A Raisin in the Sun
1) Explore the extent to which Walter’s character in A Raisin in the Sun provides a commentary on the state of black manhood. How does Walter conceive of masculinity? How does he achieve his manhood as the play progresses and what does this manhood consist of?
2) How does A Raisin in the Sun depict the roles that the three women (Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha) play in the Younger household? How does each character define her identity and is that how the other members of the family see her?
3) A Raisin in the Sun takes its title from a line in Langston Hughes’s poem, “Harlem.” How does the play illustrate the theme of the poem?
4) How does Hansberry characterize Beneatha? How do her interactions with her two suitors, Joseph Asagai and George Murchison, help readers to understand different facets of her personality and desires?
5) Any other topic of your choice. You need to get the topic approved by me first. (Please write your topic in the form of a question [as in the prompts above] and email me)
Sample Solution
A Raisin in the Sun
A raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. As Mama`s only son, Ruth`s defiant husband, Travis`s caring father, and Beneatha`s belligerent brother, Walter serves as both protagonist and antagonist of the play. The plot revolves around him and the actions that he takes, and his character evolves the most during the course of the play. Most of his actions and mistakes hurt the family greatly, but his belated rise to manhood makes him a sort of hero in the last scene. Mama Younger makes this observation about her son: “He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he? Kind of like a rainbow after the rain.”
