VOCABULARY FROM A RAISIN IN THE SUN
A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act I Vocabulary
1. assimilation (n) p.63- process by which a minority group takes on the customs and attitudes of the dominant
group
2. beseech (v) p.733. conspicuously (adv) p.29- in a manner easily noticed, attracting special attention
4. defer (v)—
5. doggedly (adv) p.39—stubbornly; without giving in
6. erratic (adj) p.25—not the usual or proper behavior or opinion; strange behavior or opinion
7. evade (v) p.65 – to avoid answering directly
8. exasperated (adj) p.28, 41—irritated; annoyed
9. feeble (adj) p.24, 39- weak, lacking energy due to sickness or age (________)
10. futile (adj) p.45—useless; hopeless; ineffective
11. furtively (adv) p.44 – secretly, slyly
12. heathenism (n) p.57- barbaric, uncivilized practices and behavior
13. indifferent (adj) p.26—
14. insinuate (v) p.66 – to suggest or hint at indirectly, slyly
15. neurotic (adj) p.49—a person with a particular kind of mental disorder characterized by anxiety, depression, etc.
16. pretense (n) p.24- pretending; a false show of something (e.g. a pretense of wealth)
17. sullen (adj) p.29 —
18. tentatively (adv) p. 44, 92—with hesitation, uncertainly
A RAISIN IN THE SUN Act II Vocabulary
19. amiable (adj) p.114 –
20. deplore (v) p.116—to disapprove of strongly
21. eccentric (adj) p.80 – irregular, erratic
22. exuberant (adj) p.93- extremely joyful (jubilant) and enthusiastic
23. facetiousness (n) p.120 —humor; a joking manner; sarcasm
24. implore (v) p.92—to beseech
25. indignant (adj) p. 103 – extremely angry at something unjust, offensive or insulting
26. ludicrous (adj) p.124—
27. nonplussed (adj) p.103 – completely puzzled and confused (__________)
28. plaintively (adv) p.86—sadly; mournfully (morosely)
RAISIN IN THE SUN Act III Vocabulary
29. entrepreneur (n) p.138 —a person who manages and organizes a business undertaking
30. epitaph (n) p.145 —an inscription on a tomb in memory of someone buried there
31. idealist (n) p.133—
32. martyr (n) p.135 –
33. mirage (n) p.134—something that seems to be real but is not; illusion
34. ominous (adj) p.131 – threatening, foreshadowing something evil or harmful
35. reverie (n) p.148—a dreamy notion; daydream
Character Chart
Character
Brief Description/ Importance to plot
Walter Lee Younger
Lena Younger (Mama)
Beneatha Younger (Bennie)
Joseph Asagai
Ruth Younger
Travis Younger
George Murchison
Karl Lindner
Bobo
Willy Harris
Mrs. Johnson
Using the character names, create a web of how they are connected:
A Raisin in the Sun
Study Guide Questions
Act One
1. Describe the Younger’s apartment.
2. Why can’t Travis get to bed early, according to his mother?
3. Why does Travis need fifty cents, and whom does he ask to get it?
4. What “deal” have Walter, Willy Harris, and Bobo been figuring out? How much money does Walter need for his
share? What does Walter do for a living now?
5. Why does Beneatha’s plan to go to medical school upset Walter?
6. Why is Walter and Beneatha’s mother getting a check for a great deal of money?
7. What does Mama say in response to Ruth’s asking if Mama might help support Walter’s idea of starting a liquor
store?
8. How much money is the check for? What does Ruth say Mama should do with it? What does Mama say she will
do with it?
9. From what Mama says about Big Walter, what was very important to him?
10. What does Beneatha say about George Murchison that explains why she is not serious about marrying him?
11. What happens at the very end of Act 1, Scene 1? What do you think is wrong?
12. Why is Beneatha worried about Mama meeting Asagai?
13. How does Ruth feel about her NEW news? How do you know? How does Beneatha and Mama feel?
14. What does Asagai give to Beneatha as a gift?
15. What is Asagai’s Nigerian name for Beneatha? What does the name mean in English?
16. Contrast the speech patterns of Walter and his sister, Beneatha. In what phrase can you detect the effect of
education on Beneatha’s speech? In which phrases are you most aware of Walter’s use of dialect?
17. What is Mama’s dream? Predict whether this dream will be realized or just dry up like a “raisin in the sun.”
18. It is important for a playwright to conclude an act with a highly dramatic scene or a suspenseful one. Here a
standoff among three people creates a great deal of tension onstage. What is Mama’s ultimatum to Watler? Do
you think Mama’s ultimatum is a fair one?
Act Two
19. In what ways is the setting/mood different from how it was at the end of Act One?
20. How does George react when he sees Walter and Beneatha performing their African dance?
21. What does Walter say about George’s father and how he compares to Walter himself?
22. How do Walter and Ruth describe their relationship?
23. What news does Mama bring home, and why do Ruth and Walter react as they do?
24. What news does Mrs. Arnold convey to Ruth? What did Walter do during those three days?
25. What does Mama do after she hears about Walter’s three days? What does Walter say to Travis about his plans?
26. After a week has passed, what sorts of changes have affected the Younger family?
27. Why does Walter throw Mr. Linder out of the house? Why does Linder claim to want them not to live there?
28. What does Mama receive from her family after she returns home? Why do the gifts have symbolic meaning to
Mama and the audience?
29. What news does Bobo bring to Walter?
Act Three
30. What does Beneatha claim to have stopped caring about?
31. What three things does Asagai say threaten his village in Nigeria (p.135)?
32. What does Asagai ask her to do before he leaves?
33. Why does Mama move her plant back to the windowsill? What do her actions symbolize? (p.139)
34. To Ruth’s dismay, what does Mama propose the family do rather than move?
35. At first, why does Walter invite Lindner back to their apartment?
36. Why does Mama yell at Beneatha? What does she teach Beneatha about love?
37. How does Walter show that pride in his heritage can provide strength and meaning to his life? How do the values
that Walter affirms in this speech contrast with the materialism and cynicism Walter has expressed throughout the
play? In what ways does he restore the unity and dreams of the family?
38. Walter has “come into manhood” in the eyes of his family. In what ways has he changed, and how lasting do you
think the changes will be? Think about which characters’ dreams have been realized, whether Mama’s values
have had an effect on Walter, and Walter’s words and actions in response to Linder.
39. Why do you think Lorraine Hansberry chose to include the character of Asagai in her play?
40. What is the theme of this play? Think about the changes undergone by the central character or characters,
analyze the main conflicts, look at the title for a clue, and try to express the theme as a universal statement.
THEMES: (As mentioned in our class discussion)
1)
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4)