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Teacher’s Guide A Raisin in the Sun THE EXCHANGE QUESTION Reading Level Lexile NP How do communities unite and Genre/Length Drama; 192 pages divide us? Language Register Slang, Dialect, Stage Directions Content Load Racism, Poverty, Urban America Selected Awards New York Drama Critics Circle Award This book contains mature content. Educators and parents should read the book and determine its appropriateness for use with their students. Overview Background The title, A Raisin in the Sun, comes from a poem by Langston Hughes called “A Dream Deferred” in which Hughes personifies what happens to unfulfilled dreams. He offers a sequence of images in which the dream dries up like a raisin, sags like a heavy burden, or finally explodes. These images express the frustration and tension that threaten to destroy the dreamer. Between 1940 and 1960, Chicago’s black population had increased dramatically during the period known as the Great Migration, as many African Americans moved to escape the oppression in the South. As a result, overcrowding became a serious issue in poor black neighborhoods. These living conditions exacerbated the frustrations that many African Americans felt as marginalized members of a segregated society. Book Summary The play delves into the demoralizing effect that poverty and racism have on African Americans. The Youngers are a poor African American family who live in the projects of Chicago’s Southside. The drama traces the dreams of each member in the Younger family when they receive a large insurance check and must decide what to do with the money. About the Author Lorraine Hansberry was born on May 19, 1930. She grew up in Chicago’s Southside projects, but her family moved to a white neighborhood in 1938, despite its restrictions on racial integration. Her father fought for his right to live in this neighborhood, eventually claiming victory in the U.S. Supreme Court. Hansberry became interested in drama in high school and later attended the University of Wisconsin. She moved to New York City in 1950 and became immersed in the city’s political scene, working as a journalist for Paul Robeson’s Freedom magazine. A Raisin in the Sun debuted on Broadway on March 11, 1959. It was the first play written by an African American woman that was produced on Broadway. At twenty-nine, Lorraine Hansberry was the youngest playwright given the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. Critics lauded her as the progressive new voice of her generation. Teacher’s Guide page 1 of 13 © Hampton-Brown A Raisin in the Sun Reading the Book Student Journal, page 1 Name: There are several options for reading A Raisin in the Sun. They include: Student Journal • Whole Class Assign sections of the book and discussion dates A Raisin in the Sun Student Journal, page 1 using the planner on . After students by Lorraine Hansberry read a section and respond to the corresponding Student Journal pages, have a class discussion. At the end of the book, Reading Schedule the class meets for The Exchange. Group members: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ • Small Groups Read the book Introduction with the group. A Raisin in the Sun Student Journal Due Date Discussion Date Introduction Pages 2–4 Group members then read an agreed-upon number of pages, Act I Pages 5–6 complete the corresponding Student Journal pages, and meet Act II Pages 7–8 to discuss. When they finish the book, they meet again for The Act III Pages 9–10 Exchange. Use the planner on Student Journal, page 1 to The Exchange Assessment establish meeting times. • Independently Students read the book on their own and then meet as a group for The Exchange. Use the planner on Student Journal, page 1 to establish the meeting time. How do communities • Guided Reading Have students read Student Journal, unite and page 2 and monitor their discussion of the What If? scenario. divide us? Read aloud the book Introduction to give students background on the book. As students read, use the Before You Move On questions to guide comprehension. Use the Look Ahead to set a focus for reading the next set of pages. At the end of each section, assign the appropriate Student Journal pages. Discuss Student Journal, page 2 the pages before starting the next section. Establish a date for The Exchange and record it on the planner. A Raisin in the Sun Getting Started What If? Your town is deciding what to do with an empty plot of land. There is a big debate in your community about what should be built there. The Getting Started kids in the town want a skateboard park. The senior citizens want a community garden. You love to skateboard. You would love a skateboard park nearby. Have students read What If? on Student Journal, page 2 Your dad agrees that a skateboard park in the area would give kids something to do. But your grandmother would really like a place to and discuss the scenario. Encourage students to describe the garden. Your mother thinks a garden will keep your grandmother active. No one in your family can agree about the issue. Soon, everyone similarities and differences between the scenario and their lives and is arguing. imagine how the situation would affect them. Make notes about how this would affect you. • How do you keep this issue from dividing your family? • Have students write their responses to the three questions below • How would you encourage your family to solve the problem? the scenario and compare answers with a partner or the group. • What might the community do to solve the situation? • Have students discuss how the situation might relate to The Exchange question and then write a brief summary of their discussion in the Student Journal. Connect to The Exchange Question Discuss how this situation could relate to The Exchange Question: How do communities unite and divide us? Summarize your discussion. Teacher’s Guide page 2 of 13 © Hampton-Brown A Raisin in the Sun Introduction Student Journal, page 3 A Raisin in the Sun Have students read the book Introduction. Check their Introduction comprehension with the three follow-up questions on Student Read the Introduction on pages 7–9 in A Raisin in the Sun. The Introduction will help you understand key concepts in the book. Knowing Journal, page 3. them will help you discuss and write about the book. The Introduction includes information about • the setting of the story—Chicago’s Southside in the 1950s • Lorraine Hansberry’s writing style • the historical importance of A Raisin in the Sun After you read the Introduction, answer these questions to check your understanding. 1. What were the living conditions like for African Americans on the Southside of Chicago during the 1950s? African Americans often lived in poor conditions. Their apartment buildings were old, unsafe, and crowded. Many white Americans thought of them as second-class citizens. 2. How did Hansberry try to make her plays seem realistic? She wrote about the daily struggle of African Americans against prejudice. She used the slang and phrases of African Americans on the Southside. She included important aspects of their culture and religion. 3. Why is A Raisin in the Sun historically important? It was the first play produced on Broadway written by an African American woman. It showed her characters, the Younger family, in a realistic light. All audiences could see how a typical African American family dealt with prejudice in their daily lives. Introduction: Key Concepts Student Journal, page 4 A Raisin in the Sun Have students study the first Key Concept with the help of the Introduction: Key Concepts graphic organizer on Student Journal, page 4. After studying the Personal Experience Chart example, they should create similar graphic organizers to focus Study the Personal Experience Chart for ambition. Write a sentence Key Concepts using the word ambition. ambition their understanding of the remaining Key Concepts. confront goal Personal Experience Chart identity prejudice Key Concept: ambition Define or rename: strong desire to achieve a goal Specific Examples People work hard Many students have If an athlete has talent to achieve their an ambition to go to and ambition, he or ambitions. college. she might compete in the Olympics. Personal Connection: ___________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ On a separate sheet of paper, create a similar Personal Experience Chart for each of the Key Concept words. Teacher’s Guide page 3 of 13 © Hampton-Brown A Raisin in the Sun Pages 13–84 Answers for Before You Move On Act I Student Journal, page 5 A Raisin in the Sun PAGE 35 Respond to Act I 1. Text Features What does the description of the Youngers’ 1. Personal Response Walter feels like his family does not understand him or support his dreams. Describe a time you felt misunderstood by apartment on pages 13–14 tell you about the family? They someone close to you. What did you do about it? are poor and live in a small, crowded apartment. 2. Conflict How do Ruth and Beneatha feel about the check? 2. Minor Character How is the character of Willy Harris important to How does Walter feel the money should be used? Both Walter’s goals and ambitions? Use the words goal and ambition in your response. women feel Mama should spend the money the way she Willy Harris’s ambition is to open up a liquor store. If Walter gives Willy the insurance money, they can put a down wants to. Walter wants the money to invest in a liquor store. payment on a liquor store, and Walter can achieve his goal of being a small business owner.

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