A Raisin in the Sun. Textanalyse und Interpretation. Königs Erläuterungen Spezial

KÖNIGS ERLÄUTERUNGEN SPEZIAL

3140

Textanalyse und Interpretation zu

Lorraine Hansberry

A RAISIN IN THE SUN

Patrick Charles

Analyse | Interpretation in englischer Sprache

Zitierte Ausgaben: Hansberry, Lorraine: A Raisin in the Sun. Stuttgart: Klett Sprachen / Vintage: New York, 2017.

Über den Autor dieser Erläuterung: Patrick Charles wurde 1973 in Bournemouth, Südengland, geboren und studierte englische Literatur an der Universität von Newcastle. 1993 zog er nach Berlin, wo er eine Ausbildung zum Buchhändler machte und zehn Jahre lang als Buchhändler arbeitete. Seit 2004 ist er als freiberuflicher Autor von Schulbüchern und Lernhilfen und als Übersetzer im Kulturbereich tätig. Er lebt mit seiner Familie in Berlin.

1. Auflage 2019

ISBN 978-3-8044-4140-8

© 2019 by C. Bange Verlag, 96142 Hollfeld

Alle Rechte vorbehalten!

Titelabbildung: Sidney Poitier in der Verfilmung des Romans (1961).

© picture alliance / Mary Evans Picture Library

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INHALT

1. AT A GLANCE

2. Lorraine Hansberry: LIFE & WORKS

2.1 Biography

2.2 Contemporary Background

The USA after World War II

The Harlem Renaissance

Society and politics

Pan-Africanism: African-Americans and Africa

Culture

Broadway

Music

2.3 Notes on Other Important Works

1961 The screenplay of A Raisin in the Sun

1964 The Sign in Sidney Brustein’s Window

1969 To Be Young, Gifted and Black

1970 Les Blancs

3. ANALYSES AND INTERPRETATIONS

3.1 Origins and Sources

Politically active parents

Hansberry v. Lee

Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance

Cultural references

3.2 Summaries

Act I

Scene 1 (p. 23)

Scene 2 (p. 54)

Act II

Scene 1 (p. 76)

Scene 2 (p. 96)

Scene 3 (p. 110)

Act III (p. 131)

3.3 Structure

Scenes

Acts

Transitions within scenes

A breakdown of transitions within a scene

3.4 Characters

The Younger family

“Mama” Lena (p. 39)

Ruth (p. 24)

Walter Lee (p. 25)

Beneatha “Bennie” (p. 35)

Travis Willard (p. 25)

The other characters

Joseph Asagai (p. 60)

George Murchison (p. 79)

Karl Lindner (p. 113)

Mrs. Johnson (p. 98)

Bobo (p. 125)

“Big” Walter Younger (deceased)

Willie (Willy) Harris

Constellation of the characters

3.5 Notes on themes

Poverty and money

Family relationships and gender issues

Dreams, hopes, ambitions – the future

Race and identity

The philosophy of A Raisin in the Sun

3.6 Style and language

The language of plays, scripts and screenplays

Stage directions

The actors’ lines

Creative use of language in A Raisin in the Sun

Yoruba

3.7 Interpretations

Background

Adaptations

The ”Raisin Cycle”

Macklemore’s mistake

4. RECEPTION

Success

Ambiguous responses

5. MATERIALS

Lorraine Hansberry and Bobby Kennedy (1963)

Hansberry and the Town Hall forum (1964)

6. SAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Task 1 **

Task 2 **

Task 3 **

Literatur

Edition used for this study guide

About the author

About A Raisin in the Sun

Film A Raisin in the Sun

Pan-Africanism

Other references

A note on Wikipedia as a research tool

This study guide to Lorraine Hansberry’s drama A Raisin in the Sun is designed to provide an easy-to-use overview of the structure, context, themes and characters of the play.

Part 2 takes a brief look at Lorraine Hansberry and her career.

 Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1930. Her parents both worked and were both active in pushing back against racism and discrimination.

 A Raisin in the Sun was first performed on stage in 1959, the first play written by an African-American woman to ever be performed on Broadway, and was an instant success.

Part 3 provides analyses and interpretations of the play.

A Raisin in the Sun – Origins and Sources:

Hansberry’s play was influenced by her own experiences and her parents’ activism, by the Harlem Renaissance and the poet Langston Hughes, and the reality of life for African-Americans living in a big city like Chicago in the 1950s.

Summaries:

A Raisin in the Sun is about the Younger family – “Mama” Lena, her son Walter, his wife Ruth, and their son Travis, and Lena’s other child, her daughter Beneatha. They share an apartment in a poor district in Chicago. The family is about to receive a $10,000 pay-out from Mama’s dead husband’s life insurance, and the money causes trouble. Walter wants to invest in a liquor store with a shady friend, Willie Harris: Ruth and Mama want to invest in a nice house in a better part of town. A representative of the white residents of the area the Younger family wishes to move to tries to buy them off, not wanting black families to move into their neighbourhood. When the cheque arrives, Mama allows Walter to look after the majority of the money to help him fight off depression and a sense of being a failure. But he loses all of the money she gives him when Willie steals it. Luckily, Mama has saved the rest and made a down payment on the house in Clybourne Park. The family gets ready to move, deciding to defy the white residents and fight for their unity and happiness.

Structure:

Raisin is a three-act play. The dramatic structure follows the classic development of build-up, climax and resolution.

Characters:

The play is about the Younger family and a few important characters around them.

 “Mama” Lena Younger is a widow. She is a strong, caring, loving figure who holds the family together.

 Ruth Younger is a weary, prematurely aged housewife. She works non-stop and is showing signs of breaking under the pressure of her work, her difficult husband, and the fact that she is pregnant.

 Walter Lee Younger is a bitter and frustrated young man in his 30s. He is intense and his sister describes him as an “elaborate neurotic”.

 Beneatha Younger is Walter’s sister. She is an educated, interesting woman who is determined to explore her potential and express herself.

 Travis Willard Younger is the 10-year old son of Ruth and Walter. He is a lively, charming boy.

 Joseph Asagai is a sophisticated Nigerian student who is friends with Beneatha. He has a strong influence on her interest in Africa and her African heritage.

 George Murchison is a wealthy, middle-class young black man who is courting Beneatha. She finds him shallow.

 Karl Lindner is the representative of the white residents’ association of Clybourne Park. He has been sent to the Younger family to persuade them not to buy the house there: the residents don’t want black people living there.

Other characters like Bobo, Mrs. Johnson or Willie Harris.

Themes:

The major themes we will look at in this study guide are racial identity (including white-black racism and African/African-American issues): family relationships and gender equality; social issues like poverty and ghettoes; and the important theme of dreams, faith and hope.

Style and Language:

We have to deal with two distinct categories of language: the stage directions and the lines.

Interpretation:

We will look at the film in this chapter and at the continuing story of the Younger family by other authors.

Lorraine Hansberry (1930–1965)

© picture alliance/Everett Collection