A RAISIN IN THE SUN
INTRODUCTION NOTES
DO NOW:
Describe what you know about the Civil Rights
movement and the 1950s for African Americans?
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE 50S?
• Even though many Constitution Amendments were
made regarding African American rights after the
Civil War, they were still denied many of their civil
rights a full century later
• State legislatures had written laws to prevent blacks
and whites from living as equals—called Jim Crow
laws—continued to separate the races in
restaurants, schools, theaters, parks, and other
public facilities in many states in the South.
Blacks in the North and West faced discrimination, or
poor treatment based on race, in housing and the job
market, among other areas. Police and citizens alike
enforced the separation of races powerfully. Blacks
who tried to mix with whites were arrested, beaten, or
killed. Penalties for violence were rarely enforced
when the crimes were acted out against blacks. -Civil Rights
• This was legally enforced in the 1950’s
• **During the 1950’s and 60’s African Americans
boldly rejected the humiliating practice of forced
separation
“DE FACTO” HOUSING SEGREGATION
• Blacks strongly encouraged to not live in white
communities.
• Some fought back!
• Lets look at this recent map of Detroit and see how
de facto segregation has helped shape the city
today
• Housing Map
DIALECT
• Definition: Speech patterns of a group of people
that is different from the standard language.
• In A Raisin in the Sun, you will notice the dialect of
African Americans living in urban Chicago
• Example: “Ain’t nothing the matter with me”
A RAISIN IN THE SUN
• Takes place in the 1950s on the south side of
Chicago
• Follows an African American family of 5, the
Youngers
• All family members live in 1 bedroom apartment
house with an apartment community bathroom
• Pre-Civil Rights movement; segregation
• When asked to not move into a white
neighborhood, they fight back!
WHAT IS THE AMERICAN DREAM?
• Family dreams of freedom; something better …the
American Dream
THE YOUNGER FAMILY
•
•
•
•
•
Mama
Beneatha
Walter
Ruth
Travis
EPIGRAPH OF THE PLAY
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
• Epigraph is
the quote at
the
beginning of
a story that
sets the tone
of the play.
WHAT IS THE TONE OF THE POEM?
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?
What attitude does
the poem seem to
have toward
dreams?
Underline/highlight
words that show the
attitude.
USING STICKY NOTES
• As readers, we understand things better by taking
notes on important and confusing things
• As you read, use sticky notes to mark
important/interesting quotes or things that are
confusing.
• You can use this system:
•! For interesting and important parts
•? For confusing words or parts