Status
Checked out
Genres
Publication
New York : Vintage Books, 1994.
Description
Drama. Fiction. African American Fiction. HTML:"Never before, the entire history of the American theater, has so much of the truth of black people's lives been seen on the stage," observed James Baldwin shortly before A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959. Indeed Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning drama about the hopes and aspirations of a struggling, working-class family living on the South Side of Chicago connected profoundly with the psyche of black America??and changed American theater forever. The play's title comes from a line in Langston Hughes's poem "Harlem," which warns that a dream deferred might "dry up/like a raisin in the sun." "The events of every passing year add resonance to A Raisin in the Sun," said The New York Times. "It is as if history is conspiring to make the play a classic." This Modern Library edition presents the fully restored, uncut version of Hansberry's landmark work with an introduction by Robert Nemiro… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gbill
Many have commented that “A Raisin in the Sun” is a universal story, and in some sense it is. The struggles of the poor living in squalid conditions, working hard for meager pay, and chasing dreams to make their children’s lives better certainly transcend race.
And yet this is most definitely
In addition to the racism the Youngers face almost as a matter of course in trying to integrate into a white neighborhood, just as poignant are the struggles described within African-American culture. For there is tension in just how to go about improving their lives - certainly wanting to rise in American society, but at the same time the distastefulness of needing to assimilate and thereby potentially losing something in the process, or worse, becoming ‘Uncle Toms’. There are questions of the appropriateness of using the “N word”, of straightening hair vs. wearing it naturally, and the relevance of pride in West African culture.
On top of all this, the play touches on feminism, atheism, and abortion. It’s weighty stuff, but it doesn’t feel ‘weighty’. Exiting the theater I can imagine being energized and wanting to talk about what I just saw. How wonderful it is that in 1959 it was written by a brilliant 29-year-old African-American woman who was clearly ahead of her time; how wonderful it is that she received accolades; how sad it is she died so young, six years later.
This edition restored scenes which had been edited out because of production length concerns given how unknown Hansberry was and the risk of the play’s content; this was great because absolutely no editing is necessary. The writing is lean and masterful.
Ultimately the story is one of perseverance and maintaining one’s moral courage, of holding on to one’s ideals despite the many trials which test them. There are several dreams which are harbored by the members of this little family – becoming a doctor to heal the sick, becoming a successful businessman, and simply owning a house – all of them to rise up in the world or to make a larger impact in it, but all threatening to become “raisins in the sun”.
I had goosebumps at the ending. It’s not just a “yeah” for me, it’s a “hell yeah”.
Quotes:
First from Langston Hughes as a preface to the novel, explaining the title:
“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?”
On African-American heritage:
Beneatha: Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!
Ruth: Will somebody please tell me what assimila-who-ever means!
George: Oh it’s just a college girl’s way of calling people Uncle Toms – but that isn’t what it means at all.
Ruth: Well, what does it mean?
Beneatha: It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!
George: Oh, dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the African past! On our Great West African Heritage! In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Songhay civilizations; and the great sculpture of Benin – and then some poetry in the Bantu – and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!
Beneatha: GRASS HUTS! See there … you are standing there in your splendid ignorance talking about people who were the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth! The Ashanti were performing surgical operations when the English were still tattooing themselves with blue dragons!
On African-American progress:
Johnson: You sure one proud-acting bunch of colored folks. Well – I always thinks like Booker T. Washington said that time – ‘Education has spoiled many a good plow hand’ –
Mama: Is that what old Booker T. said?
Johnson: He sure did.
Mama: Well, it sounds just like him. The fool.
…
Beneatha: Mama, if there are two things we, as a people, have got to overcome, one is the Ku Klux Klan – and the other is Mrs. Johnson.
On dreams (and children):
Mama: Seems 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.
On God:
Beneatha: I mean it! I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has he got to do with anything? Does he pay tuition?
…
It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important. I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God – there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!
On home:
Mama: It’s dangerous, son.
Walter: What’s dangerous?
Mama: When a man goes outside his home to look for peace.
On love:
Mama: Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning – because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.
On men and women:
Walter: That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say – Your eggs is getting cold!
On progress (and idealism); I love this one:
Beneatha: An end to misery! To stupidity! Don’t you see there isn’t any real progress, Asagai, there is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture in front of us – our own little mirage that we think is the future.
Asagai: That is the mistake.
Beneatha: What?
