A Raisin in the Sun- Blog 1

             My favorite work from AP Lit so far is A Raisin in the Sun, a play about an African-American family living in Southern Chicago, by Lorraine Hansberry. As we begin this play, there is a distinct poem that bring attention to the meaning of the poem. An author is very precise and knowledgeable about his placement and structure of the play. It is to my understanding that the reason for the poem being placed at the beginning of the play is so that we have in mind that this play is about this family's dream and how it is put off. It all makes sense to me! In the poem, we are asked if a dream deferred (an ambition which is put off) is like a raisin in the sun. Is a put off ambition dried up so much that it looses its value? In the play, this is what happens to the family's dreams of becoming something better. It is put off for so long that it takes the family so long for them to make a change. It becomes hard, just like a dried up grape becomes hard. The raisin still has value and nutrition, as does the dream of the Younger family to become a better people. As time passes, that raisin becomes drier and drier, just as the dream of the Younger becomes drier and drier as time passes. It is harder because nothing happens and all they can do is wait. I believe that the poem's metaphoric title and the storyline of the play match perfectly.