...Being a black family and living in a white neighborhood in the 1950s is a rare thing to see. The dreams of African Americans in the 1950s are hard to achieve. In the story, A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family’s dream is to overcome the racism and discrimination. The main character is the play is Walter, his dream is to open up his own liquor story with the insurance money his family is getting. Opening a liquor store in the 1950s is a very good idea because drinking was very popular. Walter invests six thousand dollars into Willy who is in charge of getting the business started. His dreams chatter when Willy disappears with the money and leaves nothing behind. Another character in the play, A Raisin in the Sun, is Beneatha. Beneatha...
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...Unarguably, the American Dream means something different to everyone. Those who dream the American Dream, however, share a common aspect they all hope to achieve: happiness. Out of many factors which play into one’s happiness, one may be the relationships people share with others. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck both imply that the American Dream is primarily about achieving happiness through relationships such as family and companionship— A statement still relevant in modern society’s view of the dream. However, while Hansberry argues family is more important than achieving the dream, Steinbeck argues companionship is essential to achieving the dream. Hansberry reveals that having a family is...
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...The American Dream: A Reflection of “A Raisin in the Sun” The play “A Raisin in the Sun” was written by an American playwright and writer Lorraine Hansberry. The play reflects the story of Lorraine Hansberry's life. She grew up African American in a dominant white society experiencing racism and struggling to reach her dreams. The central conflict of the play “A Raisin in the Sun” lies in Walter's notion of this American dream. So what is the American dream? For some it is the dream of equality and freedom and for others it is the dream of a happy life or even the dream of fame and wealth. The American dream differs for each member of the Younger family. “The concept of “the American Dream” has lured tens of millions of immigrants from all...
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...Alex Hinton American Literature[->0] Sunday, April 1, 2012 The American Dream: A Raisin in the Sun vs. The Great Gatsby Word Count: 514 The American Dream is the national culture of what we believe as a society and as Americans to be success, prosperity, and freedom. Aspects of the American Dream can be found in the play A Raisin in the Sun and the novel The Great Gatsby. The two pieces of literature are very different and represent two distinct eras and lifestyles. A Raisin in the Sun takes place in the 1950’s and centers around a very poor family living in a poor neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. All the members of the family share an interest in wanting to have a better life although, a “better life” is defined differently by each member. The concept of a “better life” is one that is weighted heavily in the American Dream. Lena Younger and her husband had dreamed of an improved living condition when they were first married. When they first rented their apartment they believed it would be temporary and that they would move up the social chain and have a house of their own. Therefore, the American Dream in Lena’s eyes is having her own house with her own garden. Walter’s idea of the American Dream is much more materialistic than his mother’s. He dreams of having a large house and lots of money. In the novel The Great Gatsby the American Dream is presented differently. The Great Gatsby centers on a group of individuals who live in New York in the 1920s. The...
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...“A Raisin in the Sun” What happens to a dream deferred? In the poem written by Langston Hughes detects what could happen to dreams that are not pursued or maybe even dreams that don’t come true. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry which also discuss dreams and how they can change throughout time. Both Langston Hughes and Lorraine Hansberry write about the effect of dreams and pursuing happiness. Neither of the two directly spells out racism but by reading the two together they are talking about the dreams of African Americans and how their dreams are harder to achieve and sometimes they just shrivel up like a raisin in the sun or maybe it just sags like a heavy load Hughes writes. The realities of dreams during this era in time for African Americans were slim. In Hansberry’s play we know that blacks are not equal to the whites. The main theme in both pieces of work is about the dreams and ambitions that everyone possesses and to be able to overcome society’s views and live a life that you want for yourself, regardless of what anyone else says or does. Broken dreams can be extremely hard for anyone but more so if you are already expected to fail. A Raisin in the Sun becomes about dreams as the main characters try to overcome obstacles in their own lives to achieve their dreams. The title of the play is perfect because of all the dreams and failures that are mixed throughout the play will the Youngers dreams shrivel up “like a raisin...
