Questions and Answers for A Raisin in the Sun
A Raisin in the Sun
Describe Walter's relationship with Ruth in A Raisin in the Sun.
In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry shows how large-scale, impersonal forces such as poverty and institutionalized racism impact individuals and relationships. Ruth and Walter live in a...
A Raisin in the Sun
Does A Raisin in the Sun end happily for the Younger family?
In some ways, the play ends happily for the Younger family. Walter, who has considered accepting a bribe from a white homeowners' association in exchange for not moving to a new neighborhood,...
A Raisin in the Sun
What is the significance of A Raisin in the Sun's ending?
The significance of the play's ending reveals the Younger family's motivation to overcome obstacles and strive to attain their dreams, despite experiencing the racial prejudice that has hampered so...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, explain George's reference to Prometheus. How does this fit Walter's character?
As was mentioned in the previous post, Walter criticizes George for his attire and education before George takes Beneatha on a date. As George is leaving, he says, "Good night, Prometheus!"...
A Raisin in the Sun
What is the conflict between Walter and Mama in A Raisin in the Sun?
Walter and Mama disagree about what to do with the insurance money that the Younger family will inherit. Walter wants to open a liquor store, while Mama is totally opposed to the idea. Mama wants...
A Raisin in the Sun
What is the relationship between Walter and Beneatha in The Raisin in the Sun?
In the Younger family, Walter Jr. and Beneatha (Bennie) are siblings; he is her older brother. Both are adults: he is 35 and she is 20. As the only two children in the family, they are very close...
A Raisin in the Sun
What does the plant represent in the play A Raisin in the Sun?
Among other things, the plant could be said to represent the love that Mama has for her family. She cares for the plant just as she cares for her children, nurturing it in the hope that it will...
A Raisin in the Sun
Explain the connection between the poem “A Dream Deferred” and A Raisin in the Sun.
The dream deferred in Langston Hughes's famous poem is the dream of an America where there will be true equality among the races and where African Americans, specifically, will no longer be...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, certain characters change and grow as a result of their experiences. Explain which character...
Walter Lee Younger experiences the most significant change throughout the course of the play. At the beginning of the play, Walter is an exhausted, depressed dreamer, who is tired of working as a...
A Raisin in the Sun
What is the relationship between Walter and Ruth in Scene 1.1?
In A Raisin in the Sun, Ruth and Walter Younger are a married couple in their thirties. They live in a small apartment with Walter's mother and his sister Beneatha, and Ruth and Walter's son...
A Raisin in the Sun
Assimilationist
Beneatha says she is not an assimilationist while she is talking with Joseph Asagai, a Nigerian exchange student. Arriving at her home, he brings her "the colorful robes of a Nigerian woman" and...
A Raisin in the Sun
What are the physical traits of Lena, Walter, Beneatha, Ruth, George, and Joseph?
Walter Lee Younger is the man of the Younger house and the protagonist of A Raisin in the Sun. Most descriptions of him refer to his ambitious ideas and preoccupation with financial independence....
A Raisin in the Sun
Describe the differences between Asagai and George Murchinson in A Raisin in the Sun.
As was mentioned in the previous post, George Murchinson and Joseph Asagai come from opposite backgrounds and have drastically different personalities throughout the play. George Murchinson comes...
A Raisin in the Sun
What would be a good thesis statement for A Raisin in the Sun?
A good thesis statement would relate to one of the key thematic aspects of this play, which is dreams and their importance to the characters. It is very obvious from the early scenes in the play...
A Raisin in the Sun
Why is Mama so set against opening a liquor store in A Raisin in the Sun?
Mama is deeply religious (as demonstrated by her heavy-handed philosophical clashes with Beneatha), and she looks down upon drinking as a vice that makes one focus on the pleasures of the...
A Raisin in the Sun
Compare and contrast George Murchison and Joseph Asagai and their views about life.
George Murchison is one of Beneatha's suitors. He is wealthy and charismatic, and he believes in traditional gender roles. He doesn't like it when Beneatha acts in ways that don't align with what...
A Raisin in the Sun
What are all the differences and comparisons that can be made between the movie adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun and...
The 1961 movie version of A Raisin in the Sun is very close to Lorraine Hansberry’s 1959 play, but the main difference is that the movie allows the story to leave the confines of the dimly lit,...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama says: "He finally come into his manhood today, didn't he? Kind of like a rainbow after...
