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.

 

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Task:

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

2.     Answer questions about the South Side of Chicago in the 1940’s and 50’s.

3.     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.                                  

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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 in a Word Document or Publisher. Be sure to include:  date of birth and death, a list of her major published works and the general themes and topics she writes about in her play, A Raisin In The Sun. Be sure to include a quotation from one of the sources and cite the source either in or below the text.

TASK 1 WEBSITES:  The Author: Lorraine Hansberry Biography

 

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Lorraine_Hansberry

 http://kirjasto.sci.fi/corhans.htm

Raisin in the Sun and Hansberry

 

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?

    

 

 

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

TASK 2:  WEB-SITES:  The Setting

 

Task 2: Chicago African American History – Click on VI – Housing, Neighborhoods and Communities

Read and answer the Questions that follow on a Word Document with MLA Heading. Print.

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

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

 

 

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)

 

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Resources:

                                                                           

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

 

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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.