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...Andrea Thomas A Raisin in the Sun was an awesome book about many things, it was about a black family struggling with economic hardship and racial prejudice, this play showed the importance of family, the value of dreams, and about racial discrimination. The I have a dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is known as one of the best speeches ever given, the key message in the speech is that all people were created equal. His speech demanding racial justice and an integrated society became an expression for the black community. I have a dream speech and A Raisin in the Sun both talk about pride. “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” I think Dr. martin Luther king means that even though freedom is what and people might do whatever to be free, don’t lost pride in yourself and don’t stop pushing even with all the hate. A Raisin in the Sun “I’m going to look that son-of-a-bitch in the eyes and say all right Mr. Linder that’s your neighborhood out there! You got the right to keep it like you want! You just write the check and the house is yours, you people just put the money in my hand and won’t have to live next to a bunch of stinking niggers”. I think for a minute Walter lost his pride, the fact that he was about to give Mr. Linder exactly what he wanted, which was for the youngers not to move in the white neighborhood but when Mr...
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...Langston Hughes’ “Harlem: A Dream Deferred” 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 mean? Or crust and sugar over- Like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? ______________________________________________________________________________ Trevor B. Taylor A Dream Deferred, The Heartbeat of Harlem For the residents of Harlem, until the later half of the twentieth century, “wait” is all they ever heard. Wait! Wait for the laws to change before you can fulfill your destiny. Wait, until you’re allowed to go to college. If any of the people of Harlem were a shining gem just waiting to be polished, it might not ever happen, or it would have had to of been postponed. Because the residents of Harlem had black skin, their dreams were deferred. L. Hughes shines light on the minds of Harlem past and everyone else’s, who’ve experienced a dream that never came true or hasn’t yet. He effectively uses similes, metaphors, and rhetorical questions to express how he feels about a dream being postponed. The “dream” is a goal in life, not experienced while sleeping. an expected goal. The poem, in its’ current form leaves the dream up to the reader. But the poem was originally titled “Harlem”. Hughes since then gave this title to another one of his poems that more clearly states was happening there. That poem in black ink, clearly states...
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...102 -63 12/9/2013 "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry At first glance, A Raisin in the Sun is about an African American family's fight to get out of the ghetto on Chicago's South Side. The splendor of the play is that it discovers the African American identity, social status, and racial challenges in combination with the complexities of universal human nature. A Raisin in the Sun debuted on Broadway in 1959, but not without a large struggle at the time. The plays almost all-black cast made it a risky investment in pre-Civil Rights America, and it took more than a year for producers to raise enough money to begin. Even as the curtain rose on opening night, Hansberry was pessimistic, expecting bad reviews. But her powerful writing excelled through all doubt, and the play was named the best play of the year by the New York Drama Critics' Circle, Hansberry ‘ play was nominated for four Tony Awards, and became a classic of American theater (Umich.edu). “What happens to a dream deferred?” asks Langston Hughes. Lorraine Hansberry in her powerful writing style develops, A Raisin in the Sun, and discovers the answer to his question through the Younger Family. Principally, the Younger Family members received a 10,000 dollar insurance check after their father’s passing. Each of the Younger’s had his or her own impression as how to spend the check. Each member believing that his or her idea will solve the family’s problems and will make their dreams come true. However, it takes...
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...Dr. King’s speech and the play A Raisin in the Sun have many similarities including dreams, segregation, and racial prejudice against African-Americans. Firstly, the concept of having dreams is very evident in Dr. King’s speech. He talks extensively about the future of his family (especially his children) and of the nation as a whole, expressing his opinion of how it should be. As Dr. King talks about the dreams that he has, he says: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but but by the content of their character.” (King) He is talking about how he dreams for his children to live in a time where people will not create opinions based on what people...
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...The analysis of Mama’s dreams showed that her way of achieving happiness is through her family for which she wants to provide security for by buying a new house, which they can call their own. However, although the American Dream suggests that everybody should be considered equal, racism and segregation are still a problem during the time the play is set. Mama’s dream is compromised by housing discrimination which together with the job discrimination black people such as Walter face were “interrelated consequences of education and economic discrimination against African Americans in Chicago”[ Harald Bloom and Blake Hobby, The American Dream (New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2009) 177.]. Mama bought a house in a white neighborhood in Clybourne...