Asagai: What you just said about the circle. It isn’t a circle – it is simply a long line – as in geometry, you know, one that reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end – we also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those who see the changes – who dream, who will not give up – are called idealists … and those who see only the circle we call them the “realists”!
On youth:
Mama: You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar – You my children – but how different we done become.
Lastly just funny; there were several lines in the play I smiled over:
Walter: First thing a man ought to learn in life is not to make love to no colored woman first thing in the morning. You all some eeeevil people at eight o’clock in the morning.
And yet this is most definitely
Show More
an African-American play. As James Baldwin said, “never before in the entire history of the American theater had so much truth of black people’s lives been seen on the stage.” In addition to the racism the Youngers face almost as a matter of course in trying to integrate into a white neighborhood, just as poignant are the struggles described within African-American culture. For there is tension in just how to go about improving their lives - certainly wanting to rise in American society, but at the same time the distastefulness of needing to assimilate and thereby potentially losing something in the process, or worse, becoming ‘Uncle Toms’. There are questions of the appropriateness of using the “N word”, of straightening hair vs. wearing it naturally, and the relevance of pride in West African culture.
On top of all this, the play touches on feminism, atheism, and abortion. It’s weighty stuff, but it doesn’t feel ‘weighty’. Exiting the theater I can imagine being energized and wanting to talk about what I just saw. How wonderful it is that in 1959 it was written by a brilliant 29-year-old African-American woman who was clearly ahead of her time; how wonderful it is that she received accolades; how sad it is she died so young, six years later.
This edition restored scenes which had been edited out because of production length concerns given how unknown Hansberry was and the risk of the play’s content; this was great because absolutely no editing is necessary. The writing is lean and masterful.
Ultimately the story is one of perseverance and maintaining one’s moral courage, of holding on to one’s ideals despite the many trials which test them. There are several dreams which are harbored by the members of this little family – becoming a doctor to heal the sick, becoming a successful businessman, and simply owning a house – all of them to rise up in the world or to make a larger impact in it, but all threatening to become “raisins in the sun”.
I had goosebumps at the ending. It’s not just a “yeah” for me, it’s a “hell yeah”.
Quotes:
First from Langston Hughes as a preface to the novel, explaining the title:
“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?”
On African-American heritage:
Beneatha: Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!
Ruth: Will somebody please tell me what assimila-who-ever means!
George: Oh it’s just a college girl’s way of calling people Uncle Toms – but that isn’t what it means at all.
Ruth: Well, what does it mean?
Beneatha: It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!
George: Oh, dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the African past! On our Great West African Heritage! In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Songhay civilizations; and the great sculpture of Benin – and then some poetry in the Bantu – and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!
Beneatha: GRASS HUTS! See there … you are standing there in your splendid ignorance talking about people who were the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth! The Ashanti were performing surgical operations when the English were still tattooing themselves with blue dragons!
On African-American progress:
Johnson: You sure one proud-acting bunch of colored folks. Well – I always thinks like Booker T. Washington said that time – ‘Education has spoiled many a good plow hand’ –
Mama: Is that what old Booker T. said?
Johnson: He sure did.
Mama: Well, it sounds just like him. The fool.
…
Beneatha: Mama, if there are two things we, as a people, have got to overcome, one is the Ku Klux Klan – and the other is Mrs. Johnson.
On dreams (and children):
Mama: Seems 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.
On God:
Beneatha: I mean it! I’m just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has he got to do with anything? Does he pay tuition?
…
It’s all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don’t accept. It’s not important. I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don’t believe in God. I don’t even think about it. It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God – there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!
On home:
Mama: It’s dangerous, son.
Walter: What’s dangerous?
Mama: When a man goes outside his home to look for peace.
On love:
Mama: Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning – because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.
On men and women:
Walter: That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say – Your eggs is getting cold!
On progress (and idealism); I love this one:
Beneatha: An end to misery! To stupidity! Don’t you see there isn’t any real progress, Asagai, there is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture in front of us – our own little mirage that we think is the future.
Asagai: That is the mistake.
Beneatha: What?
Asagai: What you just said about the circle. It isn’t a circle – it is simply a long line – as in geometry, you know, one that reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end – we also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those who see the changes – who dream, who will not give up – are called idealists … and those who see only the circle we call them the “realists”!
On youth:
Mama: You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar – You my children – but how different we done become.
Lastly just funny; there were several lines in the play I smiled over:
Walter: First thing a man ought to learn in life is not to make love to no colored woman first thing in the morning. You all some eeeevil people at eight o’clock in the morning.
