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T: A Raisin in the Sun A: Lorraine Hansberry G: Play. The Great Migration – During WWI, many jobs were opening up in war production industries. Millions of Southern blacks moved to the large cities of the North looking for relief from racism and seeking better jobs and schools.
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T: A Raisin in the Sun A: Lorraine Hansberry G: Play
The Great Migration – • During WWI, many jobs were opening up in war production industries. • Millions of Southern blacks moved to the large cities of the North looking for relief from racism and seeking better jobs and schools. • This continued into the 1960’s. • In 1890, 85% of blacks lived in the South. • By 1960, that number had been reduced to 42%. • Almost all blacks that moved north, moved to the cities. • Block busting – when blacks moved to all white neighborhoods, whites often moved out because of fear and prejudice. The neighborhoods would become almost all black. Historical Background
Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19, 1930. • Her parents were well-educated and successful citizens. • They publicly fought discrimination against black people. • Her family was from an entirely black neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. • They moved into a white neighborhood, which was plagued with violence and legal action against blacks. • Hansberry’s father fought back all the way to the Supreme Court. • Her work can almost be seen as autobiographical. • She died of cancer at the age of 34. Author Information
Lorraine Hansberry was one of the first playwrights to create realistic portraits of African-American life. • When A Raisin in the Sun opened in 1959, it was met with praise by both black and white audiences. • The play won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play of the Year. • Hansberry was the youngest playwright, the fifth woman, and the only black writer to have won the award. • The play addresses many important issues during the 1950s. • America was boiling with domestic and racial tension. • The play explores the construction of African-American racial identity, poverty, and discrimination. • The play also addresses feminist issues that were ahead of its time. • issues involving marriage, careers, and abortion. Play Information
Mama – head of Younger household Walter & Ruth brother and sisterBeneatha Son and daughter-in-lawDaughter Travis Grandson and son Major Characters
Joseph Asagai and George Murchison Beneatha’ssuitors Willie and Bobo Walter’s friends Karl Lindner Representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association Mrs. Johnson The Youngers’ neighbor Minor Characters
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 just sags Like a heavy load. Or does it just explode? One of the most prevalent themes in the play is that of dreams. The play opens with the Langston Hughes poem:
Class discussion of “A Dream Deferred” Complete Figurative Language Chart
