A Raisin in the Sun

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A Raisin in the Sun

• Lorraine Hansberry

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Hansberrys background 1930-1965

• Born May 19, 1930 in Chicago
• Youngest of four children
• Moved to an all-white neighborhood at 8
• Fought racism all her life (the brick example)
• Married Robert Neimeroff, a white Jew
• She was an active protester and crusader

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Hansberrys themes

• Equal treatment for the repressed, socially,
  personally, politically, religiously, regardless
  of race or gender
• She felt strongly about individual rights and
  freedom, but was not a militant writer and author

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A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

• What happens to a dream deferred?
• Does it dry up
• Like a raisin in the sun?
• Or fester like a sore
• And then run?
• Does it stink like rotten meat?
• Or crust and sugar over
• Like a syrupy sweet?
• Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
• Or does it explode?

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A Raisin in the Sun Summary

• Set in Chicagos poor south side
• A small two-bedroom apartment
• The family has just inherited a 10,000 insurance
  settlement check

• How to use this money is the point of contention
• Each individual in the play (and there are many)
  want something different for the money (their
  lives)

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The Characters
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Symbols of A Raisin in the Sun

• The apartment
• The plant
• The 10,000
• Ruths pregnancy
• Beneathas hair
• Beneathas clothing
• Liquor store
• Education

• Clybourne Park
• Abortion
• Each major character
• Each minor character
• Title of the play
• The sun

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Themes in A Raisin in the Sun

• What it means to have dreams
• Maintaining pride
• Importance of communication
• Importance of love and respect
• Individuality and individual peace
• Respect for the family structure
• Respect for humanity and life

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Important historical elements

• The Harlem Renaissance of 1920s
• The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s

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Closing thoughts

• Remember to annotate the novel
• Write comments and questions in the margins That
  is how you grow as an active reader and
  proficient writer
• Whos side are you on in the insurance debate?
• Who can you most identify with at the conclusion?