Show Less
LibraryThing member varwenea
While I am almost certain that I have read this as a long ago youth, I am definitely certain that I now have more context, history, and maturity to appreciate this wonderfully illustrative play. Set in the ‘sometime between WWII and the present (=1959), Ms. Hansberry brings us on a journey of a
I find in Mama – the matriarch – the voice of reason, inner strength, an acceptance of life as is given to her, but also a continued resolve to make the most of life and circumstances. Her values of God and familial respect guide her decisions as she continues to hold her family together in a tiny two bedroom apartment that had been her rented home since her first days of marriage. “Hadn’t been married but two weeks and wasn’t planning on living here no more than a year. (She shakes her head at the dissolved dream)”
Mama’s son, Walter, is a walking angry-sac of dissatisfaction, disappointment, and disillusionment with life. As a chauffeur driving a rich (white) man’s limo, he sees too much riches that he doesn’t have, can’t have, but wants so badly to have, that it brings him much unwarranted frustrations. “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy… Mama – look at me….. Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me – just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me – a big, looming blank space – full of nothing. Just waiting for me.”
Walter’s wife, Ruth, 30, described as “she was a pretty girl, even exceptional so, but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face.” loves her husband but is tired of his antics, drinking, lofty unattainable dreams, and most importantly feeling they have grown apart, so much so that she was deciding to do the unthinkable.
Mama’s daughter, Beneatha, is the most book smart of the family with aspirations of becoming a doctor, a ‘modern’ idea that is mocked by her brother, Walter, who tells her to be a nurse instead. Her modern viewpoints also excludes the belief in God which infuriates her mama. “It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God – there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!”
Along with a handful of other cast members and $10,000 of insurance money from the death of the father, “a fine man who could never catch up to his dreams”, the Younger family rides the emotional roller coaster. Through the tribulations, a man comes to his manhood, “kind of like a rainbow after the rain.”
A fine, fine play that must be read, I particularly enjoyed the stage setting the Ms. Hansberry wrote. Entirely graphic, moving, descriptive – written in an elegant classic English. At the same time, she commanded the speech of the black family of the time. The words and style are alive and vibrant, as though these spoken words can be heard in my mind.
When released in 1959, this play made Lorraine Hansberry, at age 25, a most celebrated playwright of the time. She brought to the American theater for the first time ever, the most truth about the lives of the black people. Sadly, she was taken from us on January 12, 1965, at the age of 34 due to cancer. If you’re buying this book for the first time, be sure to acquire the full uncut version. (The original theatrical release had scenes and a character removed.)
I ask you – Who amongst us have not had a dream shattered?
A few more quotes:
Act 1, Scene One opener paints this picture:
“…..A time probably no longer remembered by the family (except perhaps for Mama), the furnishings of this room were actually selected with care and love and even hope – and brought to this apartment and arranged with taste and pride. That was a long time ago. Now the once loved pattern of the couch upholstery has to fight to show itself from under acres of crocheted doilies and couch covers…. Weariness has, in fact, won this room. Everything has been polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed too often. All pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room.”
From Mama, on the struggles of her generation:
“…In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too… Now here come you and Beneatha – talking ‘bout things we ain’t never even thought about hardly, me and your daddy. You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar – You my children – but how different we done become.”
From Walter, on men and women:
“That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say – Your eggs is getting cold!”
From Mama, on love:
“Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning – because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.”
Last and certainly not least, the poem that inspired the title of this play, by none other than 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?
Show More
few weeks of the Younger family where we learn about their dreams, how reality has altered such dreams, and the path this family chooses as a result. Dreams – the constant theme of this book. But it doesn’t end there –racism, abortion, colonialism in Africa, prejudice of not just white vs. blacks but also blacks vs. blacks – heavy subjects that are smartly addressed. I find in Mama – the matriarch – the voice of reason, inner strength, an acceptance of life as is given to her, but also a continued resolve to make the most of life and circumstances. Her values of God and familial respect guide her decisions as she continues to hold her family together in a tiny two bedroom apartment that had been her rented home since her first days of marriage. “Hadn’t been married but two weeks and wasn’t planning on living here no more than a year. (She shakes her head at the dissolved dream)”
Mama’s son, Walter, is a walking angry-sac of dissatisfaction, disappointment, and disillusionment with life. As a chauffeur driving a rich (white) man’s limo, he sees too much riches that he doesn’t have, can’t have, but wants so badly to have, that it brings him much unwarranted frustrations. “I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy… Mama – look at me….. Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me – just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me – a big, looming blank space – full of nothing. Just waiting for me.”
