STUDY GUIDE
A Raisin
in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
TEACHER NOTES
• Background
• Pacing Guide
• Social and Emotional Considerations
ASSESSMENTS
• Writing Prompts
• Creative Projects
• Book Test (Multiple Choice, Short Answer, and Essay)
Go online to assign
this book test.
ANSWER KEY
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STUDY GUIDE
• Student Anticipation Guide
• Vocabulary Tracker
• Read and Respond with Discussion Questions
teacher notes
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
A Raisin in the Sun is a suggested title for Into Literature Grade 10 Unit 5.
It connects to the unit’s theme and shares the unit’s Essential Question:
How do changes around us reveal who we are?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965) was the youngest
of four children. Her parents were prominent
intellectuals and political activists; and in their home
in Chicago’s South Side, Hansberry met some of the
greatest writers and thinkers of their generation. She
was majoring in art at the University of Wisconsin
when she decided to pursue a writing career and
move to New York City in 1950. There, she worked
for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper, and
held other odd jobs while she wrote, including the
beginnings of A Raisin in the Sun. A family friend
raised the money to produce the play and take it
to Broadway. When it opened on March 11, 1959,
Hansberry became famous overnight. The New York
Drama Critics Circle Award went to her that year,
making her the youngest American and the first
African American dramatist to receive that honor.
Hansberry wrote several other plays, including The
Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window and Les Blancs.
BACKGROUND
This play is set in the 1950s, a time when the
civil rights movement was beginning to gain
momentum. Hansberry’s characters echo trends
of that time, with Mama Younger (like Rosa Parks)
making the powerful decision to push back against
a society that views her as less than equal. Although
African Americans were barred from living in certain
neighborhoods and working in some professions at
that time, more and more people refused to comply
with these unjust restrictions. They paved the way
for changes that would introduce greater equality,
reshaping American society.
SUMMARY
A Raisin in the Sun explores issues of race in the
mid-20th century through the experiences of the
Younger family. Redemption from the hardships of
poverty arrives in the form of a life insurance check,
issued upon the death of the family’s patriarch. It is
more money than the family has ever had, yet not
enough to pay for everyone’s dreams. Inevitably,
conflict results. Lena (Mama) Younger decides to
rescue her family by buying a house—located in
an all-white neighborhood. Members of the family
must struggle with racism, theft, and the search for
identity as they decide what their future will hold.
KEY THEMES
Dreams and Goals For the most part, the dreams
of the major characters have been long deferred—
but, ironically, when the chance for fulfillment
arrives, their dreams create conflict. As a result, all
of the “dreamers” must rethink the nature and the
importance of their goals. The characters eventually
learn that dreams can come true, but they also
realize that dreams are precious and rarely come
true with ease.
The Power of Prejudice Reflecting the time
of its writing, A Raisin in the Sun reveals a social
undercurrent of racial tension. The Youngers know
discrimination; in large part, it is the reason their
dreams have been deferred. Prejudice in an allwhite community helps drive the play to its climax;
and even in the play’s “happy ending,” the Youngers
seem likely to face prejudice again.
The Strength of Family The conflicts triggered
by the insurance check threaten the stability of
the Younger family. Along the road to resolution,
family members are strengthened through
personal interaction and through recognition of
their responsibility to generations both past and
future. Despite differences in their personalities and
aspirations, they ultimately face their challenges
together.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
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teacher notes • A Raisin in the Sun (continued)
When A Raisin in the Sun premiered, not every
critic praised it. For example, poet and dramatist
Amiri Baraka felt that it focused too narrowly on
middle-class concerns. Over the years, however,
his mind changed. Writing in 1986 about a major
revival of the play, Baraka reflected that through
what appears to be a traditional, rather than
radical, subject and structure, Lorraine Hansberry
addresses the broader concerns of how racism limits
opportunities for African Americans of all classes. As
students read, invite them to comment upon plot
events and dialogue that reveal Hansberry’s analysis
of how African Americans can resist the forces of
racism and fight for a more just society.
KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS
Setting The setting of a play is the time and place
of its action. In A Raisin in the Sun, the historical
setting is the 1950s. The physical setting is the
Youngers’ apartment in Chicago. Most important
is this play’s social setting—the attitudes and
behaviors revealed as people interact. The social
setting that Hansberry creates focuses on racial
prejudice and resistance to integration, but it also
touches upon sexist views of women, the attempt to
define an African American identity, and the role of
materialism in defining success.
