A Raisin in the Sun (1959)by

Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965)

Part I of II

Revised Syllabus

March 30- Blues for Mr. Charlie (Baldwin)April 2nd - Dutchman (Baraka)April 6th- The Great MacDaddy (Harrison)April 9th- for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when

the rainbow is ‘enough (Shange)April 13th- A Soldier’s Play (Fuller)April 16th- Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Wilson)April 20th -Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Wilson)April 23rd- The Colored Museum (Wolfe)April 27th and 30th- Top Dog/Underdog (Parks)

Langston Hughes’ Dream Deferred

• Dream Deferred

• What happens to a dream deferred?Does it dry upLike 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 sagslike a heavy load.Or does it explode?

Lorraine Hansberry: Playwright and Social Agitator“All art is Ultimately Social: that which agitates and that which

prepares the mind for slumber”

1) Born in 1930 in Chicago2) W.E.B. Du Bois, Paul Robeson, Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, and others were frequent visitors

in her childhood home.3) In her early 20’s, Hansberry was a leader of the Communist Youth Movement.4) As a child, her family moves to an all-white suburb in Chicago: a “hellishly hostile white

neighborhood.” Her father’s refusal to vacate the Washington Park Subdivision of the South Side of Chicago led to a key victory in the Civil Rights Movement when the Supreme Court found in his favor (Lee vs. Hansberry)

5) 1948- Attends University of Wisconsin at Madison and becomes active in various incarnations of Communist youth groups

6) At the New School, Hansberry takes a class from Du Bois on colonialism7) 1959 “A Raisin in the Sun” opens in Philadelphia8) The play runs 530 time on Broadway9) The most successful play written, to date, by an African American and the first play written by an

African American woman) to appear on Broadway10) Joins the Daughters if Bilitis in 1957 (the nation’s first lesbian organization) and also advocates for

abortion rights and an independent Africa11) Dies in 1965

The Play ‘s Key Themes and Symbols

Themes1) Black Masculinity and Femininity 2) Heritage3) Self-Fulfillment vs. Support of Family4) Capitalism, Labor, Dreams, and the American Dream5) Integration, Segregation, and Black Nationalism6) Assimilation7) Independence and Pride8) Inter-generational transfer of wealth/value(s) and Continuity9) MigrationSymbols10) The “rat trap”11) Lena’s plant: a little too obvious?12) SunlightOther Works13) The Drinking Gourd (1960)14) The Movement: Documentary of a Struggle for Equality (1964)15) The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window (1965)16) To Be Young, Gifted, and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in Her Own Words (1969)

Domestic Drama and Socialist Realism

• Nineteenth century drama took the complete step in incorporating realism into drama, thus resulting in more serious and philosophical drama. Characters and settings gradually developed into the realistic truths of the current society. Along with realism was naturalism or “selective realism emphasizing the more sordid and pessimistic aspects of life.”

• The twentieth century introduced symbolism into the makings of domestic dramas, ultimately causing variations within domestic drama. Early twentieth century shows incorporated minimal scenery, telegraphic dialogue, talking machines, and characters portrayed as types rather than individuals. Domestic drama suddenly became a combination of naturalism, expressionism, symbolism, and commonly used psychological affairs.

• Modern dramas usually revolve around psychological, social, or political affairs, all of which seem to have their roots in domestic drama. Modern works also use interpretive ideas, such as “distinctive voice “and vision, stark settings, austere language in spare dialog, meaningful silences, the projection of a powerful streak of menace, and outbursts of real or implied violence.

• Domestic drama also carries the implications of current affairs with society: such as civil rights, feminism and current political and sociological disputes.

Maxim Gorky (1869-1936)John Reed(1987-1920)

Social Realism developed as a reaction against idealism and the exaggerated ego encouraged by Romanticism. Consequences of the Industrial Revolution became apparent; urban centers grew, slums proliferated on a new scale contrasting with the display of wealth of the upper classes. With a new sense of social consciousness, the Social Realists pledged to “fight the beautiful art” any style which appealed to the eye or emotions. They focused on the ugly realities of contemporary life and sympathized with working-class people, particularly the poor. They recorded what they saw (“as it existed”) in a dispassionate manner.

Masculinity, Emasculation, and Performing the FeminineClose Reading “Playing” in Plays

Capitalism, Labor, and LeisureClose Reading Contradictions

“In my mother’s house…”Close Reading and Inter-textuality

John 14:2In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Mathew 5:38-42Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

Inter-generational Transfer of Value(s)Close Reading Questions

Pan-African Solidarity and the Possibility of Black NationalismClose Reading WTF? Moments

“OCOMOGOSIAY!” is a Yoruban chant that “welcomes the hunters back to the village."

"Owimoweh" is the title of a Yoruban chant, referring to the waking of the lion.

Resistance, Heritage, AssimilationClose Reading Miscommunication and Contradiction

Home: Independence and SubmissionMicrocosms and Close Reading

Acting “Black” Close Reading “Playing” in Plays

Pride, Manhood, PossessionClose Reading “Ordinary” Words