Assignment: Drama Unit Prep "A Raisin in the Sun," by Lorraine Hansberry 12/12/23

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS 10-B (H) 2nd TRI 2023-2024
2023-12-05T21:30:20Z

Due:

Common Core State Standards: Students will determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. Students will cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Students will participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

Language Learning Objectives: I can pay attention to the introduction & directions for our drama unit and ask questions to ensure my understanding of the expectations.

The Author

Lorraine Hansberry

Born 1930 - southside of Chicago in a very segregated community where she was sheltered from the white community

Died 1965 of cancer

When she was 7 her family broke segregation laws by buying a house in a white neighborhood - after her family was sued, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in a landmark

decision that the Illinois segregation law was unconstitutional & the family moved into their home

The Play

“A Raisin in the Sun” (1959) is the first play written by a Black woman to appear on Broadway

It ran for 530 performances, receiving rave reviews & leading to her being asked to write the movie screenplay for a 1961 film

Significant for several reasons:

a. It was risky to produce this race-charged play in the 50s and 60s because it was in the midst of the hostility of the civil rights movement

b. It was accessible to all audiences because of its universal themes (people in all places and time periods could understand)

c. It put a personal touch on hopes and dreams of minorities in the US

The Setting | Chicago, post WWII (1959) |

The Characters

Lena Younger (Mama) – matriarch (widowed)

Walter Younger (Old Walter) – Lena’s husband (dead)

Walter Lee Younger – Son of Lena and Walter; 35 years old; has a wife (Ruth) and son (Travis)

Ruth Younger – Wife of Walter Lee Younger; in her early thirties; works as maid to help make money

Travis Younger – 10-year-old son of Walter Lee and Ruth

Beneatha (Bennie) Younger – Daughter of Lena and Walter; 20-years-old; college student (challenges notions of race and gender)

Joseph Asagai – Dating Beneatha…college student from Nigeria

George Murchison – Dating Beneatha…wealthy African American classmate of Beneatha

Karl Linder – white man who is a representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association

Bobo–Fellow investor in Walter’s liquor business

Willie – Fellow investor in Walter’s liquor business

The Themes

Civil Rights

Class Struggles

Gender Roles

Discrimination

Dreams

Poverty

Concepts:

The structure and organization of a dramatic play ultimately relies on its use of spoken word, which has several key functions:

Characterization: Give everyone distinctive speech patterns, habits, vocabulary.

Communication between characters: What they say, when, how and to whom, to propel the plot forward.

Exposition: Key information should be shown, if possible, not spoken. Don't let characters tell each other what they already know.

Description: Narration can create atmosphere, bring a detail into focus, or convey the speaker's response to unseen events.

Commentary: Contextual perspective on character or story developments can be given. Contemporary drama sometimes uses a narrator.

Common Core State Standards: Students will determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. Students will cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. Students will participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.

Language Learning Objectives: I can pay attention to the introduction & directions for our drama unit and ask questions to ensure my understanding of the expectations.

The Author

Lorraine Hansberry

Born 1930 - southside of Chicago in a very segregated community where she was sheltered from the white community

Died 1965 of cancer

When she was 7 her family broke segregation laws by buying a house in a white neighborhood - after her family was sued, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled in a landmark

decision that the Illinois segregation law was unconstitutional & the family moved into their home

The Play

“A Raisin in the Sun” (1959) is the first play written by a Black woman to appear on Broadway

It ran for 530 performances, receiving rave reviews & leading to her being asked to write the movie screenplay for a 1961 film

Significant for several reasons:

a. It was risky to produce this race-charged play in the 50s and 60s because it was in the midst of the hostility of the civil rights movement

b. It was accessible to all audiences because of its universal themes (people in all places and time periods could understand)

c. It put a personal touch on hopes and dreams of minorities in the US

The Setting | Chicago, post WWII (1959) |

The Characters

Lena Younger (Mama) – matriarch (widowed)

Walter Younger (Old Walter) – Lena’s husband (dead)

Walter Lee Younger – Son of Lena and Walter; 35 years old; has a wife (Ruth) and son (Travis)

Ruth Younger – Wife of Walter Lee Younger; in her early thirties; works as maid to help make money

Travis Younger – 10-year-old son of Walter Lee and Ruth

Beneatha (Bennie) Younger – Daughter of Lena and Walter; 20-years-old; college student (challenges notions of race and gender)

Joseph Asagai – Dating Beneatha…college student from Nigeria

George Murchison – Dating Beneatha…wealthy African American classmate of Beneatha

Karl Linder – white man who is a representative from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association

Bobo–Fellow investor in Walter’s liquor business

Willie – Fellow investor in Walter’s liquor business

The Themes

Civil Rights

Class Struggles

Gender Roles

Discrimination

Dreams

Poverty

Concepts:

The structure and organization of a dramatic play ultimately relies on its use of spoken word, which has several key functions:

Characterization: Give everyone distinctive speech patterns, habits, vocabulary.

Communication between characters: What they say, when, how and to whom, to propel the plot forward.

Exposition: Key information should be shown, if possible, not spoken. Don't let characters tell each other what they already know.

Description: Narration can create atmosphere, bring a detail into focus, or convey the speaker's response to unseen events.

Commentary: Contextual perspective on character or story developments can be given. Contemporary drama sometimes uses a narrator.