Stage Directions A play typically includes
instructions called stage directions, which usually
appear in italics (and in parentheses when used
within passages of dialogue). Stage directions
provide information about the placement and use
of props and lighting. More important, they instruct
actors about when to enter and leave a scene, how
to move about while on stage, and how to deliver
their lines to reflect the author’s intent. As such,
stage directions also can help to set a mood.
Tone In drama, tone refers to the emotions and
attitudes expressed in a character’s dialogue. Tone
can be expressed not only in what is said but also in
the way it is said. Words such as serious, humorous,
formal, sarcastic, playful, and bitter may describe
tone. In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter expresses an
outraged tone when describing the opportunities
he feels he has been denied, and he and Beneatha
mock each other in a tone that sometimes is
lighthearted but that sometimes turns bitter.
Allusion An allusion is an indirect reference to
a famous person, place, event, or literary work.
The title A Raisin in the Sun is itself an allusion to
its epigraph, Langston Hughes’s poem “Harlem,”
and it points the audience to the play’s focus on
delayed or thwarted goals. One notable allusion
appears in Beneatha’s response to Lindner’s offer:
“Thirty pieces and not a coin less!”—a reference to
the betrayal of Jesus and thus, by implication, the
Youngers’ betrayal by the system that they hoped
would give them a better life.
Symbol A symbol is a person, a place, an object, or
an activity that stands for something beyond itself.
For example, early in the play, the insurance check
symbolizes seemingly unlimited opportunities for
the Youngers. Later, however, Lindner’s legal papers
symbolize the potential destruction of many of
those opportunities.
PACING GUIDE
Book
Introduction Read & Respond to A Raisin in the Sun
DAY:
1
2–3
4–5
6
Choices &
Book Test
7–8
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CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES
Note: Activities in the Study Guide are provided as options. You can customize instruction according to student
needs and time available.
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teacher notes • A Raisin in the Sun (continued)
Content Caution In addition to the issues that appear on the Social and Emotional Considerations chart
below, there are several examples of profanity and racial epithets in the play. The play also includes mentions
of abortion and alcohol abuse and the mocking of characters’ ethnic heritage.
SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS
While most students will have positive reactions to this book, it is important to be sensitive to the few who
may make connections between story events and personal trauma. The chart below lists topics or events that
may trouble students, together with how the situation was resolved and ways that you might address this
content with individual students. Because the chart contains plot spoilers, you may want to avoid sharing this
information before students read.
You may wish to share this chart with a school counselor for additional support.
Sensitive Content
Context
Evaluating the Outcome
Racial prejudice
Racism has played a major part in
keeping the Youngers poor. When
they acquire the money to improve
their situation, prejudice threatens to
destroy their hope.
Dealing with prejudice is a main point of the play, and the
problem has no easy answers. Ask: What does Lindner
mean when he tells the Youngers, “I sure hope you people
know what you’re getting into”? What are some ways to deal
with microaggressions or subtle racism today?
Sexism
Walter and George mock Beneatha
for her plans to become a doctor.
George also tells her that she should
be pretty and simple rather than
imaginative and deep.
Beneatha eventually rejects George and plans to keep
pursuing her dream (a dream that may take her to Africa
with Asagai). Ask: Do you think that Beneatha will achieve
her goal? Why or why not? How have women’s career
prospects changed since the play was written?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
To prepare students to engage with the book’s themes and events, have them complete the following Student
Anticipation Guide before and after reading. The Before Reading and After Reading freewriting associated
with the Anticipation Guide may serve as a starting point for a more in-depth discussion.
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study guide
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
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TURN AND TALK: RESPOND TO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION
With a partner, discuss your opinions and experiences related to this question:
How do changes around us reveal who we are?
STUDENT ANTICIPATION GUIDE
Before Reading Before reading the book, mark your response to each item below in
the “Before” column:
• Mark a plus sign (+) if you agree.
• Mark a minus sign (–) if you disagree.
• Mark a question mark (?) if you are unsure of your opinion.
before
after
1. All people should have the chance to fulfill their dreams.
2. People often fail to recognize their own prejudices.
3. Money is often more of a curse than a blessing.
4. You can’t make people change their attitudes.
5. Your family is your best support system in life.
After Reading When you have finished reading and discussing the book, mark your
responses to the items above in the “After” column. Then freewrite about one item. You
may choose to write about
QUICK START
Almost everyone fantasizes about what it might be like to come into a large amount of
money. Suppose that your family suddenly received $100,000. Would everyone agree
about what to do with the money? Why or why not? What would motivate their choices?
