“A Resin in the Sun” play by Langston Hughes
Respond to two (2) of the short answer prompts with a well-thought-out and written response that should be 1 to 2 paragraphs at length (per question). Answering more than two prompts will not equal extra credit.
1. The play’s main characters are Walter Lee, Mama (Lena), Ruth, and Beneatha. Provide three or more adjectives to describe each of these characters. What basic values does each character seem to express during the arguments that occur in their family? Do you sympathize with them equally? Why, or why not? What, evidently, was Walter Lee’s father like?
2. At the end of the play, speaking to Ruth about Walter Lee, Mama closes with “He finally come into his manhood today, didn’t he?” How does Mama appear to be defining manhood? What other possible definitions of manhood come up directly or indirectly in the play? Identify places where characteristics of womanhood are brought up. In general, would you say that gender is at least as important in this play as race is? Why, or why not?
3. Analyze Joseph Asagai’s conversations with Beneatha and the rest of the family. What does Hansberry suggest about the relations of Africans and African Americans in the late 1950s? Today?
4. Do you think A Raisin in the Sun is universal in its truths and concerns, or are you more inclined to see it as specifically about African Americans? Explain. In what ways is this 1959 play relevant to life in the United States today?
5. Consider the environment (setting) in the play: neighborhood, community, home, climate, and era. What similarities (not differences) do you see in the Younger’s lives versus your own? (First person pronouns are permitted in your response to this prompt.)
6. Identify the times you considered the identities or experiences below while reading the play. Elaborate and provide evidence from the text.
Race,Immigration,Ethnicity,Religion,Language,Gender ,Age
LGBTQIAAbility Class
Note: Scholarly sources and references can be used. Use MLA documentation style.
Paper Formatting:
• 12 point type
• Times New Roman font style
• Double-spaced
• Page numbers on the top right corner of each page (except for the first page)
• In either the upper left or right corner, please have the following information: your name, the date the assignment is turned in, and the assignment name
