| Papers [1-15] of 100 :: [Page 1 of 7] | | Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 —> | Search results on "RACISM LORRAINE HANSBERRY PLAYS": |
|
|
Racism in Lorraine Hansberry's Plays, 1996.
Examines realistic, optimistic, non-revolutionary depiction of racial conflict in "A Raisin in the Sun" & two more dramas.
2,700 words (approx. 10.8 pages), 3 sources, $ 95.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
From the Paper
" This study will examine racial conflict as it is portrayed by Lorraine Hansberry in three plays, A Raisin in the Sun, What Use Are Flowers? and The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window. As an intelligent black woman and artist born in 1930 and dying in 1965, Hansberry is clearly aware of the significance of racism in the United States, and she includes racial bigotry and stereotyping as important elements of each of these three plays, either directly or indirectly.
However, Hansberry is an optimist, not a revolutionary. Her work leans toward the reassuring rather than the disturbing. Her characters, for the most part, live in a world which still contains the salvation and healing that love and personal development can bring, even in the face of racial and other obstacles."
| |
|
Lorraine Hansberry, 2005.
A critique of Adrienne Rich's article on the author Lorraine Hansberry.
1,044 words (approx. 4.2 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 36.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines how in her article "The Problem With Lorraine Hansberry", Adrienne Rich summarizes Lorraine Hansberry's life and work in her perspective as a white, lesbian, feminist writer. It looks at how she relates to Hansberry as a feminist writer and how she feels she is not so equipped to deal with the racial issues that are found in Hansberry's work "A Raisin In The Sun".
From the Paper
"Adrienne Rich still has many unanswered-and unanswerable questions about Lorraine Hansberry such as: "What did she dream of being free to write should she gain validation from the American white male establishment?" "What did it mean to be one of the tiny handful of black women artists who have found it possible to have their works published, performed, or seen?" and "Where would Hansberry have placed herself, had she lived till now, in relation to the feminist movement of the present?" Rich will continue to see Hansberry as "a problem and a challenge." She is waiting for a black feminist to gain access to Hansberry's unpublished work and help us see her in her "fullest political context" (Adrienne Rich pg. 253-54). "
| |
|
Lorraine Hansberry?s "A Raisin In the Sun", 2005.
A summary and review Hansberry's story about the lives and times of one black family in 1950s.
968 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper introduces and analyzes Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun". The paper explains that this story, much like Langston Hughes' poem of the same name is about freedom, pride, blacks and their dreams. The paper summarizes the story and explains that the main theme of the story is dreams, as dreams are what keeps a person or family alive and help them look to the future.
From the Paper
"Mama decides to give Walter the money. This is the victory for Walter's dream since Mama feels he has always had to face unfortunate circumstances. Even though the rest of family doesn't approve of this, Mama is willing to take this risk for the love of her son. She knows that her son is suffering from broken dreams. The scene where Walter is shown talking to his son Travis is particularly poignant. He promises Travis that they will one day own a Chrysler that is "elegant" rather than "flashy," and will also employ the services of a gardener. He also predicts that once Travis goes to college, his father would "hand you the world!" (625)."
| |
|
"A Raisin In The Sun" ( Lorraine Hansberry ), 1999.
Discusses the play's themes, plot, characters, values, social and racial views.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 8 sources, $ 55.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
From the Paper
"The purpose of this research is to examine Lorraine Hansberry's play A Raisin in the Sun. The plan of the research will be to set forth the pattern of ideas and events in the play and then to discuss the means by which this pattern is elaborated in the action, as well as the sociopolitical context in which the playwright's intended effect of the play on the audience can be most readily identified.
The action of A Raisin in the Sun in general involves what people want and what they are willing to pay to get it. Indeed, describing what the characters want very much describes what the play is about. The Youngers, an extended black family, share the dream of escaping their two-bedroom Chicago tenement and everything it represents. How the dream should be fulfilled now that an insurance legacy is coming their way marks the main level of ..."
| |
|
Two African-American Plays, 2007.
This paper explores African-American manhood and social- economic obstacles in two plays by African-American playwrights: Amiri Baraka's "Dutchman" and Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun".
