Do Now: Do you have any questions about the play, A Raisin in the Sun?

  Walter Lee – warrior, “flaming spear,” manhood  Beneatha – doctor, educated, womanhood  Mama – plant symbol, movement of family  Ruth – wife and mother  Travis – next generation  Mr. Lindner – Clybourne Park  George Murchison – rich assimilationist  Joseph Asagai – African roots, identity Characters - Change

  American Dream  What are the characters’ American dreams?  Roots vs. Assimilation  How does each character explore this theme?  Identity  Whose identities are coming into question?  Unfulfilled Dreams Themes

  Poet, Langston Hughes  “Harlem”  What happens to a dream deferred? Poem

 Harlem by Langston Hughes 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? Vocabulary: Deferred: (verb) to put off to a later time; postpone Fester: (verb) to become worse or more intense through long term neglect or indifference. Comparisons A raisin in the sun A sore Rotten meat Syrupy sweet Heavy load

 Mama’s Dream  What has always been Mama’s dream? Why is her dream even more important now?  Mama’s Plant. How is the plant unlike other things in the Younger apartment?  What could the plant symbolize?  The plant symbolizes Mama’s dream.  She tends to the plant and tries to protect it just like she tries to protect her dream.

  Cultural assimilation is the process by which a person or a group's language and, or culture come to resemble those of another group.  Theme: Roots vs. Assimilation  This is a big idea that is explored in this play. We see it explored through a few characters – who are they?  How do you balance holding onto your roots while also assimilating to your new culture? Beneatha’s Identity

  Dilemma: a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, esp. equally undesirable ones. – Remember: The Overcrowded Lifeboat & Les Miserables  Why is Ruth considering abortion? Why does she possibly see this option as necessary?  With both Beneatha and Ruth, how is the playwright, Lorraine Hansberry presenting the struggles of women? Ruth’s Dilemma

  What is ironic about Mr. Lindner being part of the Clybourne Park Welcoming Committee?  Should the Youngers move into a neighborhood where they are not wanted? Mr. Lindner

  How does Bobo’s news change everything for the Younger family?  How do Mr. Lindner and Bobo threaten the potential of the American Dream for the Youngers? Bobo’s News

 Oppression  Oppression: unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power.  What are the ways in which the members of the Younger family are oppressed?

  What is Beneatha’s initial reaction to the loss of the insurance money?  Why does Asagai scold/reprimand Beneatha?  What proposal does Asagai offer? Asagai’s Words of Wisdom

  What motivates Walter to call Mr. Lindner back?  What motivates Walter to reject Mr. Linder’s offer?  How does his final action show that Walter has become the man of the family? Walter-Man of the Family

  What has happened to each character’s dream?  Are these dream deferred? Is there another way of describing them now? Dreams Deferred?