Pre-Reading Information:
Lorraine Hansberry: Chicago born, 1930, died 1965. A Raisin in the Sun honored for being first play by black
woman to be produced on Broadway. She said that in her work she is “trying to break down the racial
stereotype of the Negro by writing plays about people who happen to be Negroes rather than Negro plays.”
When it was first produced in 1959, A Raisin in the Sun was awarded the New York Drama
Critics Circle Award for that season. A pioneering work by an African-American playwright,
the play was a radically new representation of black life.
"A play that changed American theater forever."—The New York Times.
“A beautiful, lovable play. It is affectionately human, funny and touching. . . . A work of
theatrical magic in which the usual barrier between audience and stage disappears.”
John Chapman, New York News
“Miss Hansberry has etched her characters with understanding, and told her story with
dramatic impact. She has a keen sense of humor, an ear for accurate speech and
compassion for people.”
Robert Coleman, New York Mirror
“It is honest drama, catching up real people. . . . It will make you proud of human beings.”
Frank Aston, New York World-Telegram & Sun
In 1960 A Raisin In The Sun was nominated for four Tony Awards:
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Best Play - written by Lorraine Hansberry; produced by Philip Rose, David J. Cogan
Best Actor in Play
Best Actress in a Play
Best Direction of a Play
Pre-Reading Questions:
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What dreams do you have for the future? What would you do if you didn't get your
dream?
What is the “American Dream”?
Analyze Hughes’ poem “Harlem” – What is the theme or central message? What
figurative language does Hughes use? What is the effect of this figurative lagnague?
Langston Hughes
The title of A Raisin in the Sun comes from the 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?
-- Langston Hughes
*To defer something means to delay or postpone.
Annotations:
1. Sketch the set from a bird’s eye view. What is the layout? What does it look like? How
does the set add to the story? How is the mood of the play described through the set?
2. Compare and Contrast to other eras of theater:
Grecian
Different
Similar
Shakespearean / Elizabethan
Different
Similar
Modern (2000s)
Different
Similar
3. Themes: What important quotes support these themes? What is Hansberry’s message?
What should the audience take away from this script?
Search for dignity and self-respect
Unfulfilled dreams
Search for identity and self-fulfillment
Faith in the past vs. living in the present
Strength and endurance of the human spirit
Changing roles of women
The nature of marriage transformed
The real meaning of money
Man is trapped by his environment
Materialism vs. intellectualism
4. Characterization: How are the characters described (STEAL)? How do the characters
interact? Is this family functional or dysfunctional?
5. Symbolism: Identify specific symbols used within the script. What is Hansberry trying to
articulate by using these symbols?
6. Stage Directions and Theatrical Devices (monologues, asides, etc.): How does the
detailed stage directions contribute to the script and characters? When and how are
monologues used? What is their effect?
7. OTHER.