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper describes the African-American male protagonists in Amiri Baraka's "Dutchman" and Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun". The paper looks at how the protagonist Walter, from 'A Raisin in the Sun" and the protagonist Clay, from "Dutchman", both seek to claim their manhood, despite the social and economic obstacles vigorously enforced by a hostile, white-dominated American society. The author analyzes the contexts and nature of Walter's confrontation with Karl Lindner in "A Raisin in the Sun" and Clay's defensive, violent response to Lula's verbal sexual/gender assaults in Baraka's "Dutchman". The paper concludes that both of these male characters do achieve a temporary and ephemeral degree of manhood but neither of these plays ends on a completely hopeful note.
From the Paper
"However, as the true extent of Lula's hostility towards him becomes apparent, it also becomes clear to Clay that whatever playfulness of flirtation he attempts, as a man, will do nothing to mitigate Lula's hostility toward him as a black man, and particularly a black man endeavoring to be seen as an individual apart from his race. Now, however, with her victim confined to the below-the-ground crucible of the subway, Lula taunts Clay into criticizing whites in general, thereby bringing about the reactions on the part of others in the subway car that seal his fate."
| |
|
"A Raisin in the Sun", 2002.
A review of Lorraine Hansberry?s play, "A Raisin in the Sun".
1,301 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 6 sources, MLA, $ 43.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines how Lorraine Hansberry?s play, "A Raisin in the Sun", is a dramatic tour de force and was one of the more important developments in American dramatic literature in the second half of the 20th century. It looks at how her moving play focuses on the domestic life of the Younger family as they decide what to do with a check that they have received after the death of Walter Lee?s father. It shows how, from the very beginning of the play, Hansberry creates a tone that sets the stage for the later dramatic action and how the play is, ultimately, a meditation on how the human spirit is able to rebound after our dreams have been destroyed. It analyzes how Hansberry reveals the specific dreams of each character in the play and how, in each case, their dreams are disappointed in some strange and sad fashion.
From the Paper
"All of the Youngers do have important, although different dreams. Beneatha dreams of going to medical school, Mama dreams of moving into a new house, and Walter Lee wants to open a liquor store. The problem is that the amount of money that the family has is finite and can only serve to fulfill some, and not all, of the Younger?s dreams. Walter Lee?s dream has a particular significance in relation to his manly pride, and the failure of that dream is terrible. However, ?By the end of the play, they learn that the dream of a house is the most important dream because it unites the family,? and it is through this common dream that the Youngers realize their true strength (?Themes, Motifs, and Symbols?)."
| |
|
?A Raisin in the Sun?, 2002.
A review of Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun".
749 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 26.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" about Walter the resentful patriarch of the family who acts out certain attitudes affecting the black community in his time. It looks at how Hansberry clearly writes from her own experience, the family she writes about exists in a specific time period--the 1950s--and a specific milieu--the south side of Chicago. It shows how The Younger family is on the verge of escaping from the ghetto, with each family member having his or her own dream and how this dream begins with the desire to achieve the American dream. It discusses how by the end of the play the seamy reality of that dream has been exposed and the family has shifted to a celebration of its own value system rather than aspiring to emulate white society.
From the Paper
"The kind of experience the Youngers have leads them to a spiritual and familial regeneration, and they transcend their ghetto not by moving to the suburbs but by understanding themselves and their place in black society. The prevailing racism has left the Youngers with a feeling of inferiority they try to overcome. The anger that such treatment creates is subdued in this family. The one vital element in the Younger family that sets them apart from much of the black experience today is the fact that they are, in the end, a family. The breakdown of the family in the ghetto is much discussed today. The Youngers have stayed together, something difficult even in the 1950s and something which shows them as atypical. Hansberry is not painting a false picture, and she is promoting the idea that family can help solve some of the problems faced in a racist society."
| |
|
"A Raisin in the Sun", 2007.
A review of Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" .
2,111 words (approx. 8.4 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 66.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses how Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" is considered by critics to be one of the strongest portrayals of the African-American nuclear family. It looks at how the implicit theme of "A Raisin in the Sun" is the impact of the family upon the actions of individual units, especially in relation to African-American families. It also examines how the social premise and moral conflicts of the play focuses on the pursuit of the Younger family to better their current situation. It analyzes the family through several different topics, including the impact of family experiences upon individual action, the impact of social influences upon the entire family, the impact of social and political factors upon the family, and finally, the gender roles that come in conflict within the nuclear family model.
