Background information for A Raisin in the Sun

The Harlem Renaissance  The Harlem Renaissance was a literary, artistic, and intellectual movement that helped spark a new black cultural identity.  In 1926, Alain Locke, a critic and teacher, declared that through art, “Negro life is seizing its first chances for group expression and self determination”

Langston Hughes ( )  Known as one of the most prolific and successful African American writers in the country.  In his poetry, he expressed pride for his heritage and voiced his displeasure with the oppression he witnessed.  He was born in Missouri and lived in many places throughout his life including: Harlem, Europe, and African; however, he said he felt most welcome in Harlem because it was there that he felt nourished as an artist. He recognized Harlem as a source of inspiration for black artists.

What imagery in being presented in this poem? What figurative language is being used?

Lorraine Hansberry  Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930, in Chicago, Illinois. She wrote A Raisin in the Sun, a play about a struggling black family, which opened on Broadway to great success. Hansberry was the first black playwright and the youngest American to win a New York Critics’ Circle award.

Early Life  When Lorraine was growing up she lived in Illinois, which, even though there were no laws stating it, was still racially segregated.  Her family moved to a white suburb, where they were harassed both physically and legally.  Lorraine wanted to record this time in her life, and much of A Raisin in the Sun can be viewed as autobiographical.  Her father suffered a brain aneurism in Mexico while he was trying to find a new home for his family to escape racism in the US.

Context of the Play: America in the 50s  A Raisin in the Sun can be considered a turning point in American art because it addresses so many issues important during the 1950s in the United States. The 1950s are widely mocked in modern times as an age of complacency and conformism, symbolized by the growth of suburbs and commercial culture that began in that decade.  Following World War II growing domestic and racial tension began to mount. The stereotype of 1950s America as a land of happy housewives and blacks content with their inferior status resulted in an upwell of social resentment that would finally find public voice in the civil rights and feminist movements of the 1960s

Points to Note while Reading:  Raisin in seen as revolutionary because it was the 1 st honest depiction of an all-black family on an American stage.  Before this play, African-American roles, usually small and comedic, largely employed ethnic stereotypes.  She uses black vernacular throughout the play and broaches important issues and conflicts, such as poverty, discrimination, and the construction of African-American racial identity.  She explores the tensions not only between blacks and whites but also between the preservation of African culture and assimilation of American values, and the societal expectations of women and men.

Characters: The Younger Family  Walter Younger Senior- Deceased  Mama (Lena Younger)- Mother and matriarch of the family  Walter Junior- Son of Walter Sr. and Mama  Ruth- Walter’s wife  Travis- Ruth and Walter Jr.’s son  Beneatha- Walter Jr’s Sister and daughter of Walter Sr. and Mama