Jot down your thoughts, and then discuss them with a small group of classmates. Then,
as you read A Raisin in the Sun, consider what motivates the characters’ thoughts and
behavior surrounding the money that comes into their lives.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
• the same item you chose for your Before Reading freewriting
• an item about which your opinion changed
• an item about which your opinion grew much stronger
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study guide
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
VOCABULARY TRACKER
Use the chart below to record unfamiliar terms that you encounter while reading. Choose
words that you are likely to use in future reading, writing, and class discussions in this
and other classes. Page references will vary depending on the edition of the book you are
reading.
pretenses
Page
Definition from Context
24
Pretenses may be things
or activities that make life
more pleasant or beautiful.
Dictionary Definition
Appearances that hide
the truth of a person or
situation
My New Sentence
Despite their pretenses of
being rich, our new neighbors were on the verge of
bankruptcy.
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Word
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study guide
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
READ AND RESPOND 1
Act I
Remember to annotate as you read. Your teacher may ask you to use sticky notes,
highlight ideas, or mark and write comments on the pages. Annotating will help you find
evidence to support ideas in discussions. After reading, complete the following activities.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Answer these questions independently.
1. What is Walter’s idea for using the insurance money, and why does Mama
reject the idea?
2. What is Beneatha’s dream?
3. Why does Ruth faint at the end of Scene One? What does she plan to do about
her situation?
Review the pages you have just read and choose a sentence or short passage that you find
important or thought-provoking, or one that you have a question about. Discuss it with a
partner or group.
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
Discuss the following questions. Use text evidence to support your answers.
1. What do you know at this point about the play’s three types of setting—historical,
physical, and social? How do these settings affect the characters?
2. In what way is eating eggs a symbol to Walter?
3. What important ideas come out in the dialogue between Mama and Walter at the end
of Act I?
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PICK A PASSAGE
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study guide
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
READ AND RESPOND 2
Act II
Remember to annotate as you read. Your teacher may ask you to use sticky notes,
highlight ideas, or mark and write comments on the pages. Annotating will help you find
evidence to support ideas in discussions. After reading, complete the following activities.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Answer these questions independently.
1. What does Mama do with some of the money, and how do family members react?
2. How do the Youngers react to Karl Lindner’s visit?
3. What happens to the remaining money?
Review the pages you have just read and choose a sentence or short passage that you find
important or thought-provoking, or one that you have a question about. Discuss it with a
partner or group.
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
Discuss the following questions. Use text evidence to support your answers.
1. George Murchison calls Walter “Prometheus”—an allusion to Greek mythology. Look
up the reference; then explain how it applies to Walter’s situation as he has just been
describing it.
2. What is the Youngers’ tone toward Lindner? What ideas and experiences do you think
underlie this tone?
3. Were you surprised by the ending of Act II? Why or why not?
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PICK A PASSAGE
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study guide
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
READ AND RESPOND 3
Act III
Remember to annotate as you read. Your teacher may ask you to use sticky notes,
highlight ideas, or mark and write comments on the pages. Annotating will help you find
evidence to support ideas in discussions. After reading, complete the following activities.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Answer these questions independently.
1. What is Asagai’s dream for Beneatha’s future?
2. Why does Walter ask Mr. Lindner to come back to the Youngers’ apartment?
3. What does Walter tell Lindner when he arrives?
PICK A PASSAGE
TALK ABOUT THE BOOK
Discuss the following questions. Use text evidence to support your answers.
1. When Mama admonishes Beneatha to “measure [Walter] right,” what does she mean?
What factors do you take into account when you “measure” someone?
2. Mama insists that Travis stay to hear Walter’s business with Lindner. How much of an
impact do you think this has on Walter, and why?
3. Review the stage directions that conclude the play. Why do you think Hansberry
ended the play in this way?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Review the pages you have just read and choose a sentence or short passage that you find
important or thought-provoking, or one that you have a question about. Discuss it with a
partner or group.
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assessments
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
CHOICES
ANALYZE
Choose one of the following three topics. Then write a well-organized and well-developed essay
supported by evidence from A Raisin in the Sun.
1. The Langston Hughes poem that serves as the play’s epigraph begins, “What happens to a
dream deferred?” At the play’s end, which dreams could still be called “deferred”?
2. What ideas about family does A Raisin in the Sun convey? Identify a theme related to family and
explain how it is developed through the dialogue and action of the play.