From the Paper
"Common family experiences have a dramatic impact on the actions of each individual unit, and it unites the family in their pursuits. The Younger family is considered lower middle class; three generations occupy the nuclear model, with grandmother Lena at its head, Walter, Ruth and Beneatha as the second generation, and Travis as the youngest. The hardships endured by the family unit as a whole in their pursuit of survival binds them together. Lena and her husband worked tirelessly to raise their kids. Walter works extremely hard as a chauffeur in order to support his family, while Ruth has the full responsibility of handling the house and monitoring the family. It is the result of their persistent hardship that drives them to all yearn for change and greater social mobility (NPR, npg). "
| |
|
"A Raisin in the Sun", 2007.
An analysis of the themes expressed in Lorraine Hansberry's play, "A Raisin in the Sun".
2,277 words (approx. 9.1 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 70.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper discusses the play, "A Raisin in the Sun", by Lorraine Hansberry. The paper looks at the way that the play is based on one of Langston Hughes's most famous poems, "Montage of a Dream Deferred" and the ways that even the title of the play is derived from this epigraph. The paper delves into the themes of the play and discusses the ways that these themes are expressed.
From the Paper
"There are occasions in the play when we see all characters giving up their dreams even if temporarily only to pick them back up at a later stage. This is the essence of true faith. It never leaves you forever. You can curse your life but you must not abandon it or dreams will be deferred for good. Walter for example gives up his dream of becoming his own boss. He wants to be financially secure- enough to at least raise himself above the servant class. He wanted Travis to have a better future. But all his dreams vanish when he makes the unwise investment and loses money. His dreams have not vanished however from his spirit, they have only started consuming him. this results in extreme frustration as he turns to alcohol for some consolation. George describes him as someone "wacked up with bitterness." (85) Mama cannot see her son consumed by failed dreams and the situation becomes alarming when Walter doesn't take his wife's threatened abortion seriously. Walter becomes a bitter lost soul."
| |
|
?Raisin in the Sun?, 2005.
This paper examines the cultural context of Lorraine Hansberry's play "Raisin in the Sun".
1,360 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper explains that, on the surface, the plot of the play "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry is merely about an African-American family's struggle to get out of the ghetto on Chicago's Southside; however, a deeper examination of the work demonstrates the author's utilization of numerous themes and complex characters, which require multiple levels of analysis: African-American identity, social status and racial challenges within the intricacies of universal human nature. The author points out that hints of Hansberry's childhood surface throughout the play and have clearly influenced her thoughts and beliefs: Father waged a legal battle for the right to purchase a home in a previously all-white neighborhood that reached the Supreme Court, "Hansberry vs. Lee", which they won, but the family was subjected to vicious physical attacks. The paper relates that the title of the play refers to the protagonist Mama's longing to escape the ghetto so that her children can be raised in the sunlight of a better neighborhood and thus better education.
From the Paper
"Another way that Hansberry illustrated her world through her work was in her definition of universality. Indeed, prior to the publishing of the play, universality was monadic in its conception and application. It had been developed and applied to mean whiteness rather than including the diversity of modern-day society. Moreover, black art separated itself from the mainstream by isolating discussions of social problems from racial issues. However, Hansberry conversely sought to concurrently consider "social significance and racial consciousness." Her attention to details opened the door for white audiences into an understanding of black experiences that made those experiences understandable and relevant. The inclusion of the black experience within the framework of the human experience forced a redefinition that opened the term universality to include the minority voice. Author James Baldwin articulates this milestone, saying "never before in American theater history has so much of the truth of black people's lives been seen on stage.""
| |
|
"A Raisin in the Sun", 2002.
A review of Lorraine Hansberry?s play" A Raisin in the Sun".
610 words (approx. 2.4 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 21.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper examines the play "A Raisin in the Sun", by African- American playwright Lorraine Hansberry. The paper describes the playwright's life and provides a synopsis of the plays events. The paper states that the moral of this play is as long as people try to do their best for their families, they can lift each other up.
From the Paper
"Lorraine Hansberry?s " A Raisin in the Sun" was the first play written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway in 1959. Moreover, Hansberry was the youngest and the first black writer to receive the New York Drama Critics Award. She was deeply committed to equality and human rights, and her play approaches important issues and concerns regarding the African-American racial identity and discrimination, and poverty."
| |
|
Dreams and Racism, 2005.
An analytical comparison of "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and "Glass Menagerie" Tennessee Williams.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 3 sources, $ 35.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper presents an analysis of two plays and explains how dreams in "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and "Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams play a vital role in both stories. The paper portrays how racism, oppression and escapism are descriptive words identifying the problems the main characters have in both plays and these are an important part of their dreams. The paper discusses how these plays are similar in that racism and oppression can be seen.
