a raisin in the sun

Question 1

author and bio5

Answer 1

• lorraine hansberry
• 1930-1965 (play set before 1959)
• first ever broadway play written by black woman
• born in chicago, family was attacked by white neighbos
• broke tradition by going to good college and writing about feminism and discrimination

Question 2

plot points

Answer 2

-The Youngers, living in the Chicago slums, wait for an important check in the mail.
=The family disagrees on how to use the money.
-Mama buys a house in a white neighborhood and gives the rest of the money to Walter, who promptly loses it.
=Walter concedes to The Man.
-Walter stands in front of Travis as he talks to Karl.
-Walter tells Karl to piss off.
-The Youngers move out.

Question 3

symbols

Answer 3

• plant: Though it is wilting, Mama loves it unconditionally. Just like her family, Lena’s plant lacks the necessary resources to flourish. Rather than giving up, however, Mama does all she can for it and has faith that one day it will truly thrive.
• sunlight: Ruth asks whether or not the new house will have a lot of sunlight. Sunlight is a familiar symbol for hope and life, since all human life depends on warmth and energy from the sun.
• eat your eggs: The eggs she makes every day symbolize her mechanical approach to supporting him. She provides him with nourishment, but always in the same, predictable way.
• beneathas hair: anti-assimilationist beliefs as well as her desire to shape her identity by looking back to her roots in Africa.

Question 4

mama

Answer 4

• before: struggles to connect with her children

- after: taking pride in her children. Like her plant, they’re far from perfect, but still there’s hope for them yet.

Question 5

mama2

Answer 5

• before: struggles to connect with her children

- after: taking pride in her children. Like her plant, they’re far from perfect, but still there’s hope for them yet.

Question 6

beneatha2

Answer 6

• before: not aware of identity and of how people can make mistakes
• after: more in touch with her identity, more forgiving

Question 7

ruth2

Answer 7

• before:turmoil in her marriage is taking a real toll on Ruth. She often seems irritable, depressed, and at times sinks into despair
• after: She finds hope in the fact that the Younger family will soon be moving out of their cramped, roach-infested apartment and into a new house, with her family around her she feels ready for to face the struggle.