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A Raisin in the Sun

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Entry 1

Character List

Walter Lee YoungerWalter is Lena’s son and he is married to Ruth. Walter and Ruth have a son called Travis. Walter has a dream of owning a liquor store with his friend Willy Harris and Bobo.

Beneatha YoungerBeneatha is Lena’s daughter and is Walters sister. She is an 20 years old clever student attending a college. She has a dream of becoming a doctor.

Lena YoungerWalter and Beneatha’s mother. She is religious and has a dream of living in a house with a garden.

Ruth YoungerWalters husband, they have a son called Travis. She and Walter have some issues and she hopes the love between them will become strong again.

Travis YoungerTravis is Walter and Ruth’s son. Travis is still an innocent child and is not aware of the situation in the house.

AssagaiA Nigerian student that is in love with Beneatha. He asked Beneatha to marry him and return to Africa.

George MurichsonA rich African man who likes Beneatha. Beneatha doesn't like him back. The Younger family wants Beneatha to be with him but she doesn’t want that.

Karl LindnerRepresentative of the Clybourne park, he wants to stop the Younger family from moving into his white neighborhood.

BoboFriend of Walter with which he had plans in buying a liquor store.

Willy HarrisFriend of Walter that later on in the book steals the money of the Younger family.

Mrs. JohnsonThe neighbor of the Family. Takes advantage of the hospitality of the family.

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Entry 2

Racism in the 1950’s

Racism was Huge in the 1950’s in America. Black people had no rights and were treated like animals. Signs in public areas saying ‘’for whites only’’ were very common. Going against this was extremely forbidden. We see racism back in the book. The family is telling stories about black people getting bombed in a white neighborhood. Also, the family is getting bothered by a man named Lindner. He tries to pay the family money to stop the move into the white neighborhood.

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Entry 3

The Poem

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?

What does this poem really mean? In this play all of the characters have a dream. For mama it’s owning a house with a garden and for another character it’s owning a liquor store. But when you read through the play and learn more about these dreams, some seem to dry up like ‘’a raisin in the sun’’. Or is the dream actually not as good as they thought it was and it will ‘’smell like rotten meat’’. Their dreams slowly seem to become burdens and they feel like they are not able to achieve those special dreams anymore. And there is an specific reason for that. It is because each person in the book cares so much about their dream that they forget everything else. However at the end of the book most dreams are gone and they all have the same dream: Moving into the house at Clybourne park and enjoy their new lives in a new home.

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Entry 4

The liquor store

In the book A raisin in the sun the characters Walter Lee, Bobo and Willy Harris dream of having a liquor store. They made a specific plan about how to get started and needed a lot of money to buy the store. $30,000 to be exact. Walter received the 6500 $ from mama and was allowed to spend 3500$ on the liquor store. but thats not what he did. He took all of the money and gave it to Willy. At the end of the book we find out that willy stole the money and disappeared. Bobo and Walter will never actually own a liquor store and are devastated. The dream they always wanted to achieve was gone…

Here is an image of how i imagined the liquor store would look like.

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Entry 5

Some Vocabulary

-“There is a sullen light of gloom in the living room, gray light not unlike that which began the first scene of Act One" (Page 131).

Total or partial darkness; a despondent or depressed expression

"Asagai: Nigeria. Home. (Coming to her with genuine romantic flippancy)..." (Page 137).

Lacking respect or seriousness

"Mama: ... You done wrote his epitaph too ---- like the rest of the world? Well, who give you the privilege?" (Page 145)

A commemorative inscription on a tomb or mortuary monument about the person

"Mama: ... Ruth, put Travis' good jacket on him... Walter Lee, fix your tie and tuck your shirt in, you look like somebody's hoodlum..." (Page 149).

A thug or gangster; an aggressive and violet criminal

"Beneatha ignores the eccentricity of his (Walter) actions and goes on with the monologue of insult" (Page 138).

Strange or unusual action

"Asagai: ... At times it will seem that nothing changes at all... and then again the sudden dramatic events which make history leap into the future. And then quiet again. Retrogression even. Guns, murder, revolution..." (Page 135).