From the Paper
"Dreams in "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry and "A Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams play a vital role in both stories. Listen to the words of Langston Hughes' poem called "Dreams" and then consider what he says about dreams before analyzing the two stories: "Hold fast to dream For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow" (Langston Hughes). Racism, oppression and escapism are descriptive words identifying the problems the main characters have in both plays and these are an important part of their dreams. The fragile characters in both stories have dreams that they want for their lives, which often paints a distorted reality in the lives of the characters."
| |
|
"A Raisin in the Sun", 2006.
This paper reviews and analyzes Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun" while focusing on the symbolism of light and its significance on both the plot and the characters.
1,412 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 47.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper details the plot and main characters in Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" which focuses on an African-American family residing in Chicago. The writer analyzes the significance of light in Hansberry's work which makes its first appearance in the opening of the play when the sun shines in on the Younger's cramped apartment. The writer contends and explains the manner in which the light provides emotional nourishment to the protagonists as well as heartache and despair. This paper also looks at the symbolism of Mama's plant which although she knows will never fully grow and reach its ultimate potential she continues to care and nurture it, much in the same manner as she cares for her own family.
From the Paper
"The plant does not simply symbolize Ruth and Walter's inability to fully grow and flourish as a couple and a mother and a father in the apartment. It also has more personal symbolism. It symbolizes the dream of Mama to own her own home, a place of her own rather than the rented territory of others, with a cramped and small bathroom for five (and perhaps six, given Ruth's impending pregnancy) other people, all dreaming and yearning to break free. The plant is a more specific and powerful symbol, too, because it is a green and living thing. It underlines Mama's desire to have a garden and a yard. Clearly, Mama could make many things grow. If she made a plant grow in a terrible apartment, with little help, just as she and her husband helped her children Beneatha and Walter flourish with little help from society, think of what Mama could do with her own yard, full of sunshine and space."
| |
|
Black Life Represented in Theater, 2002.
This paper looks at Lorraine Hansberry's play "A Raisin in the Sun", the first truly successful play by a black playwright.
975 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 34.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
The paper studies the characters in the play, indicating that they are clearly derived from Hansberry's own experience, for she was a young black woman who grew up in this era and her writing shows the depth of first-hand understanding. Through examples in the paper we learn how the play addresses issues of slavery, freedom and the struggle to achieve the American dream.
From the Paper
"The kind of experience the Youngers have leads them to a spiritual and familial regeneration, and they transcend their ghetto not by moving to the suburbs but by understanding themselves and their place in black society. The prevailing racism has left the Youngers with a feeling of inferiority they try to overcome. The anger that such treatment creates is subdued in this family. The one vital element in the Younger family that sets them apart from much of the black experience today is the fact that they are, in the end, a family. The breakdown of the family in the ghetto is much discussed today. The Youngers have stayed together, something difficult even in the 1950s and something which shows them as atypical. Hansberry is not painting a false picture, and she is promoting the idea that family can help salve some of the problems faced in a racist society."
| |
|
The Use of Structure in "Raisin in the Sun", 2000.
Analysis to show how the focus is shifted throughout the Lorraine Hansberry's play, "Raisin in the Sun".
1,550 words (approx. 6.2 pages), 2 sources, $ 50.95
»
Click here to show/hide summary
Abstract
This paper looks at the way "Raisin in the Sun" develops, so that the focus is shifted throughout the play. The three acts are explored as follows: The first act's function in the play is to introduce the character's internal and external conflicts and make the reader guess what kind of solvency will come from the new money, act two's purpose is to give the audience a false sense of security which ultimately leads to the climax of the play and in act three, all of the issues in act one resurface.
From the Paper
"The first act of Hansberry?s play is used to introduce the problems that the family is facing while showing that there is an end to these problems in sight. The money problems that the Younger family faces are shown through various ways in the beginning of act one. The first act's function in the play is to introduce the character's internal and external conflicts and make the reader guess what kind of solvency will come from the new money. The very beginning of the play familiarizes the audience with the Younger family?s lack of resources. Several families share one bathroom on the floor of the apartments that they live on and Travis is made to sleep in the living room, because of the shortage of bedrooms in the apartment. By showing that the characters face these money problems, the audience is able to appreciate the situation that the family is in."
|
|
|
