of being an assimilationist. Beneatha's hair is a symbol that she wanted to fit in because she straightened her hair and let it grow long, but when her dream is deferred, her hair is cut short and left curly to represent her own culture. One of Beneatha's ways to fit in was to become a doctor, but after trying she no longer feels the same and says, "I wanted to cure. It used to be so important to me. I wanted to cure. It used to matter. I used to care" (Hansberry 3.1.204). Her dream relates to the poem "Harlem" when Hughes writes, "Or does it fester like a sore" (Hughes 4). Beneatha's dream relates to this so well because the reason she gave up on her dream is because she knew it was something that was never going to get better just as the poem describes a sore that will never change or get

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Beneatha In A Raisin In The Sun American Dream

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was unheard of at this time for a poor well-educated black woman to have such high ambitions and dreams. Beneatha took a lot pride in this fact and often waved her intelligence around in her families faces. Mama, knowing how much her education meant to her, told Walter to save $3000 for Beneatha's medical schooling. When it was discovered that Walter had invested the money in his liquor store scheme and Willy had run off with all the money, Beneatha was devastated. She had lost all hope and even though her spirits may have been lifted after her talk with Asagai in act III and the chance to move into a new house, it seems that Beneatha will never realize this

    Read More

  • Essay Outline for Conflict in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    I. Conflicts in the Play - There are many types of conflict evident in this play. Some are as follows:

    Read More

  • Racism and the American Dream in Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...llow." Ruth replies by saying, "He’s rich!" That is exactly Beneatha's point. She does not want to be in a relationship with George (boyfriend) simply because he can support her financially. That is how Beneatha proves her point about looking beyond the surface. He seems her obstacle in fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. She is a strong woman who faces the negative attitude of people with great patience. For example, when Mrs. Johnson (neighbor) says, “I know--- but sometimes she act like ain’t got time to pass the time of day with no body ain’t been to college. It’s just--- you know how some of our young people get when they get a little education” (Hansberry 527).

    Read More

  • Analysis of Harlem (A Dream Deferred) and A Raisin in the Sun

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Langston Hughes’ poem, the author gives us vivid examples of how dreams get lost in the weariness of everyday life. The author uses words like dry, fester, rot, and stink, to give us a picture of how something that was originally intended for good, could end up in defeat. Throughout the play, I was able to feel how each character seemed to have their dreams that fell apart as the story went on. I believe the central theme of the play has everything to do with the pain each character goes thru after losing control of the plans they had in mind. I will attempt to break down each character’s dream and how they each fell apart as the play went on.

    Read More

  • Comparing A Raisin In The Sun And Harlem By Langston Hughes

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beneatha believes that education is the way to understanding and self-fulfillment through knowledge and wisdom. It was rare at this time to find a poor well-educated black woman with such high ambitions. Her Mama knowing how much her education meant to her, told Walter to save $3000 for Beneatha's medical school. When they discovered that Walter had invested the money in his liquor store scheme and Willy had run off with all the money, Beneatha was devastated. Her dream according to Langston Hughes poem Harlem”Or does it explode?” She had lost all hope and even though her spirits may have been lifted after her talk with Asagai and the chance to move into a new house, it seems that Beneatha will never realize her

    Read More

  • Changes In A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    People go through a change when influences are made upon them. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry published in 1959 focuses on what life was like for the Younger family during the 1950s. During this decade there was two sides, the good and the bad, like two sides of a coin, they’re different on each side but they’re one of the same kind. They faced many issues such as discrimination, unequal rights, and financial problems. Throughout the play the three characters who undergo change the most are Walter, Beneatha, and Mama.

    Read More

  • Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun Draws Parallels to Langston Hughes' Harlem

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone wants their dreams to become a reality; however, the unfortunate reality is that more often than not, dreams are not achieved and become deferred. Langston Hughes let this theme ring throughout his poetic masterpiece “Harlem,” in which he posed many questions about what happens to these dreams. In “A Raisin In the Sun,” Lorraine Hansberry draws so many indisputable parallels from “Harlem.” Hansberry consistently uses the dreams of Mama Younger, Big Walter, and Walter Lee to allude to Hughes poem. The intensity of the dreams coupled with the selfishness of some characters eventually adds an abundant amount of emotional strain to the family, once again demonstrating Hansberry’s dedication to Hughes poem.

