Lorraine Hansberry - 1192 Words

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun The characters in Lorraine Hansberrys play are very significant in understanding the play. The characters are examples of they way Lorraine lived day by day her live when she was a kid. The success of the play was brought out by the characters and her way of keeping our interest with each one of them. They characters are very critical in understanding the play. There were four main characters that made the play a sellout, Lena, Ruth, Beneatha and Walter Lee. Each one of these characters had a dream to try to accomplish. The Characters portray the plays meaning in the way the play evolved into a masterpiece. Lorraine Hansberry studied African history while working on A Raisin in the Sun.†¦show more content†¦She is up set and smacks Beneatha when Beneatha tells her that she does not believe in God. Mama tells her that if she lives in her house she must believe in God. Henry Hewes opinion was that ^the play contained dramaturgical implications which were brought out by Walter^ (Hewes 212). Theophilus Lewis notion was ^the drama had a great sense of spiritual conflict in the area of Walter Younger^s soul with an obbligato of social awareness^ (Lewis 216). According to James Baldwin he thought this play was ^excellent and never before in the entire history of the American theater had so much of the truth of Black peoples lives been on stage^ (Baldwin 55). Many critics thought that the characters had most to do with the play an how the play was perceived. Jordan Y. Miller thought ^A Raisin in the Sun is one of the greatly enhanced by well ordered revelation of the events which are so important in the lives of the characters^ (Miller). Also Lorraine Hansberry kept our interest by developing the characters through out the play. The characters are people who collaborated with other people and confronting there confusion and anger. Gerald Weales thought the play was old fashion and had almost no serious playwright. However he thought ^the plays strength lied in the characters and the problem of Walter Lee^ (Weales). If the play was to be written differently it would have had no real significant meaning. Amari Baraka another dramatist ^liked the play andShow MoreRelatedLorraine Hansberry s A Raisin1474 Words   |  6 PagesLorraine Hansberry created the play A Raisin in the Sun. A Raisin in the Sun recounts an anecdote about The Youngers w ho is a poor African American family living on the Southside of Chicago. A chance to escape from neediness comes as a $10,000 extra security watch that the female authority of the family (Lena/Mama) gets upon her significant other s passing. Lena s kids, Walter and Beneatha, each have plans with the cash. The most established child, Walter (a man of 35 with a spouse and a youthfulRead MoreAnalysis Of A Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry1158 Words   |  5 Pageswritten by Lorraine Hansberry. To further understand the play please read the text below about the background of Hansberry’s life, living conditions in the era that the play took place, and reviews written about the play. Lorraine Hansberry was a playwright and a writer. She was born in Chicago May 19, 1930 in Chicago, and she grew up in the Woodlawn neighborhood in the South side of Chicago. Her parents were well known civil rights activists; Carl Hansberry (her father) and Nannie Hansberry (her mother)Read Moreâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†700 Words   |  3 PagesLorraine Hansberry used symbolism in her successful drama, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† to portray emotions felt in the lives of her characters and possible her own. Hansberry set her piece in Chicago’s South Side, probably the early 1950’s. During this period in history, many African-Americans, like the Youngers, struggled to overcome the well-known prejudices that were far too familiar. The main scene, in this touching realist drama, is the home of the Youngers, an overcrowded run-down apartment. Read MoreThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun1893 Words   |  8 PagesThe symbolism of the plant in A Raisin in the Sun One might ask how the scientific facts of the functional purpose of a plant would connect to a literary piece, especially the well-known play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The plant in the text symbolizes the foundation for the family, honest hope, and Mamas dreams. Symbolism is not a definition of an item, but represents something specific other than itself. Much like Mamas plant, it represents many meaningful ideas withRead MoreRacism and Stereotype in Karl Linders Speech1157 Words   |  5 Pages This thought is amplified when comparing him to Mrs. Anna Lee, the woman who inspired Lorraine Hansberry to invent Karl. Mrs. Anna Lee was a member of a community association similar to the one in Clybourne Park. The association members signed a contract signifying that no African American individuals or families would be allowed to live in their community. After hearing about Carl Hansberry’s (Lorraine Hansberry’s father) purchase of a plot in t he associations jurisdictions, she sued the familyRead MoreLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun1850 Words   |  8 PagesIn Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† (1959), she reveals the life of the Youngers family. In doing so, there surfaces a detrimental ideology that destroys the family financially and in their overall happiness. In Act II Scene I, Walter, the father figure of the family, says, â€Å"Why? You want to know why? Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don t know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!† (Hansberry 532). By way of explanation, the family and much of the African-AmericanRead More`` I Have A Dream, And Do Those Dreams Come True?1460 Words   |  6 Pagesin charge of what people dream, and do those dreams come true? Lorraine Hansberry did a great job expressing struggles within an individual family to the society in her play, A Raisin in the Sun. The play â€Å"opened at the Barrymore Theatre in New York on March 11, 1959† (â€Å"Background† par. 1). This was before Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream Speech† that took place on August 28, 1963; therefore, one could assume that Hansberry was experiencing the fight to gain African Americans’ rights whenRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Character Analysis1322 Words   |  6 Pages Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, depicts the lives of the Younger family, an African American family living in the Southside of Chicago during the 1950s. The play takes place in their cramped apartment offering the reader insight into the arguments, discussions, and conversations that take place between the characters. In one scene, Hansberry specifically offers the reader a conversation between Asagai, an influential companion, and Beneatha to show us how disparate the Younger siblingsRead More Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun1053 Words   |  5 PagesWalter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun No matter how hard they try, there are some people who cannot get ahead in life. Walter Lee Younger is a man who is frustrated with his current position in life, and every disappointment he has encountered thus far. Although he tries to be a loving man, sometimes he does not know how to show the idea of love, Sometimes...sometimes...I dont even know how to try (Hansberry 89). His position in life can be regarded as symbolic ofRead MoreSummary Of Lorraine Hansberry 1486 Words   |  6 PagesLorraine Hansberry, born May 19, 1930, made a very prominent contribution to society in her short lived life. She was born to a middle class family as the youngest of four children. Her father was a successful real estate broker who also founded one of the first Negro banks in Chicago (Adams 247). Lorraine’s mother was a schoolteacher named Nannie Perry who later became a ward committeewoman. In 1938, Lorraine’s father took a stand against the real estate covenants in Chicago due to the fact that