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Wang 1
Kevin Wang
Mrs. Strobl
English I
19 March 2008
Touched by Lorraine Hansberry
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, was a play acted by blacks during 1950s a time when discrimination took place. Hansberry’s literature was most influenced by her own life and opinion. Therefore, A Raisin in the sun explains the discrimination that took place in the nineteenth century, experienced by Hansberry’s separation from other black children because she grew up in a white neighborhood. A Raisin in the Sun’s characters and themes were developed from Hansberry’s own concerns and opinions about African-Americans, which shown in her style of writing, corruption of Africa, and issues of family.
Foremost, the play demonstrates techniques used from the world. Hansberry had learned these skills from working backstage on student productions during her attendance at the University of Wisconsin in 1948. Even though she had many strong European influences she stayed loyal to the aspect of African sociality (Effiong 1). One example from A Raisin in the Sun is when Asagai first appear, Benetha questions Asagai by saying “My hair-what’s wrong with my hair?” In response, Asagai said “were you born like that?” This shows that the Hansberry follows her ancestry and portrayed traditions, even to something as small as hair style (Hansberry 61). The success of A Raisin in the Sun is tied with Hansberry’s ability to express African descent in the character and settings.
Furthermore, Hansberry wanted to demonstrate the thought of a corrupted future leader of Africa. “Independence and then what? What about all the crooks and thieves and just plain idiots who will come into power and steal and plunder as before—only now they will be black…
Wang 2
what about them?!” Benetha asks (Hansberry 42). Hansberry strongly believed that an independent Africa would be corrupted...