A Raisin in the Sun

A Raisin in the Sun
By: Joe, Raven, Mariah, and Alec Author: Lorraine Hansberry

Author Biographical Information Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19th 1930 to a real estate broker, Carl Hansberry and Nannie Louise Perry. She was a child of four and grew up in all-white neighborhood. Even as a child, Lorraine had to fight her way through segregation and racism. Hansberry attended mostly all-white public schools and, later in life, Carl Hansberry got into a legal battle that was against African-Americans families buying homes in white neighborhoods.

Author Biographical information(continued…) Hansberry later attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but later found the college to be not what personally suited her dreams, so she attended The New School in New York City Lorraine found a job on the staff of the Black newspaper, known as Freedom and was very active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP). On June 20th 1953, Lorraine got married to Robert Nemiroff, whom she met protesting against segregated sports teams.

Author Biographical information(continued…) Hansberry’s dedication to writing soon paid off when writing her most known story , A Raisin in the Sun. On January 12, 1965, Lorraine Hansberry died at the age of 34 while struggling a majority of the time with pancreatic cancer. Cool Fact: On Lorraine Hansberry’s tombstone there is an engraving of a piece of her play saying “I care. I care about it all. It takes too much energy not to care...The why of why we are here is an intrigue for adolescents; the how is what must command the living. Which is why I have lately become an insurgent again.”

Background information Lorraine Hansberry was married to Robert Nemiroff, but divorced shortly before her death, in 1964. Lorraine’s education came from the University of Wisconsin, Roosevelt College, the School of Art Institute, and the New School for social Research. Though Lorraine is only noticed for a Raisin in the Sun, she wrote many other plays including: The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window, To Be Young, Gifted , and Black, Les Blancs, The Drinking Gourd, and What use are Flowers.

Background Information(continued…) Loraine Hansberry was awarded, New York Drama Critics Circle Award in 1959, for a Raisin in the sun. She was also awarded the Cannes Film Festival special award in 1961, for the screenplay of the Raisin in the Sun. Cool Fact: Lorraine Hansberry was the first African American woman to produce a play on Broadway.

Literary Elements Man vs. Society: In this story, the Younger family has to face racial differences when they were living in a all-white neighborhood and fight being segregated against everyday. Also, recapping from the story, the Younger family was told not to move to a white society and offered money for their cooperation.—Joey Destefano Theme: In the Raisin in the Sun, the theme is one of racial discrimination. An example is when the Youngers want to move to an all-white neighborhood and Mr. Lindner, tries the best he can, to keep the family away from the neighborhood by money and he threatens to tear apart the younger family.—Raven McKie

Literary Elements(continued…) Mood: The Younger apartment is the only setting throughout the play, emphasizing the importance of the home. The lighting seems to change with the mood, and with only one window, the apartment is a small, often dark area in which all the Youngers—at one time or another—feel cramped. –Mariah Williams and Alec Robbins

Plot Overview In the Raisin in the Sun, the story portrays a few weeks of life in the Younger apartment. The Youngers are an African American family, that live on the South Side of Chicago around the 1950’s. In the meantime the Youngers’ are about to expect a $10,000 dollar check from, the deceased, Mr. Younger’s life insurance. Each member of the family gets an idea on what they want to do with this money and life starts getting hectic around the house. As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams.

Plot overview(continued…) Act I: It is at the Youngers’ apartment. Their small dwelling on the South Side of Chicago has two bedrooms—one for Mama and Beneatha, and one for Ruth and Walter Lee. Travis, usually, sleeps on the couch in the living room. The only window is in their small kitchen, and they share a bathroom in the hall with their neighbors. Act II: The Youngers are just about ready to move to their new house from the tight, compact apartment home. All around the house there is moving boxes ready to be hauled and then Mr. Lindner is at the door. Mr. Lindner starts bribing them to not move. In scene two, this presents many conflicts and worries about their future living.

Plot Overview(continued…) Act III: The Younger’s are just about to move later in the afternoon on moving day. Everyone is still looking melancholy and depressed. Then, the movers and Mr. Lindner arrive. Mr. Lindner talks with them a while and then leaves with his papers unsigned and unwanted. The Youngers move and live a happy and joyous life. Through this act the youngers start out feeling great despair, but the Youngers regain hope and motivation to pursue their dreams.

Reference Page Lewis, Jone Johnson. "Women’s History" Autobiography on Lorraine Hansberry. About.com, 1999-2011. Web. 8 Jan 2011. <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/aframerwriters/p/hansberry.htm>. Reuben, Paul P. "Chapter 8: Lorraine Hansberry." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://web.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry.html . 8 January 2011. Metzger,Linda, ed. "Lorraine Hansberry." Black Writers. Detroit: Gale Researchers Inc. 1991. p.146

Works Division page Joey– Set up Powerpoint Raven, Mariah, and Alec—provided the information for the powerpoint

The End 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 sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? Langston Hughes

A Raisin in the Sun