A Raisin in the Sun
By Lorraine Hansberry
Audio Interview
Lorraine Hansberry
As we listen, answer the following and be ready to discuss:
1. What does Lorraine Hansberry say is the major theme of
her play?
2. What does Lorraine Hansberry say about dreams?
3. Do you agree with her points of view? Why or why not?
4. In looking for this interview, it was difficult to find any video
or audio clips with Lorraine Hansberry. What are some
possible reasons for this?

http://www.wnyc.org/story/86675-today-inhistory-a-raisin-in-the-sun/
Describing the Characters
 Physical
Descriptions
 Personality Traits
 Type of character & circle your answer


Dynamic OR Static
Flat
OR Round
Who’s Who?
Walter Younger
Ruth Younger
Beneatha Younger
Travis Younger
Who’s Who?
Walter
Younger
Ruth
Younger
Mama (Lena)
Walter
Ruth
Beneatha
Travis
Who’s Who?
Mama (Lena) Younger
Willy Harris
(Joseph) Asagai
Bobo
Who’s Who?
George Murchison
Mrs. Johnson
Karl Lindner
Two Moving Men
Genre
 Realist
Drama
 Type of Play
Terms – Scene 1
15. crocheted doilies: knit, web-like design –
furniture
16. settled woman: married & “settled down”
17. slubbornness: slow + stubborn
18. fly-by-night proposition: business deal
that could quickly fail or go downhill
* Walter says that his liquor store
business will not be a fly-by-night
proposition.
Terms – Scene 1
19. I don’t want that going on my ledger.
- Mama said this in reference to Walter’s
liquor store deal. She doesn’t believe in
drinking or him opening the store. Ledger
= conscience in this scene
20. My girl didn’t come in today. Beneatha
doesn’t want to go to work as a maid,
however, she can’t risk losing her job. “My
girl” is a negative slang term referring to
Beneatha.
Keeping track of the
drama…Conflicts! TOP 3
Conflict
Characters Internal or Resolution
Involved
External
Setting: Published Vs. Set
1959 – Why is this important?
 Set: Between 1945 and 1959
 Set: The South Side of Chicago
 Published
Act I, Scene 1: Review
 Walter
and Beneatha’s father (Big Walter)
is dead.
 The Younger family is waiting for the
$10,000 life insurance check to come.
 Walter wants to buy a liquor store.
 Beneatha wants to go to college and
become a doctor. Her hobbies have cost
the family a lot of money.
 Mama wants to buy a new home and
garden.
Act I, Scene 2: Review
 News
that Ruth is pregnant = CONFLICT
 Visit from Asagai, who is Beneatha’s friend

Asagai talks about Nigeria, Africa and brings
traditional African robes to Beneatha.
 There
is some flirting and romance
between Asagai and Beneatha.
 Walter and Mama are arguing about
money because the $10,000 check
comes.
 Walter – “Money is life.”
Understanding Scene 2
Historical Background
 Black
pride is a movement indicating pride
in being black.

Related movements: black nationalism, Black
Panthers, Afrocentrism
used in U.S. – African Americans
to celebrate heritage and personal pride
 Slogan

Linked to Civil Rights Movement
• Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and other
activists spoke out against segregation.
• Musicians used this theme in their music, as well.
Understanding Scene 2
Historical Background
 Danny
Glover speaks about a
documentary called, “The Black Power
Mixtape.” (2011)
 http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/24/t
he_black_power_mixtape_danny_glover
Understanding Scene 2
Historical Background
Portmanteau Words
Character Add On – Act I, Scene 2
 Add
more about Beneatha and Mama,
taken from their actions/reactions in Act I,
Sc.2.
 Describe Joseph Asagai.
 Add more detail onto Ruth and Walter.

Focus on what each characters’ dreams are
and what is happening at this point in the
play.
• Walter, Mama, Beneatha & Ruth
Act I, Scene 2
 Walter
and Mama have a conversation
about money towards the end of the
scene.
 Walter says that “Money is life,” while
Mama says that “Freedom used to be life.”



