Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides for challenging works of literature. A raisin in the sun essays are academic essays for citation. A raisin in the sun summary from litcharts the creators of. A raisin in the sun summary set in the aftermath of world war ii, the younger family is facing its own war against racism in the chicago slums. Background and criticism of a raisin in the sun chicago. All pretenses but living itself have long since van ished from the very atmosphere of this room. Lorraine hansberry is often viewed as a visionary because of her ability to predict many of the relevant issues to the africanamerican community today. The story tells of a black familys experiences in south chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father. A raisin in the sun is a play by lorraine hansberry that was first performed in 1959.
A raisin in the sun depicts ordinary americans who happen to be black and explores how the fact of their race inhibits them from accomplishing their dreams. It ran for 530 performances and won the new york drama critics. A list of all the characters in a raisin in the sun. Spark publishings literature guides are celebrating their 5th anniver. A summary of act i, scene i in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. The story tells of a black familys experiences in south chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following. It does explain symbolism in things i may not have thought were symbolism. Welcome to the litcharts study guide on lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun.
We know that snacking on some dry raisins in the beating hot sun doesnt sound like the most appetizing thing in the world. Created by the original team behind sparknotes, litcharts are the worlds best literature guides. Shes a downtoearth, hardworking black woman who doesnt suffer. The title comes from the poem harlem also known as a dream deferred by langston hughes. The play centers on the youngers, a workingclass family that lives in chicagos south side during the midtwentieth century. See a complete list of the characters in a raisin in the sun and indepth analyses of walter, mama, beneatha, and asagai. Get an answer for in a raisin in the sun, what values do the family members associate with mamas late husband. The symbol of mamas plant in a raisin in the sun from. A week later, it is saturday, moving day for the youngers. The younger family lives in a cramped, furniture crowded apartment that is clearly too small for its five occupants in one of the poorer sections of southside chicago. Dreams of buying a house, making some money in business, and going to medical school are dreams shared by. A raisin in the sun quotes from litcharts the creators. Discuss these differences and how they conflict with one another. In the poem, part of which serves as the plays epigraph.
A raisin in the sun is a 1959 awardwinning play by lorraine hansberry, notable for being the first play by an africanamerican woman to appear on broadway. The curtain rises to reveal the younger familys living room in its modest home in chicagos southside. But stick with us and youll see just how juicy and appetizing this story really is. For most of the first act, hes nasty to just about every other character in the play. The symbol of mamas plant in a raisin in the sun from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. A raisin in the sun themes from litcharts the creators of.
A raisin in the sun sparknotes literature guide by. A raisin in the sun study guide from litcharts the creators. It was the first play written by an african american to be produced on broadway and the first to be directed by an african american in over half a century. A raisin in the sun study guide contains a biography of lorraine hansberry, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. In other words, a raisin in the sun demonstrates how race can complicate the american dream. A summary of act iii in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Play summary this play tells the story of a lowerclass black familys struggle to gain middleclass acceptance. A raisin in the sun sparknotes literature guide and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.
Hansberrys recognition of the close relationship between art and propaganda is the reason she chose the environment of the powerless as a backdrop for her work about american culture. A raisin in the sun sparknotes literature guide by sparknotes. A summary of act i, scene ii in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. The genre of realism captures ordinary life, and a raisin in the sun definitely fits this description. Walter younger can be really hard to get along with. The title comes from the poem harlem also known as a dream deferred 2 by langston hughes. A raisin in the sun study guide from litcharts the. A raisin in the sun by loraine hansberry is a 1959 play about the youngers, an africanamerican family living on the south side of chicago lena younger, the. A raisin in the sun is essentially about dreams, as the main characters struggle.
The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. A raisin in the sun examines the effects of racial prejudice on the fulfillment of an africanamerican familys dreams. A raisin in the sun quotes from litcharts the creators of. Mamas son, walter lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store.
A concise biography of lorraine hansberry plus historical and literary context for a raisin in the sun. Americas complicated history of racial tension between black americans and white americans is ingrained into the youngers everyday lives. Her objective was to be a spokesperson for those who, prior to. Geared to what todays students need to know, sparknotes provides. Before the curtain rises, ruths joyful singing cuts through the silence as. We assign a color and icon like this one to each theme, making it easy to track which themes apply to each quote below. This study guide and infographic for lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. Mamas plant symbol timeline in a raisin in the sun the timeline below shows where the symbol mamas plant appears in a raisin in the sun. A raisin in the sun sparknotes literature guide by lorraine hansberry making the reading experience fun. Litcharts makes it easy to find quotes by scene, character, and theme.
Throughout the play, walter provides an everyman perspective of the mid. Introduction to lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. In a raisin in the sun, what values do the family members. Parents need to know that a raisin in the sun eloquently portrays the life struggles of an africanamerican family living on chicagos south side in the 1950s. See a complete list of the characters in a raisin in the sun and in depth analyses of walter, mama, beneatha, and asagai. A summary of act ii, scene i in lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Her objective was to be a spokesperson for those who, prior to raisin, had no voice.
The title a raisin in the sun is an allusion to langston hughes poem harlem, which asks, what happens to a dream deferred. Get free homework help on lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. A raisin in the sun was part of a broader movement to portray the lives of ordinary, workingclass africanamericans. Read a plot overview of the entire play or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Dreams possess great importance in a raisin in the sun, with the plays name coming from a 1951 langston hughes poem titled montage of a dream deferred. For the most part, however, race is a latent backdrop in the play. Dreams of buying a house, making some money in business, and going to medical school are dreams shared by millions of working. Later that saturday, dressed in her new nigerian robes and headdress, beneatha dances to african music while simultaneously giving ruth an impromptu lesson in its significance. The american dream means something different to each character in a raisin in the sun. All this nastiness seems to come from the fact that.
Characters work at subservient jobs walter is a chauffeur, and his mother and sister clean houses, grapple with the impact this has on their selfesteem, and face racial prejudice. A raisin in the sun is a play by lorraine hansberry that debuted on broadway in 1959. In lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun, conflict arises when an insurance check provides the means to fulfill conflicting dreams for lena younger mama and her children walter lee and beneatha. And with that incredibly bitter, selfpitying line, the curtain falls on act two, scene one of a raisin in the sun study guide for act three of lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun act 2, scene 3 of lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun. Set in the aftermath of world war ii, the younger family is facing its own war against racism in the chicago slums. Because of her religious convictions against liquor drinking, mama. A raisin in the sun summary and study guide supersummary. A raisin in the sun act iii summary and analysis gradesaver. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of a raisin in the sun by lorraine hansberry. Introduction to lorraine hansberrys a raisin in the sun social background published in 1959, four years after rosa parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus, sparking the civil rights movement, hansberrys play illustrates black americas struggle to gain equal access to opportunity and expression of cultural identity. From a general summary to chapter summaries to explanations of famous quotes, the sparknotes a raisin in the sun study guide has everything you need to. All american literature post1945 american literature. A raisin in the sun is a play by lorraine hansberry about an african american family that tries to realize the american dream after receiving a large life insurance check.
Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in a raisin in the sun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. A raisin in the sun opened at the barrymore theatre in new york on march 11, 1959, to great popular and critical success. Spark notes a raisin in the sun is useful, but the plot does not have any hidden meanings, so assistance isnt needed very much. It is seventhirty and still morning dark inside the clean but cramped apartment. Before the curtain rises, ruths joyful singing cuts through the silence as she finishes the familys packing.