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A Raisin in the Sun By Lorraine Hansberry. Important Facts and How to Read a Play. Produced in 1959 Foretold the revolution in black consciousness and…. Important Facts. …foretold the revolution in women’s consciousness. Why do you think this play dealt with these issues?.
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A Raisin in the SunBy Lorraine Hansberry Important Facts and How to Read a Play
Produced in 1959 Foretold the revolution in black consciousness and… Important Facts
We are things of dry hours and the involuntary plan,Grayed in, and gray. "Dream“ makes a giddy sound, not strongLike "rent," "feeding a wife," "satisfying a man." Meet Lorraine Hansberry
Important Themes (look for similar issues in other pieces of literature)
Value systems within families, particularly the black family
The difference between what it means to beAfrican American vs. African
A series of FIRSTS • The first play brought to Broadway by a black woman (young and unknown) • Directed by a young black unknown director (Lloyd Richards) • There had never been a serious commercially successful black drama • Shown in a theatre with few black audience members… • AND IT WAS A HIT!!!
Analyzing Literature Look at the book now… • What is one of the things we should ask ourselves right now, before we’ve even read the play?
From a poem by Langston Hughes. Title: “Harlem” 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… The significance of the TITLE
Can you tell anything about the relationship of the characters based on the cast list? Ruth Younger Travis Younger Walter Lee Younger (Brother) Beneatha Younger (Sister) Lena Younger (Mama) Check the CAST LIST
Does the setting give you any clues about the story? Does the time period give you any clues? Over what period of time does the action take place? Set on Chicago’s Southside, sometime between World War I and the present… Why do you think it’s such a wide range of time? See your book… Check the SETTING
Read the DIRECTOR’S NOTES • The italicized parts interspersed throughout the play • They give you IMPORTANT INFORMATION about the set, characters, and movements of characters. • They tell you HOW A LINE IS SAID, which gives you more information about the characters
UP STAGE vs. DOWN STAGE Check your stage knowledge • Up stage • Down stage • Proscenium • Stage left • Stage right • Leg • Border