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...impression of hope for centuries; yet not all the inhabitants of land of the free cooperatively supported equal rights. The mere confidence in holding on to a dream became difficult for individuals, as well as families, as unremitting rejection from society left many in poverty. Subordination of minorities in American generated a strenuous struggle by both African-Americans and numerous white Americans advocates who endorse the termination of racism and encourage egalitarianism. The awe-inspiring production A Raisin in the Sun became renowned as a historical reenactment of a handful of people most personal, influential, monumental, life altering moments in life that occur within their home. The play epitomizes real life’s situations about overcoming obstacles, defining one’s distinctive way of life, and handling idiosyncratic conditions at home in a reconstruction of the fictitious Younger family who animate life in 1950s America, moreover Chicago. The play was created by an African-American writer Lorraine Hansberry in 1959 who advocated for human rights which consists of racial minorities and women. In the day to day reality of the Younger’s situation, Mama, Beneatha, Ruth and Walter are able to come together in harmony realizing that together they are stronger than they are separately. The moral in A Raisin in the Sun, publicized through the Younger family, epitomizes the magnanimous gesture of gratitude and devotion to always love your family, the people you are already given...
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...In the beginning of 1950’s, African American were under the straggle of civil-rights movement. Harlem is one of highlighted cities related to the movement. I, personally, interpreted the poem “Harlem” expressed the will that they never gave up to achieve it, and the distress that they had a hard time to attain it for a long time. The author of the poem “Langston Hughes” started the poem as “What happens to a dream deferred?” In this context, ‘Dream’ means ‘civil rights’ for African American people. They made an action to get the fundamental rights for a long time until then. However, it was definitely difficult to achieve. In this situation, the author asked the stability of the value of the dream which they were seeking for a large number of years. The first sentence “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” is suggesting the possibility that due to the passing of time the value of dream becomes more concentrated as a grape turns to a raisin. On the other hand, the next “Or fester like a sore--- And then run?” means the opposite, which is the negative aspect such as the meaning that the value of dream was lost because of elapse. Following “Does it stink like rotten meat?” has the negative nuance as the last sentence, while “Or crust and sugar over--- like a syrupy sweet” is the same meaning as the “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” The author is asking whether the value of dream, which is civil rights, is easily changeable or not, repeatedly mentioning the...
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...Outline Thesis Statement: One of the major themes of "A Raisin in the Sun" is the devaluation of capitalism as a measure for success and its replacement by family pride. I. Walter Lee is obsessed with obtaining money from the very beginning of the play. His very happiness depends on success, and he measures this in wealth. 1. He longs to be successful. His speech at the end of Act II, Scene 2 beginning "You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make [...] a business transaction that’s going to change our lives [...] You just name it, son, and I'll hand you the world!" (Hansberry, 96) 2. Money is the only means of being successful or obtaining success. When asked why he cares so much about money, Walter screams, "Because it is life, Mama!" (Hansberry, 64) II. Mama encourages him to take her place as head of the family, despite disagreeing with his lust for wealth. 1. Mama tries to convince him that money is not the solution to Walter's crisis of purpose in a speech: "Something has changed. You something new, boy. [...] You ain't satisfied or proud of nothing we done. You my children - but how different we done become." (Hansberry 62) 2. Still she trusts him with the money in order to further his pride and encourage his familial responsibility. "I'm telling you to be head of this family from now on like you supposed to be." (Hansberry, 94) III. After the money is all but depleted, Walter stands up for himself and his family and spurns money in favor...
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...Olympic Athlete Gail Devers once said “keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe”. The quote relates well to Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play about an African American family in who lived in Chicago in the late 1950s. From the beginning of the play the three main characters wanted the American dream. According to dictionary.com the American dream is the “ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.” But in the unjust situation of the Younger family the American dream was maybe another dream left in the heads of promising African American. But in the play Raisin in the sun, Hansberry makes an exception with her characters Mrs. Younger, Walter Lee, and Beneatha have memorable dreams. These dreams reveal a great deal about the nature of the characters’, which unjust societal expectations and discrimination cannot destroy. Travelling down the timeline of American history, the problem of discrimination is inevitable. In the 1950s discrimination took a turn for the worse when racial segregation was born. Hansberry use each characters...
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...A Raisin in the Sun is a play surrounding the life of a black working class family in Chicago. The name of the play is taken from a Langston Hughes called “A Dream Deferred”. The poem describes the possible outcomes of dreams that are cast aside and forgotten. This poem relates the Lorraine Hansberry’s play, as A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the dreams of the family and how society impacts and defers their dreams. The protagonist, Walter Younger, strives to achieve the American dream; however, his economic standing, his race, and his family defer his dreams. Walter Younger dreams of becoming a wealthy entrepreneur so that he can drive his family out of poverty. However, economic circumstance interferes with his dream. In the beginning of...
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