3. The Youngers receive three visitors in Act II: George Murchison, Mrs. Johnson, and Karl Lindner.
Explain how each visit is important to the plot or themes of A Raisin in the Sun.
CREATE
Choose one of the following three activities.
2. A Raisin Sequel When one critic said the play had a happy ending, Lorraine Hansberry
disagreed with the comment, suggesting that the Youngers would face challenges in their new
home. What will happen to the Youngers in Clybourne Park? On your own or with a partner,
write the synopsis for a one-act sequel to A Raisin in the Sun. Try to capture the characters as you
understand them. Show what has become of their dreams. Share your finished synopsis and
invite comments.
3. A Drama Review A Raisin in the Sun has been filmed several times, with the original movie
in 1961 and TV films in 1989 and 2008. Watch part or all of one of these productions and
compare it to the text of the play. Then write and share a review of the production you watched.
How does it portray the main characters? What do you think of the way it depicts the various
challenges that the Youngers face? How clearly do you think it presents the themes you
thought about as you read? Does it differ from the play in any important way? Be sure to cite
evidence to support your thoughts. If you wish, form a panel discussion with classmates who
also chose this activity and compare your opinions.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
1. Gallery Walk Work with classmates to choose several key moments from A Raisin in the Sun,
one moment for each student in the group. Have each student decide how to portray her or
his moment in artwork, using a variety of media. Artworks may strive for realistic accuracy or
may be more abstract or impressionistic. Display the finished artworks around the classroom
and have each artist stand next to his or her work. Then invite the rest of the class to visit each
scene and listen to the artist’s explanation of why he or she chose that scene and the way of
portraying it.
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assessments
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
BOOK TEST page 1
MULTIPLE CHOICE
Read each question below. Then mark the letter of the answer you have chosen.
2. What is Walter’s dream?
A to buy Ruth pearls and other nice things
B to open a liquor store with some friends
C to send Travis to a private school
D to be the kind of man Big Walter was
3. Speaking about Beneatha’s dream of
becoming a doctor, Walter says that she —
A makes him ashamed of being a
chauffeur
B isn’t smart enough for medical school
C ought to be a nurse or housewife
instead
D ought to practice in Africa someday
4. What is the main reason for Beneatha’s
interest in African culture?
A her search for her identity
B her romantic interest in Asagai
C her college classes
D her distaste for George’s ways
5. In Beneatha’s opinion, George is —
A well educated and charming
B handsome but too good for her
C amusing and ambitious
D foolish and shallow
6. Why is Walter angry when Mama buys a
house?
A He expected to help choose the house.
B He can’t buy things for Travis.
C He wanted all of the insurance money to
pursue his own dream.
D He fears prejudice in the new
neighborhood.
7. What point does Lindner make to persuade
the Youngers?
A The mortgage is too high for them.
B People are happier when their
neighbors are people like themselves.
C Their new neighbors may try to
harm them.
D The real estate agent is unfair.
8. Who benefits from the remaining $6,500
not spent on the house?
A Beneatha, who can now afford school
B Willy, who disappears with the money
C Walter, who pursues his business
D Ruth, who knows she can keep her baby
9. During his second meeting with Lindner,
Walter changes from —
A irritation to relief
B bravado to embarrassment
C resignation to aggression
D submission to assertiveness
10. A key theme of the play is that —
A family is more important than money
B it is important to honor one’s heritage
C hard work leads to success
D all forms of discrimination are wrong
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1. A conflict takes place in Act I when —
A Mama struggles with Ruth for control of
the household
B Travis struggles to improve his grades at
school
C Walter struggles with other family
members over the insurance money
D Beneatha struggles to choose between
George and Asagai as suitors
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assessments
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
BOOK TEST page 2
SHORT ANSWER
Answer each of the following in complete sentences. Cite evidence from the play to support your
answers.
11.The setting of a play is the time and place of its action. How do the historical and physical
settings of A Raisin in the Sun enrich the play’s social setting? Consider events and ideas
unlikely to occur in a more modern setting.
12. Stage directions provide information about how props and lighting should be used and
about how actors should move and speak. Why do you think Hansberry goes into such detail
in the stage directions that introduce each of the adult Youngers?
13. In drama, tone refers to the emotions and attitudes expressed in a character’s dialogue. In
what way does the tone change from the beginning of Act III to the end of the play? What
theme might this shift in tone suggest?
