The Broken-Winged Bird: Mama Younger
“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 explode?” (Hughes). This quote by Langston Hughes was a large inspiration to Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun. It inspired her to create her characters and their own deferred dreams. Of all her characters, Hansberry’s main focus is the character, Mama, which mentions several of her deferred dreams throughout the play. Three of those dreams were her dream of owning her own home, her dream of having her own garden, and her dream of her children …show more content…
The two stories both involved the idea of big dreams and high hopes, and both resulted in deferred dreams throughout their telling. The main characters of Of Mice and Men are George Milton and Lennie Small. They have a dream of eventually saving enough money by being working farmhands to buy their own piece of land, own a farm house, and care for animals (mostly rabbits). The main character in A Raisin in the Sun is Mama, who is head of the Younger household after her husband, Big Walter, passes away. She also dreams of buying a home for her and her family, and having her own garden. In both stories, the characters’ dreams are deferred in one way or another. George and Lennie never get their farm and home, as a difficult situation comes up, and George is forced to kill Lennie. Mama and Big Walter’s dreams never came true when they were younger, for they had difficulty saving enough money and they were not viewed as socially important. Speaking of social status, another similarity is, in fact, the characters’ social status or “ranking”. George, Lennie, and Mama (as well as her family) weren’t viewed as important, due to George and Lennie just being migrating farmhands and the Youngers being an African American family in a white dominated area. This also was a huge factor and obstacle in their path to achieving their dreams, due to it leading to either their dismay or …show more content…
Three of those dreams were her dream of owning her own home, her dream of having her own garden, and her children themselves being successful. These dreams Hansberry gave to her characters (especially Mama) may reflect her own family’s dreams, as many believe she was also inspired by her upbringing. This play seems to be a diary of sorts, in which Hansberry expresses her feelings and emotions through her characters. This play will continue to be an awe-inspiring phenomena that will continue to fight for equality and freedom for all, for it questions everything we were taught to
“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 explode?” (Hughes). This quote by Langston Hughes was a large inspiration to Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun. It inspired her to create her characters and their own deferred dreams. Of all her characters, Hansberry’s main focus is the character, Mama, which mentions several of her deferred dreams throughout the play. Three of those dreams were her dream of owning her own home, her dream of having her own garden, and her dream of her children …show more content…
The two stories both involved the idea of big dreams and high hopes, and both resulted in deferred dreams throughout their telling. The main characters of Of Mice and Men are George Milton and Lennie Small. They have a dream of eventually saving enough money by being working farmhands to buy their own piece of land, own a farm house, and care for animals (mostly rabbits). The main character in A Raisin in the Sun is Mama, who is head of the Younger household after her husband, Big Walter, passes away. She also dreams of buying a home for her and her family, and having her own garden. In both stories, the characters’ dreams are deferred in one way or another. George and Lennie never get their farm and home, as a difficult situation comes up, and George is forced to kill Lennie. Mama and Big Walter’s dreams never came true when they were younger, for they had difficulty saving enough money and they were not viewed as socially important. Speaking of social status, another similarity is, in fact, the characters’ social status or “ranking”. George, Lennie, and Mama (as well as her family) weren’t viewed as important, due to George and Lennie just being migrating farmhands and the Youngers being an African American family in a white dominated area. This also was a huge factor and obstacle in their path to achieving their dreams, due to it leading to either their dismay or …show more content…
Three of those dreams were her dream of owning her own home, her dream of having her own garden, and her children themselves being successful. These dreams Hansberry gave to her characters (especially Mama) may reflect her own family’s dreams, as many believe she was also inspired by her upbringing. This play seems to be a diary of sorts, in which Hansberry expresses her feelings and emotions through her characters. This play will continue to be an awe-inspiring phenomena that will continue to fight for equality and freedom for all, for it questions everything we were taught to