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Top 28 A Raisin In The Sun Essay Topics & Ideas

The New York Drama Critics’ Circle named it the best play of 1959, and in recent years publications such as The Independent and Time Out have listed it among the best plays ever written. Below you will find five outstanding thesis statements / paper subjects for “A Raisin into the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry which you can use as essay beginners. All five incorporate a minumum of one regarding the themes found in “A Raisin inside Sun” and generally are broad enough such that it would be easy to find textual help, yet narrow enough to offer a focused clear thesis statement.

Mama, deceased Mr. Youngers widow wishes to buy a house and fulfill the dream she once saw with her husband. Beneatha, Mama’s daughter, hopes to find her identity through looking towards true African heritage. He wants to replenish his marriage and provide his son with all the opportunities he never had growing up. The ownership of consumer goods was believed to bring joy into a family’s life. This stereotypical view governs the dream of one of the main characters in Lorraine Hansberry’s play. The title of the play is based on “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, a poem that raises a question about a dream that is deferred.

  • First performed on Broadway in 1959, “Raisin” last appeared there 10 years ago, then starring Phylicia Rashad, Sean Combs, Audra McDonald and Sanaa Lathan, a production that was later adapted for television.
  • His ultimate dream is to return to Africa and help bring about change and advancements.
  • In Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, the title refers to what can happen to a dream deferred.

Facing segregation and housing discrimination, African Americans cultivated what I call homemade citizenship—a deep sense of success and belonging that does not rely on mainstream recognition or civic inclusion. Walter’s obsession in investing in a liquor store completely took over causing him to detach from his job, loves ones, and his reality so that he could give complete attention to his dream. What he doesn’t realize is how devastating this could be to his life and whoever is involved. Walter’s selfishness leads him to sacrifice Beneatha’s dreams of becoming a doctor, because he feels that her dreams aren’t important.

Dreams In “a Raisin In The Sun”

In each of the study’s 8,000 tests, one white and one minority tester of the same gender and age, posing as equally well-qualified renters or buyers, visited the same housing provider or agent. In more than half the test cases, both testers were shown the same number of apartments or homes. But in cases where one tester was shown more homes or apartments, the white tester was usually favored, leading to a higher number of units shown to whites overall. Shaila Dewan, reporting several studies based on undercover investigations, finds that the United States has yet to achieve real equity in housing. Black couples and white couples seeking properties to rent or buy continue to receive unequal treatment.

a raisin in the sun theme essay

‘The Little Foxes’ brought her greater fame and reflects her opinion of and her remembrances of the South (kirjasto.sci.fi). It is the last thing Mama carries out of the apartment when the family moves, symbolizing the family’s failure to thrive in their neighborhood. Both the plant and the Younger family are expected to blossom in their new surroundings. It contains thousands of paper examples on a wide variety of topics, all donated a raisin in the sun cliff notes by helpful students. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper.

A Raisin In The Sun Analysis

The Younger’s are an impoverished African American family that struggles to make ends meet. Walt Disney once said “If you can dream it you can achieve it.” Dreams have a great importance in A Raisin in the Sun, with the play’s name coming from a 1951 Langston Hughes poem titled Harlem. Money and acquisitiveness have always had the ability to turn people into someone they are not. Greed can tear apart families and friendships when a person neglects others for their own benefit.

a raisin in the sun theme essay

Ruth Younger (Walter’s wife) is a thirtyish, very laidback woman. Ruth spends much of her time acting as peacemaker during family disagreements. However, she becomes more emotional when faced with the likelihood of moving to a new neighborhood. For example, when mama and Walter disagree over moving into the White neighborhood, Ruth agrees with Mama and hopes the move will provide more room and opportunities for their son Travis. When Walter lost all of the money in his business venture, Mama is devastated and angry at Walter. She says, “I seen… him… night after night… come in… and look at that rug… and then look at me… the red showing in his eyes… the veins moving in his head.

A Raisin In The Sun Themes Essay

You therefore don’t have a point of view like you would have with a short story or novel. The family is in crisis mainly due to the circumstances in which they must live. The eldest son, Walter (a 35-year-old man with his wife and young son), wants to invest in a liquor store. When her mother decides to use some of the money as a down payment for a house in the White Quarter, her conflict with Walter escalates and causes her great suffering. Trying to sort out the situation between her and her son, the mother gives Walter Lee the rest of the money.