A Raisin in the Sun

❖ A Raisin in the Sun is famous for being the first play

to make black experiences relevant and
understandable for both black and white audiences.
❖ Before it, other major plays presented African
Americans in comedic roles that generally
employed stereotypes.
❖ A Raisin in the Sun was the first to have both
mainstream American success and show African
Americans as complex human beings.
❖ Its author, Lorraine Hansberry, was only 29 when it
premiered; she is known for being the first female
African American playwright to find mainstream
success, and it is still arguably the most famous
play looking at primarily African American issues.
 Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like 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 sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

Which do you think would be most likely to happen to you if your American dream doesn’t happen?
 The Characters
❖ The best playwrights dwell almost exclusively in the land
of indirect characterization. Please write a character profile
based purely off his/her behaviors of the character given to
you. In it, try to infer who the character is, what his/her
key traits are, what drives him/her, and why he/she treats
others the way he/she does.