Walter’s wife, Ruth, 30, described as “she was a pretty girl, even exceptional so, but now it is apparent that life has been little that she expected, and disappointment has already begun to hang in her face.” loves her husband but is tired of his antics, drinking, lofty unattainable dreams, and most importantly feeling they have grown apart, so much so that she was deciding to do the unthinkable.
Mama’s daughter, Beneatha, is the most book smart of the family with aspirations of becoming a doctor, a ‘modern’ idea that is mocked by her brother, Walter, who tells her to be a nurse instead. Her modern viewpoints also excludes the belief in God which infuriates her mama. “It’s just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God – there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!”
Along with a handful of other cast members and $10,000 of insurance money from the death of the father, “a fine man who could never catch up to his dreams”, the Younger family rides the emotional roller coaster. Through the tribulations, a man comes to his manhood, “kind of like a rainbow after the rain.”
A fine, fine play that must be read, I particularly enjoyed the stage setting the Ms. Hansberry wrote. Entirely graphic, moving, descriptive – written in an elegant classic English. At the same time, she commanded the speech of the black family of the time. The words and style are alive and vibrant, as though these spoken words can be heard in my mind.
When released in 1959, this play made Lorraine Hansberry, at age 25, a most celebrated playwright of the time. She brought to the American theater for the first time ever, the most truth about the lives of the black people. Sadly, she was taken from us on January 12, 1965, at the age of 34 due to cancer. If you’re buying this book for the first time, be sure to acquire the full uncut version. (The original theatrical release had scenes and a character removed.)
I ask you – Who amongst us have not had a dream shattered?
A few more quotes:
Act 1, Scene One opener paints this picture:
“…..A time probably no longer remembered by the family (except perhaps for Mama), the furnishings of this room were actually selected with care and love and even hope – and brought to this apartment and arranged with taste and pride. That was a long time ago. Now the once loved pattern of the couch upholstery has to fight to show itself from under acres of crocheted doilies and couch covers…. Weariness has, in fact, won this room. Everything has been polished, washed, sat on, used, scrubbed too often. All pretenses but living itself have long since vanished from the very atmosphere of this room.”
From Mama, on the struggles of her generation:
“…In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too… Now here come you and Beneatha – talking ‘bout things we ain’t never even thought about hardly, me and your daddy. You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done. I mean that you had a home; that we kept you out of trouble till you was grown; that you don’t have to ride to work on the back of nobody’s streetcar – You my children – but how different we done become.”
From Walter, on men and women:
“That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs. Man say: I got to take hold of this here world, baby! And a woman will say: Eat your eggs and go to work. Man say: I got to change my life, I’m choking to death, baby! And his woman say – Your eggs is getting cold!”
From Mama, on love:
“Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain’t through learning – because that ain’t the time at all. It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you done taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is.”
Last and certainly not least, the poem that inspired the title of this play, by none other than 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?
Show Less
LibraryThing member thoroughlyme
As part of my Directing class in school, I've had to some plays in preparation for the scene work that's to come later in the semester. One of those plays was Lorraine Hansberry's classic A Raisin in the Sun.
First, I want to talk about the positives. A Raisin in the Sun truly is a moving play.
I have a feeling that this play is one that's much better seen than read. Like I said, it's truly a good play, but the actual script itself leaves something to be desired. There's something so daunting and annoying about a script that has to spell every action out in its stage directions. At no point do I as a reader of plays, or a theatrical artist, need to know every little movement the characters do (and have their reasoning spelled out for me) or have every minute detail of the set told to me. Some of that should be left for the production team of every production to decide (as is the case anyway since frequently, directors ignore stage directions in scripts even if there are barely any, to begin with). I recognize that this may just be a personal preference of mine as a Theatre artist and playwright, but it's just a pet peeve of mine when it comes to some scripts. This seems to be a thing that many modern plays have moved away from doing, thankfully. As a result, the scripts of many a classic play are bogged down with unnessecary stage direction.
For me, if the stage directions were just edited down to the bare necessities for a reader to understand the action instead of the endless, constant interruptions describing the minute details of the set and the meaning behind every action - as though the reader, actor, and director can't make those inferences without it being spelled out for them, then this script would be a lot better. I think it's probably unfair to judge this play by its script. If this were a novel, the amount of detail in the descriptions would be great. As a script, it detracts from the experience of reading it. Watching it, however, probably rectifies those problems since the action doesn't stop to explain the set or detail the actions that a viewer can plainly see. My issues with the script boil down to how the detailed stage directions take away from the momentum of the story since the dialogue is what thrusts the story forward and every time you have to stop to read a paragraph of stage directions kills that momentum. But watching a play is different since the stage directions are just acted out. The momentum is there because all the action is happening while the lines are being said instead of having to be read in between lines.