What do they mean by each of their
viewpoints?
What do you think about society today? Is
money life today?
Are money and freedom connected at all?
Explain.
Character Add On – Act II, Scene 1
 Ruth
 Walter
 Beneatha
 George
Murchison
 Travis – Explain the relationship he has
with his grandmother (Mama).
 Mama – Her decisions in this scene.
Act II, Scene 1
 Owimoweh
= A line from the song, “The
Lion Sleeps Tonight” – the lion awakens

What is a reference to a familiar song or art in
literature?
allusion
Traditional Nigerian Welcome
Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMTvyery1vU
Contemporary Nigerian Song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m3Kt135S-E
Act II, Scene 1 (45-59)
 Beneatha
is wearing the African dress and
her and Ruth start dancing. Walter has
been drinking.

This is a scene of comic relief to ease the
conflicts of the play and develop the theme of
African pride.
 George
Murchison shares his college
lecture info on the African past.

George Murchison comes to the house to
take Beneatha on a date to a play.
 Walter
makes fun of George’s clothes and
college studies.
Act II, Scene 1 (45-59)
 Compare
George Murchison to Joseph
Asagai, as far as their beliefs in African
culture.
 George
Murchison vs. Joseph Asagai
Act II, Scene 2 (pgs. 60-70)
 Character







Add on:
George
Beneatha
Mama
Mrs. Johnson
Ruth
Walter
Travis – His relationship with Walter.
• Why is the character of Travis included,
even though he doesn’t appear that
often?
Act II, Scene 2 - Terms
 He’s
got a conked head.
 Booker
T. Washington
•Most famous black man: 18951915
•Most influential black educators of
his day
•Born a slave, worked labor as child
Act II, Scene 2 (pgs. 60-70)
 Beneatha
and George come back from
their date. George does not respect
Beneatha’s quest for intelligence or her
thoughts. They argue over this.

Theme: Search for Identity
 Mrs.
Johnson visits the Youngers and tells
them about black families getting bombed
out of their homes.
 Walter has been home from work for three
days. He will get fired if he doesn’t go
back. He doesn’t care about this.
Literary Terms
43. didactic literature = stories that teach
values and morals
Ex. Lesson in Raisin:
44. propaganda = advertisements, writing
that delivers a biased message
Ex. Propaganda = racism, U.S. problems
due to black citizens
45. protagonist = main character in a work
of literature – not always one person – not
always the “hero”
Ex. Protagonist =
Literary Terms
46. hero – main positive force in a work –
provides safety or rescue at times
Ex. Hero in Raisin:
47. antagonist = person/people in conflict
with the protagonist
Ex. protagonist =
48. conflict = problems in a story –
internal/external; man vs. man, man vs.
self, man vs. nature, man vs. technology,
man vs. society
Ex. Conflict =
Literary Terms
49. Suspense – build up within reader,
anticipating events or surprises in story
Ex. Suspense in Raisin:
50. Unity of action - SKIP
51. Significant action: important events that
propel and push the plot forward
Ex. Significant action =
Literary Terms
52.
Ex. Suspense in Raisin:
50. Unity of action - SKIP
51. Significant action: important events that
propel and push the plot forward
Ex. Significant action =
Act II, Scene 2 (pgs. 60-70)



Off – drives around, drinks, listens to music
and is generally depressed. – Mama blames
herself
Mama decides to give Walter a portion of the
money now. Some is for Beneatha and some
was already put down for the house (68).
Mama wants him to be the head of the house.
and Travis – about goals and
having bigger dreams – Walter is going to
make a “transaction” tonight that will
change our lives forever.
 Walter
George Murchison vs. Joseph Asagai
 How
are these two characters different?
George Murchison
Joseph Asagai
Act II, Scene 3 (71-86)
Act III, Scene 1 (87-102)
 Up
to pg. 94
Act III, Scene 1 (87-102)
 95-102
Study Guide
 2.
Travis: Ruth & Walter’s son – young
(10-11); grandson of Mama/Lena –
Beneatha’s nephew – emphasizes the
crowded, poor living conditions –
relationships between the generations
 8. Mrs. Johnson: neighbor of the
Youngers; share a bathroom.
 9. Karl Lindner: man who represents the
neighborhood of Clybourne Park – tries to
buy the Youngers’ house
Study Guide
Setting: Southside Chicago – after
WWII to the present (pick the time)
 14.


