A Rasin In The Sun (My Analysis)


Gabrielle Dangler

May 23, 2012

6th hour

<span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: #3a3a3a; mso-ansi-language: EN"><span lang="EN" style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A Raisin In the Sun Analysis

<p style="margin: 6pt 0in; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: #3a3a3a; mso-ansi-language: EN"><span lang="EN" style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A Raisin in the Sun, written by <span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Lorraine Hansberry <span style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58);">is a dramatic and strong play. It shows true resilience and strength. The Plot, although still containing a bit of an underlying moral, is itself a moral, The Plot is a message. The Characters show true strength in the fact that they have weakness and weak moments, but overcome them. I actually believe that calling the plot “strong” is still not an antiquate description of the immense power this play truly holds. In the time it was written, A Raisin in the Sun is truly a bold story.

<p style="margin: 6pt 0in; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: #3a3a3a; mso-ansi-language: EN"><span lang="EN" style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">A favorite moment of mine was the uncovering that more than half of the money this family had received was stolen by a sleazy fellow one of the family members had put their trust in. It is not a happy scene, as one would imagine, I tend to find loss of a lot of money tragic, and certainly the news could have been handled better by the family. BUT. The fact that the moment was so tragic, so earth shattering, combined with the reactions of the characters is what made this moment so real. The event could have been handled better, but the fact it wasn’t made the characters tangible, more human. Then of course, the end is that much more brave, because in the face of tragedy the family was able to pull themselves together and stand up against prejudice. I mean, Rock On!

<p style="margin: 6pt 0in; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: #3a3a3a; mso-ansi-language: EN"><span lang="EN" style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">In terms of overall theme, this play has a deep message about supporting family and standing up in face of tragedy, also a message to just go on. The togetherness to me is a big message in the Harlem renaissance, sticking through it, and rising above it. The family in this play certainly stuck through it, and in the very end rose above. They did not accept what was basically a bribe to get colored people out of a white neighborhood, a message that goes above just this family. A statement that it is not ok to buy people out of their homes due to their skin, that this was not going to fly. A message that when it comes to prejudice, they were not just going to cooperate, or, take it, anymore.

<p style="margin: 6pt 0in; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Arial', 'sans-serif'; color: #3a3a3a; mso-ansi-language: EN"><span lang="EN" style="color: rgb(58, 58, 58); font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Conclusively, this play’s theme was a personification of the theme of Harlem. The Harlem Renaissance flourished through works such as A Raisin in the Sun. Powerful, moving works such as this one proudly wear their meaning on their chest, like a large power point to the world displaying “Hey! This is the way it is!!!” and going on to shock and awe. This play definitely carried a wow factor, even more so in the time it was written, it had a moral of togetherness, of rising above, thus making this play an invaluable piece in the history of the Harlem Renaissance.