Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

763 Words2 Pages

	Society in the 1959 was full of racial discrimination. White and blacks were still living in their own "areas", the public as a whole was very slow to accept the concept of mixed neighborhoods – blacks and white living together. This book, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Vivian Hansberry, tells the story of a lower-class black family’s struggle to gain middle –class acceptance in the Southside of Chicago. The Younger family of five, four adults and one child live in a cramped apartment in one of the poorer sections of town. The dream of owning your own business and having all the money you will ever need is a goal held by many in society, then and now. Walter Lee Younger becomes obsessed with his dream of a business venture that will give him financial and social independence, after getting and losing the money that will help this dream become reality he realizes that pride and dignity are more important for him and his family.

Walter is obsessed with the insurance check that the family is waiting for, ten thousand dollars, will solve all his financial and social problems. The fact that the money is really his Mama’s because of the death of his father complicates the issue. But he points out "He was my father, too!" (38). Walter wants Mama to give him the money so he can open a liquor store with two friends. He feels as if this will finally allow him the opportunity to provide all the material things, necessities and luxuries f...

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
530 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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Younger Dreams In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
836 Words | 2 Pages
Like the Youngers do in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, living in Chicago during the 1950s was tough for an African-American family. In this play, Hansberry presents a story which demonstrates the effects of putting off one's dreams. Throughout this drama, the Younger family tackles trial after tribulation while they struggle to realize their aspirations. In the concluding segment of the story, while many of the characters’ dreams do not come true, some simply do. The poem “Harlem,” by Langston Hughes, embodies this concept of dreams and aspirations. It is apparent that Hansberry used Hughes’ poem as a direct source of inspiration, seeing as she named her story after the line "What happens to a dream deferred, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" (Meyer 1730). A Raisin in the Sun is an appropriate title because it figuratively relates to the characters’ dreams.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
2255 Words | 5 Pages
A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, is one of the most prolific American plays ever written. Centering around an African American family in the 1950s, the play showcases the dreams that each character has for themselves and how it will change the rest of their families lives. Throughout most of the play the family is concerned about a check that has come in the mail. This is a Life Insurance check that is made out for $10,000, due to Lena Younger’s husband dying. For a family in this time period, not to mention a family that is also African American, this money could be the opportunity to start fresh, to do something they’ve always dreamed of, or to fix their problems in the past. This insurance check that the family receives
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
668 Words | 2 Pages
“What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?”(Langston Hughes). During the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, everybody has a dream, but due to financial problems, not everyone was able to reach their goals. In Chicago, there is a family of 5 living in an apartment that has big dreams for in life. Walter wanted to make money by opening a liquor store, Mama wanted a house with a backyard so she could start a garden and plant flowers, Beneatha wanted to go to school to become a doctor, and Ruth just wanted happiness for her family.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
998 Words | 2 Pages
In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, there is a large family, the Youngers which you may consider them a lower-class, that live in a small apartment and share it with a different family, the johnsons, in a African-American neighborhood, that you may just call a ghetto. They live in a cramped space where they all sleep in small spaces, they have only one bathroom which they have to share it with the Johnsons. They get an opportunity to move into a different house with Lena Younger(Mama)’s husband, Walter Lee and Beneatha Younger’s father, Big Walter,passed away and the youngers got a check. Walter wanted the money to invest in a liquor store, but instead Mama bought a house in a white community with the money. The people in the whites community do not want black folks to move into the community so a representative of the Clybourne Park Owners Association offered money to them so that they would not move in. They should not accept the money that would not contain any pride, dignity, or hope
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
1016 Words | 3 Pages
Throughout the play the subject of money plays a very important role in their lives. From Walter's point of view, money symbolizes a ticket. The only way to have a name in society or have some importance is to have this "ticket". Without it you are rejected and an outcast. This need to have this "ticket" is driving Walter to the point of insanity. He, in the beginning of the play, is very calm about his proposition of investing money in a liquor store. He goes to Ruth, explains how this will make him rich and happier. However Ruth just blows him off and says "eat your eggs". Walter then tries with Mama, explaining that to have money will make Travis appreciates him more as a father. Mama then says that he has a job; Walter interrupts and says that his job is opening and closing doors for white people, and that, that is not considered a job. Then Walter completely explodes when Ruth tells him she is pregnant. He pressures the family more saying that it is even more important now that they are going to be paying for another person. He then cracks and goes to the bar multiple times during the play. He finally is cornered by Mama who gives him the left over money from buying the
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
824 Words | 2 Pages
