Sejal Agarwal
Grade 10
Mr. Minicozzi
New Historicist Biographical Lens
Lorraine Hansberry, an African-American playwright and author, wrote her very first play when she was only 27 years old. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is best analysed by the New Historicist Biographical lens as the play’s plot and mood is greatly influenced by the author’s personal experience with housing and economic conditions, making it more authentic and real. One may argue that the New Historical lens is more effective when analyzing this play because it showcases the outside world, however the play is centred around the family and the audience is only exposed to their life inside the apartment, while the New Historical lens focuses on the life outside …show more content…
Hansberry was born into a poor family and, “spent her earliest years in Chicago's economically depressed black community,” later on in her life she had, “the unique experience of viewing American life from both sides of the economic and racial divide.” (Fisher) Fisher emphasizes that Hansberry had the opportunity to experience a much more affluent lifestyle which enabled her to perceive the world in a different light and realise the harsh reality of her previous lifestyle. Fisher uses words such as, “depressed” and “racial divide” to illustrate the difficulties and disconsolateness that Hansberry faced. This is translated in her stage directions and sets the depressive mood for A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry repeatedly directs all the characters to say their lines while, “(sulking)” and while being, “(outraged)” (Hansberry 28). Hansberry uses very extreme words to describe the characters’ actions. The stage directions are the first part that the readers read and this directly affects their comprehension of the play. By using these words, Hansberry creates a very negative and indignant. This mood is reflective of the mood she experienced in her early life. The New Historicist Biographical lens helps the readers better apprehend the play as it exhibits the life-like mood the author experienced, making …show more content…
However, the events occurring beyond the apartment do not affect the story of the play because the play is meant to depict the and elaborate on family’s current state. Hansberry wants to focus on the family’s internal struggles and wants to block out the outside world. Hansberry starts off the play by describing the first and only setting that the readers are exposed to, the apartment. She goes into great depth, commenting on every aspect of the room how it’s, “Weariness has, in fact, won in this room. Everything has been polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed to often.” (Hansberry 23) Hansberry accentuates the room’s old and used nature by using words like, “sat on” and “scrubbed too often.” She wants the readers to know about the senectitude of the apartment to show just how long it has been inhabited by the Youngers, who are the focus of this play. The New Historicist Biographical lens allows for further examination of the Youngers as they are a reflection of Hansberry and her family. As the readers gain more knowledge on Hansberry, they are simultaneously gaining more information on the Youngers.
The New Historicist Biographical lens helps better comprehend the text of A Raisin in the Sun as the play’s plot and mood is greatly influenced
Grade 10
Mr. Minicozzi
New Historicist Biographical Lens
Lorraine Hansberry, an African-American playwright and author, wrote her very first play when she was only 27 years old. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is best analysed by the New Historicist Biographical lens as the play’s plot and mood is greatly influenced by the author’s personal experience with housing and economic conditions, making it more authentic and real. One may argue that the New Historical lens is more effective when analyzing this play because it showcases the outside world, however the play is centred around the family and the audience is only exposed to their life inside the apartment, while the New Historical lens focuses on the life outside …show more content…
Hansberry was born into a poor family and, “spent her earliest years in Chicago's economically depressed black community,” later on in her life she had, “the unique experience of viewing American life from both sides of the economic and racial divide.” (Fisher) Fisher emphasizes that Hansberry had the opportunity to experience a much more affluent lifestyle which enabled her to perceive the world in a different light and realise the harsh reality of her previous lifestyle. Fisher uses words such as, “depressed” and “racial divide” to illustrate the difficulties and disconsolateness that Hansberry faced. This is translated in her stage directions and sets the depressive mood for A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry repeatedly directs all the characters to say their lines while, “(sulking)” and while being, “(outraged)” (Hansberry 28). Hansberry uses very extreme words to describe the characters’ actions. The stage directions are the first part that the readers read and this directly affects their comprehension of the play. By using these words, Hansberry creates a very negative and indignant. This mood is reflective of the mood she experienced in her early life. The New Historicist Biographical lens helps the readers better apprehend the play as it exhibits the life-like mood the author experienced, making …show more content…
However, the events occurring beyond the apartment do not affect the story of the play because the play is meant to depict the and elaborate on family’s current state. Hansberry wants to focus on the family’s internal struggles and wants to block out the outside world. Hansberry starts off the play by describing the first and only setting that the readers are exposed to, the apartment. She goes into great depth, commenting on every aspect of the room how it’s, “Weariness has, in fact, won in this room. Everything has been polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed to often.” (Hansberry 23) Hansberry accentuates the room’s old and used nature by using words like, “sat on” and “scrubbed too often.” She wants the readers to know about the senectitude of the apartment to show just how long it has been inhabited by the Youngers, who are the focus of this play. The New Historicist Biographical lens allows for further examination of the Youngers as they are a reflection of Hansberry and her family. As the readers gain more knowledge on Hansberry, they are simultaneously gaining more information on the Youngers.
The New Historicist Biographical lens helps better comprehend the text of A Raisin in the Sun as the play’s plot and mood is greatly influenced