14. An allusion is an indirect reference to a famous person, place, event, or literary work. When
Lindner makes the buyout offer, Beneatha comments, “Thirty pieces and not a coin less”—an
allusion to the payment made to Judas to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:15). What does the allusion
mean in the context of the play?
ESSAY
16. Write an essay that explains how the Essential Question relates to the plot of A Raisin in the Sun.
Discuss what the audience sees in the members of the Younger family because of the change
that has come into their lives, as their story unfolds. Include evidence from the play to support
your answer.
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ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
How do changes around us reveal who we are?
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
15. A symbol is a person, a place, an object, or an activity that stands for something beyond itself,
such as an idea or a feeling. What might Mama’s potted plant symbolize?
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answer key
A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
ACT I
Check Your Understanding
1. Walter wants to use the money to invest in a liquor
store, but Mama doesn’t want to be responsible for
helping people abuse alcohol.
2. Beneatha wants to become a doctor.
3. Ruth is pregnant. She is considering having an abortion
because the family cannot afford a baby.
ACT II
Check Your Understanding
1. Mama makes a down payment on a house in an allwhite neighborhood. Family members are concerned
about possible violence, and Walter is angry because he
wanted to use all of the money himself.
2. Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha are polite and gracious at
first. However, when they realize that Lindner has come
to offer them money to stay out of Clybourne Park, they
are outraged. Mama is saddened but determined to go
through with the move.
3. Mama feels she has pushed Walter into despair and
wants to give him a chance to handle the remaining
money. Instead of setting $3000 aside for Beneatha’s
education, Walter gives all of it to Willy Harris for the
liquor store scheme, and Willy runs off with it.
ACT III
Check Your Understanding
1. Asagai wants Beneatha to marry him and go with him
to Africa.
2. Walter plans to accept Lindner’s offer, take the white
people’s money, and not move to Clybourne Park.
3. Walter tells Lindner that the Youngers are a simple but
proud family—proud enough to reject his offer.
CHOICES
Analyze
1. Students may cite Walter’s dream of going into
business and Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor.
Fulfillment of the family’s dream of a better life in a new
home is uncertain, because the new neighbors do not
want to live near a black family.
2. Students may identify a theme such as “people gain
strength from family connections.” Although the
Youngers have many disagreements, in the end they
support each other and face the future together. Mama
reminds Walter that past generations of their family
have suffered and worked to make his life possible, and
that reminder helps convince him to reject Lindner’s
racist offer.
3. George Murchison’s visit highlights the concept of
heritage and helps to show that sexism is a form of
prejudice. Mrs. Johnson’s visit reminds the audience of
the dangers of challenging the status quo. Karl Lindner’s
visit brings the play’s greatest challenge, asking what
it takes to hold onto a dream in the face of great
opposition.
Create
1. You may wish to work with an art teacher to provide
materials and guidance as students work. Artworks
should show creative consideration of the moment
chosen, and explanations should show thoughtful
reflection about the activity.
2. Synopses should focus on events after the move to
Clybourne Park. What the plot suggests about each
character should have a reasonable connection to her
or his characterization in the play.
3. Drama reviews should be well organized and have
a formal tone. Details from the production should
support the opinions expressed.
BOOK TEST
Multiple Choice
1. C
2. B
3. C
4. A
5. D
6. C
7. B
8. B
9. D
10. A
Short Answer
Responses will vary. Possible answers:
11. The historical setting implies that the Youngers had
no significant support from the civil rights movement.
The physical setting of Chicago shows that racial
prejudice was not confined to the South.
12. The details help the actors understand not only how
the characters look and move but also how their
thoughts and feelings are being affected by their
situation.
13. The tone of the characters at the beginning of Act III is
dejected and defeated. As Walter speaks with Lindner,
it becomes proud and righteous. By the play’s end,
it is both excited and anxious about the future. One
theme suggested by this shift is that we can overcome
and face hardships by remaining true to our values.
14. Since Beneatha’s allusion suggests betrayal, she is
commenting about the buyout offer’s betrayal of
their hopes for a better life. Also, if the Youngers were
to accept the offer, they would be betraying other
African Americans and their struggle for equality.
15. The plant may represent the family, which cannot
flourish without the opportunity to put down roots.
Essay
16. Students’ essays should clearly explain how the
insurance check reveals both conflicts and
motivations in each of the adult Youngers. Their
essays should be well supported with evidence from
the play.
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
READ AND RESPOND
Responses to Pick a Passage and Talk About the Book
items will vary but should be supported with evidence
from the text.
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