At the end of A Raisin in the Sun, Mama says this of Walter as she is speaking with Ruth and is just about to leave their old apartment for their new house. She is referring to Walter's maturation,...
A Raisin in the Sun
To what extent is the play A Raisin in the Sun still relevant today? Does the way that Hansberry explores the themes...
Although Lorraine Hansberry's celebrated play A Raisin in the Sun is set in the 1950s, there are multiple themes and situations explored that are still relevant in today's society. One of the...
A Raisin in the Sun
How does the setting of the apartment reflect the family's problems in Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun?
When Walter Younger, Sr. was alive, he and his wife Lena moved into a small apartment and dreamed of one day buying a house. As the family grew and Walter, Jr. married, his wife, Ruth, joined them...
A Raisin in the Sun
What is the connection between Langston Hughes "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)" and the central theme of Lorraine...
Both Langston Hughes’ "Harlem (A Dream Deferred)" and Lorraine Hansberry’s "A Raisin in the Sun" focus on the effect of racism on African-Americans. In both cases, the focus of the authors is not...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun why was Mama getting a check for 10,000?
At the beginning of the play, Lena Younger and her family anxiously wait to receive a ten thousand dollar check from her husband's life insurance payout. Lena's husband, Walter Sr., has recently...
A Raisin in the Sun
What are some quotes from Walter in A Raisin in the Sun about the liquor store he wants?
In the play, Walter is depicted as a dreamer. He is upset with his current situation and desperately wants to use his mother's insurance check to start a liquor business with two of his friends....
A Raisin in the Sun
What are the conflicts in A Raisin In the Sun?
This question has previously been answered. Here is a link for you: http://www.enotes.com/raisin-in-the-sun/q-and-a/what-conflicts-do-you-see-emerging-play-46731
A Raisin in the Sun
What was Walter's occupation in A Raisin in the Sun?
In Lorraine Hansberry's classic play A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee Younger is employed as Mr. Arnold's chauffeur. Walter is portrayed as a vibrant, enthusiastic man with massive dreams of one day...
A Raisin in the Sun
What was Travis's present to Mama in "A Raisin in the Sun"?
In act two, scene three, the entire Younger family is in a joyful mood as they prepare to move into their new home in the white neighborhood of Clybourne Park. After a brief meeting with Mr....
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, how does Beneatha feel about George Murchison?
Beneatha is portrayed as a rather fickle, mercurial young woman, who is interested in both George Murchinson and Joseph Asagai. When Lena and Ruth initially begin inquiring about Beneatha's...
A Raisin in the Sun
Please identify examples of figurative language in A Raisin in the Sun.
The dialogue in A Raisin in the Sun uses numerous figures of speech that are commonly found in everyday speech. Lorraine Hansberry incorporates this type of figurative language to make the...
A Raisin in the Sun
Why does Beneatha want to pursue being a doctor in A Raisin in the Sun? In the play, she always talked about being a...
One way to approach character motivation is to think about the rhetorical meaning or thematic significance of the character's wants and desires. The conflict of A Raisin in the Sun centers around...
A Raisin in the Sun
What does the house symbolize in A Raisin in the Sun?
The Younger family's new home in the white neighborhood of Clybourne Park symbolizes Lena's personal dream, significant social mobility, and hope for the family. When Lena receives her husband's...
A Raisin in the Sun
What role does money play in A Raisin in the Sun?
Money plays a significant role for the characters in A Raisin in the Sun. The beginning of the play revolves around the Youngers being about to receive a $10,000 check from Mr. Younger's life...
A Raisin in the Sun
Examine how Hansberry is challenging stereotypes of African Americans in the play.
Lorraine Hansberry challenges stereotypes of African American people in the play by making the characters people rather than caricatures and by giving them qualities that stereotypical African...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, what is the importance of Ruth Younger in the play?
In A Raisin in the Sun, Ruth Younger is an important character. She is the mother of Walter's son. Travis will carry on the family name. Also, Ruth is expecting Walter's next child. Life goes on...
A Raisin in the Sun
What are the relationships between Beneatha and Asagai compared to Beneatha and George? Who does she want to be with...