    Read More

  • What Is The Metaphor Of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lorraine Hansberry’s carefully selected words in the play A Raisin in the Sun, prove to be a metaphor of the Younger’s past, present, and future life. During this time in American history it was hard for black people to make a name for themselves, and they were almost never seen as equals to white lives. As Hansberry describes the house in which the Younger’s live, she is always describing the struggle that they face. She starts this by saying “The Younger living room would be comfortable and well-ordered room if it were not for a number of indestructible contradictions to this state of being” (Hansberry 23). One could assume that has Hansberry speaks of the living room she is actually speaking of the lives of the Younger’s. Therefore as we

    Read More

  • Characters Dreams Deferred in Raisin In The Sun

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor. She believes that her dream was deferred when she was born since she is coloured and a female. Although she fights this, her dream is deferred even more when Walter looses the money which she needed to get into medical school.

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes And Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    “All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” This quote from Walt Disney addressing the concept of achieving dreams is very accurate, and can be seen throughout literature today and in the past. Dreams can give people power or take away hope, and influence how people live their lives based upon whether they have the determination to attack their dreams or not; as seen through characters like the speaker in Harlem by Langston Hughes and Lena and Walter Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in The Sun.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The primary focus of the play is the American Dream. The American Dream is one’s conception of a better life. Each of the main characters in the play has their own idea of what they consider to be a better life. A Raisin in the Sun emphasizes the importance of dreams regardless of the various oppressive struggles of life.

    Read More

  • An Overview of 'A Raisin in the Sun'

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    Creativity of Hansberry played a crucial role in the development of African-American drama since the Second World War. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by African-American author which was set on Broadway and was honored by the circle of New York theater critics. Drama of A Raisin in the Sun (1959) brought Hansberry to the Award Society of New York Critics as the best play of the year. A Raisin in the Sun shows the life of an ordinary African-American family which dreams of happiness and their desire to achieve their dream.

    Read More

  • Walter Lee's Dreams in A Raisin in The Sun

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a play about segregation, triumph, and coping with personal tragedy. Set in Southside Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the individual dreams of the Younger family and their personal achievement. The Younger's are an African American family besieged by poverty, personal desires, and the ultimate struggle against the hateful ugliness of racism. Lena Younger, Mama, is the protagonist of the story and the eldest Younger. She dreams of many freedoms, freedom to garden, freedom to raise a societal-viewed equal family, and freedom to live liberated of segregation. Next in succession is Beneatha Younger, Mama's daughter, assimilationist, and one who dreams of aiding people by breaking down barriers to become an African American female doctor. Lastly, is Walter Lee Younger, son of Mama and husband of Ruth. Walter dreams of economic prosperity and desires to become a flourishing businessman. Over the course of Walter's life many things contributed to his desire to become a businessman. First and foremost, Walter's father had a philosophy that no man should have to do labor for another man. Being that Walter Lee was a chauffeur, Big Walter?s philosophy is completely contradicted. Also, in Walter?s past, he had the opportunity to go into the Laundromat business which he chose against. In the long run, he saw this choice was fiscally irresponsible this choice was. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee's dreams, which are his sole focus, lead to impaired judgement and a means to mend his shattered life.

    Read More

  • Characterism In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the book A Raisin in the Sun, the time period is set in 1955. A time in America where African Americans still dealt with a constant struggle between them and the rest of the country. It touches on subjects that were very sensitive especially at the time the work was released. Even though the setting of the book was in the north, Lorraine Hansberry seemed to want to show that things weren’t that much better in the north than they were in the south at that time. Segregation was still being implemented in the law system, and there was a missing sense of equality among everyone. It shows that Lorraine Hansberry took what was going on around her environment and portrayed those situations into her work. The three events listed include Rosa Parks

    Read More

  • A Comparison of the Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun and Harlem

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun, the author reveals a hard-working, honest African-American family struggling to make their dreams come true. Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem," illustrates what could happen if those dreams never came to fruition. Together, both Hansberry and Hughes show the effects on human beings when a long-awaited dream is thwarted by economic and social hardships.

    Read More

More about Dreams and Struggles: A Comparative Study of 'A Raisin in the Sun' and 'Harlem'

Open Document