Dave Caplan
English 102 CMB
10/21/15
Analysis of How the Theme of the Poem, “Harlem”, Applies to Characters in A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry does a great job in connecting the theme of the poem, “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, to the various members of the Younger family in her play, A Raisin in The Sun. This paper will briefly summarize the theme of the poem. It will then analyze three members of the Younger family, Walter Lee, Mama, and Beneatha, and briefly mention other supporting characters. Finally, an explanation of how the the poem’s theme applies to the main characters will be presented with a concluding statement.
One major theme of the poem is that dreams are awesome things, and one can talk about their dreams until the cow …show more content…
She cares deeply for Walter and shows this care by giving him the remaining insurance money. She cares deeply for Ruth as well, consoling her when Walter ignores her. Mama respects Beneatha’s assessment of George Murchison as being arrogant and self-centered, telling her daughter not to waste time with such a “fool” (Hansberry 392). Mama loves Travis, her grandchild, and hopes their new house will have a big yard in which he can play. She is also very fond, though in a different way, of her plant, which she tries to nurture throughout the …show more content…
His dream was to have a liquor store of his own. Mama gave him $3500 towards the store and told him to put the rest in the bank. He didn’t listen and gave all the money to a man, Willy Harris, and he stole it all and destroyed Walter’s dream. Walter’s actions led to consequences that denied him the ability to open up the liquor store and pursue one dream, when instead it made way for another better dream for the family and his future. Mama's dream “crusted and sugar over-/ like a syrupy sweet” (Hughes 7-8) She wanted a nice house that had a big garden in it. Even though she did not get a garden she made the family proud and got her dream house. Unlike the rest of her family, Beneatha looked beyond her immediate situation in an effort to understand herself as a member of a greater whole. Sometimes she was a bit condescending and seemed to forget that her family members, especially her mother, all worked very hard to help put her through school. However, this character flaw only serves to make her seem all the more understandable and human. Ultimately, Beneatha is a kind and generous person, whose dream is to become a doctor out of a desire to help people. For that reason, she is so passionate and driven that her dreams are “syrupy sweet” (Hughes 8) too, and she will do what ever it takes to make sure her dreams don’t “crust and sugar over”
English 102 CMB
10/21/15
Analysis of How the Theme of the Poem, “Harlem”, Applies to Characters in A Raisin in the Sun
Lorraine Hansberry does a great job in connecting the theme of the poem, “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, to the various members of the Younger family in her play, A Raisin in The Sun. This paper will briefly summarize the theme of the poem. It will then analyze three members of the Younger family, Walter Lee, Mama, and Beneatha, and briefly mention other supporting characters. Finally, an explanation of how the the poem’s theme applies to the main characters will be presented with a concluding statement.
One major theme of the poem is that dreams are awesome things, and one can talk about their dreams until the cow …show more content…
She cares deeply for Walter and shows this care by giving him the remaining insurance money. She cares deeply for Ruth as well, consoling her when Walter ignores her. Mama respects Beneatha’s assessment of George Murchison as being arrogant and self-centered, telling her daughter not to waste time with such a “fool” (Hansberry 392). Mama loves Travis, her grandchild, and hopes their new house will have a big yard in which he can play. She is also very fond, though in a different way, of her plant, which she tries to nurture throughout the …show more content…
His dream was to have a liquor store of his own. Mama gave him $3500 towards the store and told him to put the rest in the bank. He didn’t listen and gave all the money to a man, Willy Harris, and he stole it all and destroyed Walter’s dream. Walter’s actions led to consequences that denied him the ability to open up the liquor store and pursue one dream, when instead it made way for another better dream for the family and his future. Mama's dream “crusted and sugar over-/ like a syrupy sweet” (Hughes 7-8) She wanted a nice house that had a big garden in it. Even though she did not get a garden she made the family proud and got her dream house. Unlike the rest of her family, Beneatha looked beyond her immediate situation in an effort to understand herself as a member of a greater whole. Sometimes she was a bit condescending and seemed to forget that her family members, especially her mother, all worked very hard to help put her through school. However, this character flaw only serves to make her seem all the more understandable and human. Ultimately, Beneatha is a kind and generous person, whose dream is to become a doctor out of a desire to help people. For that reason, she is so passionate and driven that her dreams are “syrupy sweet” (Hughes 8) too, and she will do what ever it takes to make sure her dreams don’t “crust and sugar over”