In A Raisin in the Sun, Joseph and George Murchison can be seen as symbolic characters, each representing a different set of values and a different mode of identity. In choosing between these two...
A Raisin in the Sun
For A Raisin in the Sun, identify three differences between the print version and the film version. Then say which...
My answer will refer to the earliest film version, from 1960, of A Raisin in the Sun. What strikes one is how closely the film recreates the play. This should not be surprising, given that this...
A Raisin in the Sun
How would you describe the relationships between the characters of Walter, Ruth, Travis, Beneatha, and Mama within...
As in most families, the relationships between the characters of Walter, Ruth, Travis, Beneatha, and Mama are complicated. They are often tense and difficult even though by the end, it is clear...
A Raisin in the Sun
Explain the different reactions of Ruth and Walter to Mama's announcement that she has bought a house in A Raisin in...
For Ruth, Mama’s announcement that she has bought a house is one of the first bursts of optimism in a long time. Consider her body language upon hearing the news: She laughs joyously, having...
A Raisin in the Sun
How and why do Beneatha and Mama's dreams conflict in A Raisin in the Sun?
It is not too surprising that mother and daughter are in opposition a bit in this play. The mother/daughter conflict exists in most of humanity. In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama’s dreams only conflict...
A Raisin in the Sun
In A Raisin in the Sun, what is Ruth's relationship with the other family members?
Overall, Ruth’s relations with the other family members are very good. Lena is the family matriarch and the mother of Walter, but she and Ruth generally get along as a mother and daughter would....
A Raisin in the Sun
Discuss how A Raisin in the Sun presents conflicts based in religion.
Mama Younger is very spiritual. In her house, there is still God. Even though Beneatha has the courage to deny God's existence, in Mama's house, she comes to her senses when Mama slaps her across...
A Raisin in the Sun
What was the tone of the author in A Raisin in the Sun?
In A Raisin in the Sun, the tone is somber, depressing yet realistic. The Younger family lives in a segregated Chicago neighborhood. The apartment is worn from too many people living in it: The...
A Raisin in the Sun
Who is the main character in the play, A Raisin in the Sun?
This is a play which does not have any obvious central character. Rather, Hansberry chooses to focus equally on the four main characters, Beneatha, Walter, Ruth and Mama, exploring their different...
A Raisin in the Sun
Please give an example of dramatic irony in A Raisin in the Sun.
As was mentioned in the previous post, dramatic irony is when the audience knows more about a situation than a character or actor. In Act One, Scene 2, Beneatha criticizes her mother for not...
A Raisin in the Sun
Why does Mrs. Johnson visit the Youngers in A Raisin in the Sun?
Mrs. Johnson is depicted as the Younger family's nosy, jealous neighbor who briefly visits their apartment to see how Lena and the family are handling their recent fortune. When Mrs. Johnson stops...
A Raisin in the Sun
Compare and contrast Walter and Beneatha from A Raisin in the Sun.
The primary similarities between Walter Younger and Beneatha Younger are that these African Americans are siblings who live with their widowed mother in a small apartment in Chicago. Both are...
A Raisin in the Sun
What are some adjectives that describe Mama from A Raisin in the Sun?
Starting with Hansberry's own description of Mama in Act One, Mama is a strong character, "a woman who has adjusted to many things in life and overcome many more." Mama has dealt with many...
A Raisin in the Sun
Describe the setting of the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry.
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is set between 1939 and 1959. Hansberry does not pick a specific date for the play to suggest that the dilemmas that the Younger family face are ongoing...
A Raisin in the Sun
What conflicts do you see emerging in the play "A Raisin in the Sun?"
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a drama that contains the conflicts of Person vs. Self, Person vs. Person, and Person vs. Society. Person vs. Self Beneatha struggles with her identity...
A Raisin in the Sun
How is the conflict of George trying to change Beneatha in A Raisin in the Sun resolved?
The conflict of George attempting to change Beneatha into a passive, quiet young lady is resolved when Beneatha refuses to kiss him and ends their brief relationship. At the beginning of act two,...
A Raisin in the Sun
Describe the relationship between Mama and Walter in the play A Raisin in the Sun.
Mama and Walter are at odds and struggle to see eye-to-eye on how to spend the insurance check of ten thousand dollars. In the play, Mama is depicted as a religious, traditional woman who simply...
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