A Raisin In The Sun

A Glimpse Into The Background of the Play

Who? What? Where? When?

Introduction - Task - Process - Resources - Conclusion

Introduction:

Everyone has had an inspirational dream at one time in his/her life. Some of those dreams are achievable and some are not. If a dream seems achievable, a goal and a plan are set. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family is faced with several issues. The setting of the story takes place in the 1950's when African American families had to deal with blatant issues of poverty, segregation, and culture. A reflection of Hansberry's personal experience can be seen in A Raisin in the Sun. In this web-quest, you will find information on the background of the play. Use the links below to find information about Lorraine Hansberry (the author of the play), the setting, and the characters in the play.

Task:

Today you will become a book publisher to create a biography that would highlight key features of Lorraine Hansberry's life.

You will also become an African American citizen living in the South Side of Chicago in the 1940's.

Finally, you will examine the poem, "A Dream Deferred," by Langston Hughes. This is the poem which Hansberry used as a basis for her play and whereby she derived the title, A Raisin In The Sun.

Process:

Task 1: The Author: Lorraine Hansberry Biography

Task 1
The Author:

Lorraine Hansberry Biography

Follow the links below to read all about the life of Lorraine Hansberry, the author of Raisin in the Sun. After you have thoroughly read and analyzed the biographies found on these websites, pretend you work for a publisher and write your own one to two paragraph biography of her life to put on the inside jacket cover of the new edition of the play you are about to publish. Be sure to include: when she was born, when she died, a list of her major published works, and the general themes and topics she writes about in her play, A Raisin In The Sun.

TASK 1 WEB-SITES: The Author: Lorraine Hansberry Biography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorraine_Hansberry

http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~cybers/hansberry2.html

http://www.umich.edu/~eng499/people/lorraine.html

Task 2: The Setting: South Side Chicago: Journal Entry

Task 2

The Setting: South Side Chicago

Journal Entry

First take a look at the images featured on this page. They capture what life was like for African Americans living in South Side Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s. Take your time to view and analyze these images. What do they tell you about the society of South Side Chicago? What might life have been like for a poor African American family living in South Side Chicago During the 1940s and 1950s?

[Fighting Job Discrimination, milk company picket]

Next, follow the links to read a few articles about life for African Americans in South Side Chicago.

TASK 2: WEB-SITES: The Setting

http://www.courttheatre.org/home/plays/0607/raisin/playnotes.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhoods_of_Chicago

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1761.html

Once you are done studying this page, write a journal entry from the point of view of one of the people you view in these images that reveals what you have learned. Begin your entry:

Dear Journal,

Task 3: "A Dream Deferred": Poetry Analysis and Original Poem

Task 3

"A Dream Deferred"

Poetry Analysis and Original Poem

Read the poem "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes, think about the question below, and then follow the link to get a template to write your own version of the poem.

"A Dream Deferred"

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?

By Langston Hughes

Poetry Analysis Questions:

What does this poem say?
What is the structure of this poem?
What images does this poem create in your mind?
What emotions does this poem evoke?
What meaning can be found in this poem?

Now it's time to create your own poem using:

"A Dream Deferred" Mad Libs

“Dream Deferred” Mad Libs

What happens to a _______ ________?

noun verb
Does it _______ ________

verb adverb

Like a _______ in the _________?

noun noun

Or _______ like a _______—

verb noun

And then _______?

verb

Does it _________ like __________

verb adjective

_________?

noun

Or ________ and ________

verb verb

___________—

adverb

like a ________ _________?

adjective noun

Maybe it _______ ________

adverb verb

like a _______ ________.

adjective noun

Or does it _________?

verb

Original by Langston Hughes

Adapted by __________________________

(Write Your Name Here)

Resources:

Use all web-sites provided in the web-quest.

Conclusion:

After you have completed this web-quest, you will be ready to begin reading the play A Raisin In The Sun. You should have a working knowledge of the author and the setting of the play.

Web-Quest Designed by:

Mr. Bryan DiScala

New Hyde Park Memorial High School