His dream is to start a liquor store. This goal is significant to Walter for multiple reasons. First, he believes that going into the liquor business would help financially support the family. Second, he thinks that this would give his son a better life. In the story he tells Travis, “You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make a transaction...a business transaction that’s going to change our lives…” It would give Walter a sense of control and pride. In the play, Mama trusts him with the rest of the money that she inherited from the insurance. Walter is supposed to save half of the money for the house and the other half for Beneatha’s schooling. Nonetheless, he decides that he wants to fulfill his dream and takes the money to invest in the liquor business. As a result of this, his friend, Willie, steals all of the money for himself. Losing the money leaves all of the families’ dreams in jeopardy. This shows that sometimes pursuing a dream can affect more than your life. In the worst case scenario, it can even ruin other people’s
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
302 Words | 1 Pages
A Raisin in the Sun represents the struggles of a three generation family named the Youngers. The family members all have dreams to overcome, as they overcome racial discrimination in their community. Walter Younger, who is the hero and the villain of the play, has a dream set upon owning a liquor store. Ruth Younger, who is also pregnant, but finds out later on, wants to be wealthy and own a home. Beneatha Younger struggles to capture her dream, which is to become a doctor. The head of the household, Lena Younger, dream is for her family out of the ghetto and into a house with a yard where children can play and she can tend a garden. Walter Younger, who is referred to as “Big Walter” has died, and Lena Younger, his wife, is waiting to receive
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
861 Words | 2 Pages
Lorraine Hansberry is a famous african american playwright. She was inspired by Langston Hughes’ poem “Dream Deferred”. She wrote an entire play based off of his poem. Her play is called Raisin in the Sun. This play is about the Younger family, a black family living on the Southside of Chicago. The whole family tries to make their dreams come true. In her play, Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry uses Mama, Walter and Beneatha to show the negative consequences that occur when you defer your dreams.
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Characters Dreams Deferred in Raisin In The Sun
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Walter is Mama’s oldest son. His dreams are to be wealth but at the same time wanting to provide for his family. His own personal dream is to open liquor store with his money he receives from Mama.
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A Raisin In The Sun Walter A Dynamic Character
755 Words | 2 Pages
At the beginning of the play, Walter is a self centered character. In a conversation with Mama, Walter wants to make sure she does not spend all the money. Walter states, “Where were you, mama? Mama, You didn’t go do something with that insurance money, something crazy” (P. 90). It is revealed that Walter is desperate for money and achieving his big idea of owning a liquor store. It’s important to know that this money is Mama’s and not Walters to spend. Instead of being the man of the house
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
570 Words | 2 Pages
Mama talks to Walter about her fears of the family falling apart. This is the reason she bought the house and she wants him to understand. Walter doesn't understand and gets angry. "What you need me to say you done right for? You the head of this family. You run our lives like you want to. It was your money and you did what you wanted with it. So what you need for me to say it was all right for? So you butchered up a dream of mine - you - who always talking 'bout your children's dreams..." Walter is so obsessive over money that he yells at his mom for not giving him all of it. He doesn't know that what his mom is doing is for the family. He thinks that having money will make the family happy, when in reality the family doesn't need anymore than what they have to be happy.
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
543 Words | 2 Pages
He wants to own a liquor store. He wants to give his family what he never had. His dream is deferred when the money that his mother gave to him is stolen by his friend willie, a potential partner in the business. At first Walter is completely devastated. This is a hard time because the money is part of an insurance settlement his mother received at the death of her husband. Even though all of the money is gone, Walter ends up calling Mr. Lindner and moving the family into the new house anyway.
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Black Hole Research Paper
558 Words | 2 Pages
When we say black hole it's not really true. A black hole is mostly made of light matter and not dark matter. Black holes are the most deadly thing in the universe that we know. It literally disintegrates it and takes all light away from it and never gives it back. But there is a good thing a black hole does it takes all the space garbage it's basically a space trash can.A black hole has this weird thing when you get to close to it it slows down time and if you get to close it will suck you in and you have no escape from its grasp. Black holes don't actually emit the radiation its the gas and stuff it sucks up and gets heated. This also affects the gravitational of other objects or light passing by. Black holes actually take you and stretch you out like a noodle string. How this happans by the black holes gravity takes you and strches you
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Black Hole Research Paper
547 Words | 2 Pages
During a stars life there is a constant battle between gravity pulling in and pressure pushing out but, when a star with a mass of about 20 million times greater than our sun's a nuclear reactions is strong enough to push out. Black holes hardly ever light up but, when they do it’s called a quasar. Black holes are a the center of almost every galaxy, holding the planets and stars together. Black holes gravitational pull is so strong that if the sun was to be sucked up it would be shrunk down to the size of an atom. Black holes are important because they can make, sustain, and destroy anything in the universe. They are the most powerful and the biggest thing in the universe. If light was able to escape they would easily be the brightest thing in the universe. They are in the center of almost every galaxy in the universe. Black holes have more energy than any star in the universe. Black holes could hold the secrets of the universe. We don’t know much about black holes so we need to learn about them because we don’t know what questions they can answer. Black holes are not like anything we’ve seen before, they are so different and weird compared to everything
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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun