Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun - The...

The Importance of the Struggle in A Raisin in the Sun â€Å"Why do some people persist despite insurmountable obstacles, while others give up quickly or never bother to try† (Gunton 118)? A Raisin in the Sun, a play by Lorraine Hansberry, is a commentary on life and our struggle to comprehend and control it. The last scene in the play between Asagai and Beneatha contrasts two contemporary views on why we keep on trying to change the future, and reaches the conclusion that, far from being a means to an end, the real meaning of life is the struggle. Whether we succeed or not, our lives are purposeful only if we have tried to make the world a better place for ourselves and others- only, in other words, if we follow our dreams.†¦show more content†¦It was in this sort of mood that Beneatha formulated an idea about the sheer stupidity and cruelty of nature in general and people in specific: Dont you see there isnt any real progress, there is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own li ttle picture in front of us- our own little mirage that we think is the future(Hansberry. Raisin). Misery and stupidity are always present: man does not seem capable of eliminating them once and for all. Their existence conspires to thwart dreams, and Beneatha decided that she was tired of the struggle, tired of deluding herself with an unworkable vision, tired of having to fight against the unchangeable facts of life- a view she might have kept, as many have, if it were not for Asagais gentle reasoning. For Asagai, the struggle to achieve our own views of the future was the real essence of life. His was the generation of African dreamers who passionately advocated the independence of their continent from colonial rule, for whom revolution and upheaval were generally perceived as the only ways to improve the lot of their homelands. In his country, he lived daily with oppression, misery, and ignorance, met constantly with apathy and indifference or even outright hostility towards his lifes aspirations, and yet his determination never faltered. In his shortShow MoreRelatedEssay on Follow Your Dreams1914 Words   |  8 Pagesplay, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun.† It is shown through a family of four who struggle to attain their dreams as they face numerous obstacles such as racism and poverty. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry uses the family’s struggles to reveal the value and importance of dreams in an oppressive environment using location, character and t ropology to stress the importance of the process in attaining one’s dream rather than the fulfillment of one. The use of Location in â€Å"A Raisin in theRead MoreEssay about A Raisin in the Sun1559 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican dream for everyone,† in New York, Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, offered a very different perspective (20). Set in post World War II Southside Chicago, Hansberry’s drama explores the conflict that arises within an African American family when Mama, the familys matriarch, receives a $10,000 life insurance settlement and spends a portion of it to buy a home in the restricted white neighborhood of Clybourne Park. However, Hansberry’s play not only highlighted the issue of housingRead MoreLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun1260 Words   |  6 Pagesoblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment. During the 1960s, the African-American people were in racial situations due to their â€Å"lowered status†Read MoreThe American Nightmare: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun1011 Words   |  5 PagesIn Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, she uses the African American Younger family as a representation of the entire race’s struggle for the American Dream. America has always had slogans such as â€Å"the land of the free† and â€Å"liberty and justice for all†. The Younger family is finding out, like generations before them, the American Dream isn’t at all what it seems if you’re black. The family eagerly awaits the insurance check from the death of their father, while living a life of constantRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun: The Foundation of Family Essay1203 Words   |  5 PagesThe idea of family is a central theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry alludes to the Old Tes tament book of Ruth in her play to magnify â€Å"the value of having a home and family†(Ardolino 181). The Younger family faces hardships that in the moment seem to tear them apart from one another, but through everything, they stick together. The importance of family is amplified by the choices of Walter and Beneatha because they appear to initiate fatal cracks in the Younger family’sRead MoreThe Strength of Family in Death of a Salesman and A Raisin in the Sun1198 Words   |  5 Pagesof a Salesman† and Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, perverted conceptions of the American Dream convince certain characters that they are entitled to the fruits of miracles. Despite their best intentions for supporting their families, Walter Younger and Willy Loman encounter unsurpassable obstacles and are unable to fulfill their dreams. When all hope has been lost, family is the only thing that these characters have left. â€Å"Death of a Salesmanà ¢â‚¬  and â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† portray family asRead MoreEssay on Dreams Deferred in Hansberrys A Raising in the Sun1902 Words   |  8 Pagesambitious students must sacrifice another facet of their lives in order to achieve their academic goals. In A Raisin in the Sun, many of the characters must give up something important to them to achieve their own idea of success. Everybody has his or her own dreams. Although some people may have homogeneous aspirations, no two are exactly the same. Hansberrys play, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects this concept by expressing that each character’s idea of the American Dream is distinct in its own wayRead Moreresearch paper to raisin in the sun3138 Words   |  13 Pagesgirls are walk together as sisters and brothers.† Martin Luther King Jr. In the play â€Å"A Raisin In A Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry is essentially about dreams, including the American Dream. The play takes place around the 1950’s in Chicago’s south side, when segregation was still around. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life that compares the novel A Raisin in the Sun with Martin Luther Kings speech I Have a Dream. It Analyzes the similar themes found in playRead MoreAntigone and a Rasin in the Sun Essay1873 Words   |  8 PagesAntigone and A Rasin in the Sun Antigone and A Raisin in the Sun are two pieces of literature that are similar in one way, yet very different in another way. Both are very interesting pieces that were written to captivate even the most critical of audiences. This paper will show similarities as well as differences between the two pieces and their authors. Antigone is a play written by Sophocles and is about a young girl named Antigone who struggles with written laws of her city, Thebes. HerRead MoreLorraine Hansberry Is An African American Play Writer Who1583 Words   |  7 PagesLorraine Hansberry is an African American play writer who wrote the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun.† The Play highlights the lives of a lower-class Black American family in the 1950s living under racial segregation and oppression in Chicago. The title of the play was inspired from the poem â€Å"Harlem† by Langston Hughes. The poem questions â€Å"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?† (Hansberry, 2013, p. 976). The protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, struggles internally with