All in all, it's a brilliant play with a script that's a drag to read but, most likely, a true delight to actually see performed. I won't know for sure until I see the production of it that is happening here in Greensboro later this spring, but I suspect seeing the play will highlight all the truly good aspects of it. Such is the case for many a play with a script full of too much stage direction. As a result of my displeasure with the script itself, I'd recommend seeing a performance of A Raisin in the Sun rather than reading the script, but if you have no choice, the script will do. It's a good, enjoyable, and important story that's worth experiencing in whatever way you can experience it in.
(3.5 out of 5 stars)
First, I want to talk about the positives. A Raisin in the Sun truly is a moving play.
Show More
It's honestly one of the best examples of how good American theatre can be. It's expertly paced, each act ending with a crescendo that begs the audience to come back after the intermission. The characters are well-written, if frequently unlikable - though that's sort of the point. These are all flawed characters and I appreciate just how well developed each of them is. It's interesting how even though this play was written and set in the 1960s, its subject matter is still so relevant and applicable to today's society. If you didn't know any better, this play could've been written and been placed in 2017. This play has won countless awards over the years, and it definitely deserves it. It truly is an amazing play, regardless of the issues with the script I'm about to talk about.I have a feeling that this play is one that's much better seen than read. Like I said, it's truly a good play, but the actual script itself leaves something to be desired. There's something so daunting and annoying about a script that has to spell every action out in its stage directions. At no point do I as a reader of plays, or a theatrical artist, need to know every little movement the characters do (and have their reasoning spelled out for me) or have every minute detail of the set told to me. Some of that should be left for the production team of every production to decide (as is the case anyway since frequently, directors ignore stage directions in scripts even if there are barely any, to begin with). I recognize that this may just be a personal preference of mine as a Theatre artist and playwright, but it's just a pet peeve of mine when it comes to some scripts. This seems to be a thing that many modern plays have moved away from doing, thankfully. As a result, the scripts of many a classic play are bogged down with unnessecary stage direction.
For me, if the stage directions were just edited down to the bare necessities for a reader to understand the action instead of the endless, constant interruptions describing the minute details of the set and the meaning behind every action - as though the reader, actor, and director can't make those inferences without it being spelled out for them, then this script would be a lot better. I think it's probably unfair to judge this play by its script. If this were a novel, the amount of detail in the descriptions would be great. As a script, it detracts from the experience of reading it. Watching it, however, probably rectifies those problems since the action doesn't stop to explain the set or detail the actions that a viewer can plainly see. My issues with the script boil down to how the detailed stage directions take away from the momentum of the story since the dialogue is what thrusts the story forward and every time you have to stop to read a paragraph of stage directions kills that momentum. But watching a play is different since the stage directions are just acted out. The momentum is there because all the action is happening while the lines are being said instead of having to be read in between lines.
All in all, it's a brilliant play with a script that's a drag to read but, most likely, a true delight to actually see performed. I won't know for sure until I see the production of it that is happening here in Greensboro later this spring, but I suspect seeing the play will highlight all the truly good aspects of it. Such is the case for many a play with a script full of too much stage direction. As a result of my displeasure with the script itself, I'd recommend seeing a performance of A Raisin in the Sun rather than reading the script, but if you have no choice, the script will do. It's a good, enjoyable, and important story that's worth experiencing in whatever way you can experience it in.
(3.5 out of 5 stars)
Show Less
LibraryThing member samlives2
My English class recently studied this play and I'm very glad we did. We read the parts aloud (I was the italics: it was awesome) and for the first time my class got really into something. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves the whole way through. We've never had that for any other work
Show More
and I think it was because this play is so easy to relate to and even when it is emotionally heavy or deep, it never feels overbearing. Show Less
LibraryThing member luckymuffins
Short play about the struggle of the Younger family. Walter Lee Younger is obsessed with the idea of "making it big" and is devastated when his get rich quick scheme falls through. Mama, Walter Lee's mother, lives with the family. She has a great deal of authority, is a God fearing women, and
Show More
values her religion, her family, and her husband's memory above anything else. Show Less
LibraryThing member Sean191
I'm embarrassed I hadn't read this book until now. I'm also a little disappointed that I've been missing out so long. A play about longing for something better, shattered dreams and redemption.
