1. Understanding the allusion
A Raisin in the Sun
Understanding the allusion

2. It’s Raining Outside Resigned Detached tired Harsh
Dreamy bored upset Whiny
Proud Doubtful ominous Swaggering
Flippant questioning paranoid grim
Mysterious confused bitter indignant
Sassy aghast silly Content

3. “Eat Your eggs” Resigned Detached tired Harsh Dreamy bored upset Whiny
Proud Doubtful ominous Swaggering
Flippant questioning paranoid grim
Mysterious confused bitter indignant
Sassy aghast silly Content

4. What’s different about each reading. What’s going on
What’s different about each reading? What’s going on? What do we call this?

5. What does Defer mean? Put off Delay Suspend Stay Postpone Shelve
Put on the backburner

6. What happens to a dream deferred?
Each group will be assigned a line or pair of lines that answers the question posed in the first line of the poem.
Once your group receives their line(s), decipher the meaning of the line(s) in relation to the opening question.
Share Out!

7. Choose a representative from your group to come to the front of the class with your sentence strip.
Representatives will arrange themselves in what they think is the order of the poem. Audience members can and should help!
When you think you have it right, a volunteer from the audience will read the poem out loud.

9. Harlem Readings

10. Select words from the list below that best describe the speaker’s attitude. Does the tone of the poem change from line to line?
Resigned Detached tired Harsh
Dreamy bored upset Whiny
Proud Doubtful ominous Swaggering
Flippant questioning paranoid grim
Mysterious confused bitter indignant
Sassy aghast silly Content

11. What is different about the two recitations
What is different about the two recitations? Which performance do you prefer, and Why?

12. What does Dr. Karen Bethea mean when she says, “it’s her lane”
What does Dr. Karen Bethea mean when she says, “it’s her lane”? How does that Idea apply to the poem? How might it apply to the play?
Dr. Karen Bethea and Abiola Valentine