Returning to a former and less complex level of development state

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entry 6

Quote #1

BENEATHA (Dropping to her knees)Well – I do – all right? – thank everybody! And forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all! (Pursuing him on her knees across the floor) FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME, FORGIVE ME! (pg. 123)

Beneatha sarcastically apologizes for having dreams. To Walter, her dream seems to be stupid. However, Beneatha is determined and she stands up to her brother for her right to want to become a doctor.

Quote #2

RUTHMama, something is happening between Walter and me. I don’t know what it is – but he needs something – something I can’t give him anymore. He needs this chance, Lena. (pg.187)

Walter is incredibly dissatisfied with his life, and he's taking it out on everybody around him. Poor Ruth feels her husband's unhappiness. She seems to be afraid of what will happen between them if Walter doesn't get the chance to attain his dream.

Quote #3

MAMA…Big Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, "Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams – but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while." (pg. 206)

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Lena's life's dreams are not for herself but for her family's future generations.When Walter’s father is mentioned in the play it serves as a reminder of the sacrifices parents make for their children.

Entry 7

The house

The family lived in a really small apartment that should look similar to the picture above. It was extremely small for such a big family to live in and Travis had to sleep on the couch because there was not enough space for a bed for him. They all had dreams of moving out of this tiny apartment into a decent house were they could have their own space.Personally I would have a hard time living in a house like this. I really need my own space and if I would have my brothers or parents around me all the time I

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would go crazy. Maybe this is why the family is so desperate to get out of the house and move to Clybourne park.

Entry 8

A boy is born in hard time MississippiSurrounded by four walls that ain't so prettyHis parents give him love and affectionTo keep him strong moving in the right directionLiving just enough, just enough for the city

His father works some days for fourteen hoursAnd you can bet he barely makes a dollarHis mother goes to scrub the floors for manyAnd you'd best believe she hardly gets a pennyLiving just enough, just enough for the city yeah

His sister's black but she is sho 'nuff prettyHer skirt is short but Lord her legs are sturdyTo walk to school she's got to get up earlyHer clothes are old but never are they dirtyLiving just enough, just enough for the city

Her brother's smart he's got more sense than manyHis patience's long but soon he won't have anyTo find a job is like a haystack needle'Cause where he lives they don't use colored peopleLiving just enough, just enough for the city

Living just enough for the city

His hair is long, his feet are hard and grittyHe spends his life walking the streets of New York CityHe's almost dead from breathing in air pollutionHe tried to vote but to him there's no solution

Living just enough, just enough for the city yeah, yeah, yeah!

I hope you hear inside my voice of sorrowAnd that it motivates you to make a better tomorrowThis place is cruel no where could be much colderIf we don't change the world will soon be over

Living just enough, just enough for the city!

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Living for the City By Stevie Wonder

I personally think that this song somehow relates to the play a raisin in the sun. when you read the lyrics it sort of feels that you are reading it from Travis’perspective. Many of the sentences written in this song can be related to travis growing up in the poor neighborhood in South side Chicago. He is growing up in a small house and his parents give him love and affection. His father has a bad job and works long days and his mother cleans other people’s houses. It is really similar to the play and that is why i chose this song.The song mentions ‘’Cause where he lives they don't use colored people’’ and it makes me think about the play. The family gets discriminated because of their color and they don’t have the best jobs in the world. However the family manages to survive in this rough world.

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Entry 9

Lorraine Hansberry

Lorraine Hansberry is born on may 19th 1930 in America. She was the first colored woman who wrote an play. She is the author of the play ‘’A Raisin in the Sun’’ and this play became really successful. Many things we read in the play are similar to what Lorraine has been through during her childhood : The bombings of black people, her family got bombed by their white neighbors in 1938. Also her and Beneath are very similar it really felt like Beneatha is a reflection of Lorraine. For example they both went to University to study for a good job.

After she wrote the play ‘a Raisin in the Sun’ she continued to write articles and stories. Her life ended at a young age of 34 and she died on January 12, 1965 because of cancer.