Most of the action takes place in the
Youngers’ apartment.
Play itself was published at the height of the
Civil Rights Movement.
 26.
Owimoweh: welcoming song from
Nigeria – part of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
Protagonist
 Walter
 Major
Lee Younger
Conflict:
The Youngers, a working-class black
family, struggle against economic hardship
and racial prejudice.
Rising Action
 Ruth
discovers that she is pregnant.
 Mama makes a down payment on a
house.
 Mama gives Walter the remaining
insurance money.
 Walter invests the money in the liquor
store venture.
Climax
 Bobo
tells the Youngers that Willy has run
off with all of Walter’s invested insurance
money.
 Asagai makes Beneatha realize that she is
not as independent as she thinks.
Falling Action
 Walter
refuses Mr. Lindner’s offer to not
move.
 The Youngers move out of the apartment
to their new house in the white
neighborhood.
 Beneatha finds new strength in Asagai.
Themes
 The
value and purpose of dreams
 The need to fight racial discrimination
 The importance of family
Motifs
 Racial
 The
Identity
home
Symbols
 Mama’s
plant
 Beneatha’s hair
Foreshadowing
Mrs. Johnson’s news that a black family’s
house has been bombed foreshadows the
objections that the Clybourne Park
Improvement Association will raise to the idea
of the Youngers moving in.
 Walter hints to Travis that he is investing the
insurance money foreshadow the
disappearance of the money.

Act II, Scene 1 – Main events
 Beneatha,
dressed in Nigerian clothes, goes
to a play with George Murchison (1st
appearance like this on American stage)
 Walter comes home drunk and acts like a
Nigerian king.
 Beneatha cut off all of her hair and is keeping
it natural now.
 Walter talks to George about business plans
and George talks down to Walter.
 Ruth and Walter fight: drinking, Willy Harris,
liquor store venture

Mama comes home – down payment on house with
some of the insurance money – American dream

African Americans left out of ideas of American dream up
until Hansberry’s time…
Ruth – excited – dreams of moving out of apartment
into respectable home
 Walter – upset – wants all of the money in the liquor
store venture
 House in Clybourne Park – all white neighborhood –
Mama says only house they could afford
 This scene = struggle in African American community
whether to embrace own heritage OR join white
culture


George = assimilationist (joining) – Asagai = rejects joining
or assimilation
Act II – Scene 2: Main Events
 Beneatha
and George come home from a date.
Beneatha wants to discuss the plight of African
Americans.
 George wants to marry a
“nice…simple…sophisticated” girl.
 Beneatha kicks him out – tells Mama George is
a fool – Mama supports her
 Mrs. Johnson (neighbor) visits – tells Mama and
Ruth about a black family bombed out of their
house in a white neighborhood
 Mrs. Johnson: insensitive, disrespectful, temper
 Mrs.
Johnson insults the Youngers: “proudacting bunch of colored folks;” quotes Booker T.
Washington (famous African American thinker
and assimilationist)
 Walter’s boss calls – Ruth – Walter hasn’t been
to work in 3 days
 Walter has been wandering bar to
bar…listening to jazz music and feels worthless
as the man of the house
 Mama feels guilty – never wanted to hurt her
children – gives him the rest of the insurance $$
- $6500 –deposit $3000 for Beneatha’s
education – Walter gets $3500
 Mama:
“With this $ Walter should become and
act like the head of the household now.”
 Walter: confident, energized

Tells Travis: “I have a transaction that will make
us rich.”
 Walter
talks about dreams of future house
and cars, and Travis’ potential college ed.
 Beneatha
vs. George about education
 Mama agrees with Beneatha more than the
audience would expect.
 Search for identity as seen through Beneatha
and the Youngers, George and Mrs. Johnson


Assimilationist views, such as Booker T.
Washington
Making your mark and finding yourself in your own
culture
 Walter
wants a better life, at any cost.
Literary Terms


50. Unity of action: If the plot of a drama has unity of action it is
complete and orderly.
51. Significant action: For perfect unity of action, all of the action
must be significant or important.



Ex. Are all of the events in Raisin
necessary to the development of the
plot and characters? YES!
52. Rising action, climax, falling action, resolution (list these out for
the play)
53. peripety or reversal: When a hero’s fortunes change for the
better or the worse.

