Lorrain Hansberry was born in 1930 in Chicago to the parent of Carl and Nannie Perry Hansberry. In 1953 she married Robert Nemiroff. She studied as the University of Wisconsin for four years where she studied art. (www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Lorraine) Hansberry was the first black woman to have a play produced on Broadway. That play was a Raisin in the Sun and to this day is still considered to be a classic. A raisin in the sun was voted the Best Play of the Year award by New York Drama Critics Circle in 1959.
Gerald Weales wrote “Had the Raisin in the Sun won because it was the best play of the year, or because its author, Lorraine Hansberry, is a Negro? “ He also goes on to say: The first Negro woman to have a play on Broadway had its influence on the voting critics. Gerald Weales also stated that the play was a good play, but that it may not be the best during its time. He states “Tennessee Williams’ Sweet bird of Youth should have received it if it was going to be based on merit alone. ” (www. commentarymagazine. com) Summary A raisin in the sun is a play set in the 1950s about the life of a black family named Younger.
The family is faced with many issues of life as they all have recently become free but they are struggling to get out of poverty and become successful during a racial time period. The deceased father is portrayed as a hard-working, upright man who dies and leaves his wife with a $10,000. 00 insurance policy check. The family members each dream of what is the best way to spend the money which would benefit the family. (http://newbiecritics. wordpress. com) The Raisin in the sun is a well-written play that shows how money can bring a family together or tear it apart.
The Term Paper on Action Takes Place Play Stanislavski Family
A Directors production plan for Juno and the Paycock by Sean O Casey. In the production plan, you should explain your general approach to staging your chosen play, referring to any aspects of the play you consider significant. You may consider such aspects of staging as costume, set, lighting, make-up, props, acting methods, choice of venue, etc. Your answer must be supported by appropriate non- ...
Ironically the loss of money in this play brought the family closer together once it was gone and forced Walter Lee Jr. to finally grow up and mature. Thesis Deferred dreams tend to make different people act different ways; it may cause one to dry up, fester, sag, or explode. Characters Beneatha was a different character who, in her own way, was trying to fit in the new type of world. Being of a young age and not having to go through as many changes as her mama went through, she is struggling with her own true identity. When she first meets George she is only impressed by his African heritage.
She is really not as selfish person and depends on herself. She is a little consumed with herself as she does not give any credit back to God. Walter Lee Younger Jr. describes himself best in the play as he states” I’m thirty-five years old, I have been married eleven years and I got a boy who sleeps in the living room, and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live-“(Hansberry, 1777) Walter is a person who wants more out of life than the normal everyday family life. He is not content with his current way of living but feels he is settling for less.
However, this does not give him motivation to improve himself; he constantly blames his life on others. Walter Lee Jr. attempts to builds his dreams someone else good fortune. When he can have his way you can see he gets frustrated he yells, he explodes, he festers, like a raisin in the sun. He’s determined to invest money (which does not belong to him) instead of working and saving for his own investment. He grows bitter and does not appreciate or respect the family he already has. He spends his whole life living off of his mother and father.
He has a wife but moves the wife in with his parents. His character is symbolic of a leech. He is not satisfied until he invests the money, against his mothers will, and loses it all. Now after disappointment and regret, he was finally given the chance to live what he was dreaming of and fails. After experiencing failure, Walter then grows and can be seen as a positive leech which is used to suck up blood in surgery. Now he has matured from a grape into a raisin and can be beneficial to the body, which is his family. He is strong and ready to become a man of his own dreams and ambition.
The Essay on Family Dream Mama Walter
Raisins, nature's candy, are from by drying grapes. The play depicts the feelings and thoughts of the people 50's and 60's. Their feelings are different from what we see today in our lives. The Younger family had to deal with poverty and racism. Not having enough money and always being put down because of the color of their skin held them back from having a lot of self-respect and dignity. Not ...
Lena Younger (Mama) is the mama of the family, and just like any other mother she tries to be fair, just, loving, and a God fearing black woman to all. Mama has been raising everyone in a rented house and would like very much to buy a house and please the family. She is having a hard time deciding the best thing to do with the money being that her children all have their own separate ideas of what should be done with it. Walter Jr. would like to invest in a liquor store in which she would not take any parts of, and Beneatha could use the money towards being a doctor, but that would only benefit her and not the family.
Conflict Mama has to deal with conflict as she is forced to make Beneatha acknowledge God in her house. Beneatha’s comment was” It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God-there is only man and it is he who makes miracles! (Hansberry 1785) This statement causes mama to get upset and she slaps the face of her daughter, and makes her acknowledge that God does exist in her mother’s house. Another conflict mama has to deal with is Walter Jr. She knows his heart and his intention are all good intentions, but gives him money in an attempt to prove she loves and trust him. (Film on Demand) Symbolic The deceased father represents a strong, prideful, unselfish man who worked all of his life to take care of his family and provide freedom, happiness, and harmony.
The insurance check ironically causes more problems and disagreement among his family. (Gary Wiener) The house has been referred to as a beat-up hole by Walter and a rat-trap by Ruth. Mama tries to justify it not being a rat hole or a trap as she reminisces about when her and her newlywed husband first move into the house and the potential the house had. They also had dreams of purchasing their own home in the future. Ironically thirty five years later, she’s still paying rent and now the house is filled with three generations of family. The house has not served as growth or prosperity for the family.
The Essay on Raisin In The Sun Family Mama Amanda
The Difference of Mothers in The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun The plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Raisin in the Sun, deal with the love, honor, and respect of family. In The Glass Menagerie, Amanda, the caring but overbearing and over protective mother, wants to be taken care of, but in A Raisin in the Sun, Mama, as she is known, is more or less, the overseer of the family. The ...
At first this was the perfect place for him and his wife in 1950. The family is getting bigger, but the house is getting smaller. As the family grows, the dreams grow, but the house still gets smaller. You can see how the house is like a raisin in the sun that dries up. Foreshadowing Beneatha quote of “And then there are all those prophets who would lead us out of the wilderness into the swamps” (Hansberry, 1779) is a prediction of what Walter’s dream would lead to. Conclusion A raisin in the son play was well written with several characters which makes it a good play.
Ironically most people think more money brings success, but ironically it may bring more problems. The story was name based on the Langston Hughes poem A raisin in the sun is very appropriate, as you see the changes the Younger family goes through. Overall Walter Lee Jr. was the raisin in the sun who experienced the most critical changes. In the end, after a grape has been in the sun and withers away to a raisin, it can still be nutritious to the body if it’s taken for its health benefits and not for its looks. Work Cites “Lorraine Hansberry. ” – New World Encyclopedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 07 Aug. 2012.