LibraryThing member cmbohn
I really enjoyed this play. The book that I got had the original cast listed, including Ruby Dee, Louis Gossett, and Sydney Poitier. Talk about a dream cast!
When I think about the play, it's not so much one individual line that comes to mind as much as the general feeling, that the Youngers have
The play takes its name from a poem by Langston Hughes called, 'A Dream Deferred.' It's a powerful poem - what happens to a dream deferred? This is a beautiful case of a play built around a poem, one that encapsulates the struggle of Black Americans to have the kind of life they saw everyone else enjoying.
When I think about the play, it's not so much one individual line that comes to mind as much as the general feeling, that the Youngers have
Show More
struggled and worked and waited for a better life, but never can seem to find a break.The play takes its name from a poem by Langston Hughes called, 'A Dream Deferred.' It's a powerful poem - what happens to a dream deferred? This is a beautiful case of a play built around a poem, one that encapsulates the struggle of Black Americans to have the kind of life they saw everyone else enjoying.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ElenaEstrada
This is truly an American classic that tackles racism, assimilation, gender roles, social classes, courage, and human frailty. It is courageous in its portrayal of an African American family who has generationally struggled for economic mobility. It’s incredibly honest characters voice out their
Show More
frustrations about social ills. One of the elements that make it a masterpiece is the development of family conflicts that threaten to destroy the family unit. I would highly recommend this book to high school students, especially minority groups that typically deal with issues of assimilation and changing family values. My only criticism would be that it was produced in 1959, and some of the cultural issues that surround the plot will not be understood by the current youth unless they have some historical background. Nevertheless, I feel it is an American classic and should be considered a worthwhile novel or outside reading of high school English curriculum. Show Less
LibraryThing member jnoel12
A Raisin in the Sun was "good". There were some parts where I was like, "Ooh, what's going to happen next." Not suspensful or anything, but I always wondered if the Younger family would ever stop fighting and come together to make a big decision-- one that may change their lives forever. For this
Show More
to happen, some people's prides will have to be pushed aside. Show Less
LibraryThing member phoenixcomet
A very fast read. The play is set in Chicago between the end of WWII and 1961 when it was written. It tells the story of a poor Black family who are about to come into $10,000. The play is a social commentary for hopes and dreams, for possibilities. There is a sense of foreboding when Mama gives
Show More
her son Walter, the $6500 and true to form, it is stolen from him. Then the choice comes up - do they give up their dream of a home in the suburbs for money or do they move to the white neighborhood where they are unwanted? A lot to think about, especially if you put yourself in the family's situation. Show Less
LibraryThing member ametralladoras
Very quick read. About a black family in Chicago in the late 40's/early 50's. It's a quite view of there lives as they have to deal with money, racism, and how to achieve their dreams.
LibraryThing member xavier916
In the beginning, this family is faced with money problems. By the middle, the family gets the insurance money of 10,000 dollars but then don't know how to spend the money. The son of Mama' loses the money while trying to do his dream of building a liquir store. 151 pages out of 151
LibraryThing member blake.rosser
I somehow missed this in my high school formation and had never heard of it until I got to North Carolina, where it's a mandatory piece of the 9th grade curriculum. After reading it I'm glad to say I can understand why it's considered so important here. It's a powerful examination of hope, dreams,
There are so many important points made in various characters' speeches that you could spend hours deconstructing them all and develop each one into its own thematic work. The minor character Asagai in particular has extremely rich dialogue, on par with the other major philosopher of the play, "Mama" Lena Younger. It's an all around terrific work and I recommend reading it in conjunction with the Danny Glover stage adaptation from the 80s.
My only minor issue with it comes at the very end, when Mama explicitly spells out how Walter "come into manhood." It would have been perfect just leaving it unsaid. Additionally, the structure of the play is somewhat cumbersome, with many of the scenes being quite long and encompassing many different interactions with a revolving cast of characters. At least the book would have benefited from having more scene separations.
Show More
integrity, racism, desegregation and selling out, and it is both insightful and accessible. These themes are particularly pertinent to younger readers as they begin to confront the reality of having to reconcile their own dreams with commercial and social necessities. There are so many important points made in various characters' speeches that you could spend hours deconstructing them all and develop each one into its own thematic work. The minor character Asagai in particular has extremely rich dialogue, on par with the other major philosopher of the play, "Mama" Lena Younger. It's an all around terrific work and I recommend reading it in conjunction with the Danny Glover stage adaptation from the 80s.