Ex. Does Walter’s fortunes change for
the better or worse? Why?
Act I, Scene 1
15. crocheted doilies
40s furniture protected/hide worn
places – shows poverty
16. a settled woman
Woman looks older than her
actual years, resigned to her life.
17. slubbornness
Ruth to Travis: sloppy + stubborn
– Ruth thinks real word
18. fly-by-night proposition
Refers to Walter Lee’s interest in
liquor store business – risky,
irresponsible and reliable
19. I don’t want that on my ledger.
Mama, religious, “list” that allows
her to get into Heaven or not
20. My girl didn’t come today.
Ruth is cleaning woman for
wealthy whites. Degrading term
for them…”girl” refers to the
cleaning women.
Act I, Scene 2
21. Hay-lo
Beneatha answers phone –
combo of “Hey” and “Hello”
22. We’ve all got acute ghetto-it is.
Beneatha to Asagai: depressing
times – Younger’s $ situation and
Ruth’s pregnancy – as if it was a
disease
23. Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my
identity.
Asagai repeats Beneatha’s words
– poking fun at her desperation to
connect with her African heritage.
24. You don’t have to ride to work on
the back of nobody’s streetcar.
Mama’s generation worked hard
so her children could have a
“better life.” reference to the Jim
Crow laws (South/legal), prior to
the civil rights movement.
30s and 40s blacks fled to the
North to try to get away from
segregation.
 25.
The lion is waking. African countries were
beginning to demand their independence.
Walter is also like this lion in terms of his family
power.
 26. Owimoweh: title of an African chant –
refers to the waking of the lion
 27. Prometheus: George calls Walter this – fits
his fiery personality – god who stole fire to bring
it to man – George is showing off his knowledge
 28. Gimme some sugar then: Southern
expression – give me a hug/kiss (Mama to
Travis)
 29.
never been ‘fraid of no crackers: Ruth
is using the term to refer to all white racists
– in discussions with Mama over house





30. Drop the Garbo routine. George to Beneatha:
“know your place as a woman” – start acting
submissive rather than intelligent
31. He’s got a conked head. Conked head =
chemical straightening of hair – many musicians did
this to fit into white culture
32. the nature of quiet desperation: taken from
Thoreau’s Walden: George says this – characters in
the play live like this…
33. peckerwoods: riff-raff, poor, racist whites
34. Booker T. Washington: felt that blacks should
develop their talents in trade schools – would allow
them to rise above and gain equality
 35.
hand-turned hems: sewing done by hand,
rather than at a factory – Ruth’s curtains for
house
 36. Thirty pieces and not a coin less. Thirty
pieces of silver was standard price for a slave.
Judas betrays Jesus with this amount;
Beneatha taunts Lindner with this when he
offers to keep the Youngers out of the
neighborhood.
 37. Scarlett O’Hara: from Gone With the Wind:
fall of South after Civil War; hat from Travis
makes Mama look like her.
 38.
spread some money ‘round: Walter
uses this phrase to refer to the required
graft that must be paid. Bobo uses this
phrase casually not understanding it’s a
private matter.
Monsieur le petit bourgeois noir: “Mister
(black) small businessman.” Beneatha calls
Walter this since he trusted Willy with the
money. (French phrase)
 40. peachy keen, as the ofay kids say: racial
differences in language, esp. slang…peachy
keen = good, slang of the times; ofay = slang in
black communities, at the time, to refer to a
white person – foe – climate of the times
 41. sharecroppers: Many blacks in the South
were sharecroppers before they moved to the
cities. Paid for someone else’s farm by giving
the crops from this land – large debts
 39.
 42.
You done write his epitaph too. Mama to
Beneatha: Beneatha is so relentlessly
unforgiving that Mama has to defend him.
Mama: Who is Beneatha to write him off as if he
was dead already?
 55.
Motivation: Walter is motivated to get the
insurance $$ b/c of the liquor store.
 58. Hamartia and hubris: characters learn
through their mistakes and come to a better
understanding…Walter learns to not trust
people with money so easily.
 59.
Rhetorical question: A question that is not
really supposed to be answered…
 54. Portmanteau word: 2 words combined into
one – Hay-lo, slubborn
 Dramatic irony: reader knows something before
the characters do – Ex. Ruth’s pregnancy, what
she’s going to do with the baby, Walter’s money
being taken