Lorrain Hansberry was born in Chicago during 1930 to a middle class, African-American family. While growing up in Chicago, Hansberry’s family moved to an all-white neighborhood. After residents attacked their home, the state ruled that the Hansberrys had to move. In the appeal to the U.S Supreme Court Case, Hansberry v. Lee, the Hansberry family won. In 1957 Hansberry wrote the play, A Raisin in the Sun, which follows the Younger family as they navigate poverty, racism, and economic hardships while living in Chicago. Hansberry’s personal experience is evident throughout the play as the characters experience similar life events that she did. In 1959, when the play was fist produced, Hansberry became the first black woman to have written a play
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In the poem, Hughes questions what happens when a dream is deferred or lost. Through his suggestions, there is sadness and a level of frustration that is elicited from the topic. The same emotions are present in the lives of each of the main characters in A Raisin in the Sun. As the title of the play is related to Hughes’ work on dreams, A Raisin in the Sun addresses the conflict of dreams and how they are reached or denied within the Younger family. In relationship to Theodore Roosevelt’s words about Americanism, the Younger family personifies each of the virtues and downfalls to some extent either as a whole unit or individual members. Mama’s dream is to provide a better life for her family. She is the epitome of Roosevelt’s virtues and holds her family together because of her strong morals and selflessness. Mama continues to work hard everyday and uses every cent of her late husbands insurance check to support her family. Walter’s pursuit of his dream can be viewed as the general “American Dream”. He desires to be successful but he is his own obstacle to this dream. Instead of being committed to a long-term pursuit, he only tries get-rich-quick schemes that lead him in the opposite
In the poem, Hughes questions what happens when a dream is deferred or lost. Through his suggestions, there is sadness and a level of frustration that is elicited from the topic. The same emotions are present in the lives of each of the main characters in A Raisin in the Sun. As the title of the play is related to Hughes’ work on dreams, A Raisin in the Sun addresses the conflict of dreams and how they are reached or denied within the Younger family. In relationship to Theodore Roosevelt’s words about Americanism, the Younger family personifies each of the virtues and downfalls to some extent either as a whole unit or individual members. Mama’s dream is to provide a better life for her family. She is the epitome of Roosevelt’s virtues and holds her family together because of her strong morals and selflessness. Mama continues to work hard everyday and uses every cent of her late husbands insurance check to support her family. Walter’s pursuit of his dream can be viewed as the general “American Dream”. He desires to be successful but he is his own obstacle to this dream. Instead of being committed to a long-term pursuit, he only tries get-rich-quick schemes that lead him in the opposite