My only minor issue with it comes at the very end, when Mama explicitly spells out how Walter "come into manhood." It would have been perfect just leaving it unsaid. Additionally, the structure of the play is somewhat cumbersome, with many of the scenes being quite long and encompassing many different interactions with a revolving cast of characters. At least the book would have benefited from having more scene separations.
Show Less
LibraryThing member JosephJ
Wonderfully written play and excellent film. The language is in your face and the characters are real people with real problems. The message of family unity is not lost even when grouped with much heavier subjects such as racism, and classicism.
LibraryThing member JasChristina
Offers a look at a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s, trying so desperately to achieve the “American Dream”. This book focuses on the false notion that anyone who works hard can be successful. It illustrates the
Show More
one family’s struggle to be equal, and what some are and aren’t willing to give up for it. A lot of our urban youth may come from broken families, and a lot of issues and values come up in the book, which can help bring a little light to their situation. Show Less
LibraryThing member lorinhigashi
A Raisin in the Sun captures the realistic portrayal of an African American family trying to find success and follow their dreams during the 1950s. This drama can be used as a discussion piece with the content of the play as well as the history surrounding the release of the play. The message of
Show More
social acceptance among the Civil Rights movement and the racial prejudice that the Youngers faced spoke to the audience during the 1959 release as well as today's generation. It captures the humanity of having a realistic dream - owning a house, stability, medical school and how much harder it was for these dreams to be accomplished by African Americans during this time. Lorraine Hansberry gave a voice to the Youngers family that symbolized any family whose dreams were on the brink of being deferred. Show Less
LibraryThing member StonehamHS_Library
When the fear of financial poverty threatens one’s mind everyday, is it possible to think of a happily ever after? Lorraine Hansberry’s anticipated movements throughout, A Raisin in the Sun, portrays the Younger family’s struggles to obtain happiness and unity among each other. This realistic
This authentic novel represents an African American life that has been through a journey of unflinching and radical lifestyles that are caused when people’s dreams are deferred. The title of the novel refers to a conjecture that Langston Hughes famously wrote in a poem about dreams that were forgotten or put off. He wrote, “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 sink like rotten meat, or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” Personally, the novel was appealing on an emotional level because the lifestyle of this family was unfortunately making them unhappy and ruining their chemistry, but the changes they performed made them stronger and closer. This was sad to read at first knowing that it was based off true stories, but Lorraine Hansberry’s writing technique was useful to retain everything and very enjoyable. By using a dialogue, readers can understand the tone and emotions expressed by the characters which is very beneficial.
The theme of A Raisin in the Sun greatly connects to the American dream. Each individual character had a dream of their own, but the family’s overall dream was to reunite as a whole in addition to happiness and more wealth. It was very well illustrated that the Younger families, just like American families, were always wanting more. At the beginning of the novel due to their great struggles, one might have thought that this dream would not be accomplished. However, the value and purpose of dreams is so important especially the heart, soul, and desperation within a dream. Even though the Youngers struggled socially and economically throughout the novel, they unite in the end to realize what their true dream is.
Show More
drama illustrates their life in the Southside of Chicago, breathing the air of discrimination due to their racial background and unsuccessful income. Living in an apartment with a family of five is not the life the Youngers asked for. Walter Younger, a true dreamer of becoming wealthy, promises his twelve-year-old son Travis that soon enough he would not have to sleep on the living room couch. Lena Younger or (Mama) depicts that life is not just about the money you make, but about being faithful to God and free to others around you. Mama stated, “Oh—So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change…” A Raisin in the Sun is essentially about dreams, however at the same time, the main characters struggle to deal with the oppressive circumstances that rule their lives. Much of their happiness is hidden with the thought of their dreams not coming true. This takes a toll on the characters because they are constantly arguing and discouraging each other, which unfortunately tears the family apart. This authentic novel represents an African American life that has been through a journey of unflinching and radical lifestyles that are caused when people’s dreams are deferred. The title of the novel refers to a conjecture that Langston Hughes famously wrote in a poem about dreams that were forgotten or put off. He wrote, “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 sink like rotten meat, or crust and sugar over-like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?” Personally, the novel was appealing on an emotional level because the lifestyle of this family was unfortunately making them unhappy and ruining their chemistry, but the changes they performed made them stronger and closer. This was sad to read at first knowing that it was based off true stories, but Lorraine Hansberry’s writing technique was useful to retain everything and very enjoyable. By using a dialogue, readers can understand the tone and emotions expressed by the characters which is very beneficial.
