Introduction to A Raisin in the Sun The American Dream Deferred

Making Connections Recall from your research what you know about MLK and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Before Reading / Listening Listen for the following rhetorical devices and annotate the speech while you read to identify these devices as used by Dr. King in his speech Allusion: a reference to something well-known Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things without using like or as Simile: a comparison between two unlike things using like or as Parallelism: repeated grammatical structure used to create emphasis and to connect important ideas Theme: overall message Tone: the feeling of the speaker toward the subject

Harlem 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?

Reflection Based upon the themes of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” and Langston Hughes’ “Harlem,” what do you think A Raisin in the Sun is about? Consider the historical context of the play which opened on Broadway in 1959. Also consider the fact that the title itself if an allusion to Hughes’ poem.