The theme of A Raisin in the Sun greatly connects to the American dream. Each individual character had a dream of their own, but the family’s overall dream was to reunite as a whole in addition to happiness and more wealth. It was very well illustrated that the Younger families, just like American families, were always wanting more. At the beginning of the novel due to their great struggles, one might have thought that this dream would not be accomplished. However, the value and purpose of dreams is so important especially the heart, soul, and desperation within a dream. Even though the Youngers struggled socially and economically throughout the novel, they unite in the end to realize what their true dream is.
Show Less
LibraryThing member MissBoyer3
Set on Chicago's South Side, the plot revolves around the divergent dreams and conflicts within three generations of the Younger family: son Walter Lee, his wife Ruth, his sister Beneatha, his son Travis and matriarch Lena, called Mama. When her deceased husband's insurance money comes through,
The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. Winner of the NY Drama Critic's Award as Best Play of the Year, it has been hailed as a "pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre." by Newsweek and "a milestone in the American Theatre." by Ebony.
Show More
Mama dreams of moving to a new home and a better neighborhood in Chicago. Walter Lee, a chauffeur, has other plans, however: buying a liquor store and being his own man. Beneatha dreams of medical school.The tensions and prejudice they face form this seminal American drama. Sacrifice, trust and love among the Younger family and their heroic struggle to retain dignity in a harsh and changing world is a searing and timeless document of hope and inspiration. Winner of the NY Drama Critic's Award as Best Play of the Year, it has been hailed as a "pivotal play in the history of the American Black theatre." by Newsweek and "a milestone in the American Theatre." by Ebony.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SoonerCatholic
Setting: This play about dreams and culture takes place in a tenement in Chicago post WWII.
Plot: The Younger family dreams of what to do with the retirement money coming in the mail.
Characters: Ruth- tired, disillusioned; Travis- young, full of youth, naive; Walter (protagonist) a visionary;
Symbols/Allusions: This play tells the values of cultural heritage. Their dreams are fragile and can become dried up.
Characteristics: authentic, realistic play when it came out "watershed in American drama"
Personal Response: I thought it was a very poignant story, brutally honest and thought provoking
Plot: The Younger family dreams of what to do with the retirement money coming in the mail.
Characters: Ruth- tired, disillusioned; Travis- young, full of youth, naive; Walter (protagonist) a visionary;
Show More
Beneatha- intelligent, searching; Mama- kind, motherly; Asagai- cool, honest; George (antagonist)- rich, assimilationistSymbols/Allusions: This play tells the values of cultural heritage. Their dreams are fragile and can become dried up.
Characteristics: authentic, realistic play when it came out "watershed in American drama"
Personal Response: I thought it was a very poignant story, brutally honest and thought provoking
Show Less
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
A wonderful play showcasing an oft overlooked era in American history. It was fascinating taking a look at the "assimilationist" issue in African American culture.
LibraryThing member lhlogan1
Gripping tale that's a classic with timeless importance.
LibraryThing member cinesnail88
This was my first full-length play of the semester for my theatre class, and I must say, I'm rather ashamed I didn't get to it earlier. It's incredibly well written, and I found myself getting very attached to both Beneatha and Asagai. All in all, more than worth my time.
LibraryThing member Jaylabelle
What happens to a dream deferred? Groundbreaking play about an African American family in the 1950's struggling to get ahead and achieve 'The American Dream'. Historic, because it was the very first play written by a black person for Broadway.
LibraryThing member Devil_llama
A play about a black family that has gotten a windfall from insurance following the father's death. Trying to determine the best way to use it to give their family a better future nearly tears the family apart. Longstanding resentment comes to the forefront between the sister in college and the
Show More
brother who works as a chauffeur; a new baby adds complications. When the mother decides to purchase a house, they are visited by a man who doesn't want a black family moving into their all white neighborhood. A powerful, moving work that combines feminism, freethought, and family dynamics with the issue of racism and poverty. Show Less
LibraryThing member neverstopreading
Classics deserve to be read. Classic African-American literature deserves to be read outside of February.
Subjects
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2012)
Tony Award (Nominee — 1960)
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award (1958-1959)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (Drama — 1999)
Language
Original publication date
1959
Physical description
151 p.; 18 cm
ISBN
0679755330 / 9780679755333
Local notes
theater