25 Discussion Questions for A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry (With Analysis) | Chapterly Blog
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway, and A Raisin in the Sun discussion questions reveal why it remains essential. The play asks what happens to a dream deferred — and then shows, with devastating specificity, how racism, poverty, and family pressure warp the dreams of people who deserve better. Whether you are in a college African American literature course, a high school English class, or a book club, these questions will drive a conversation that reaches into territory that matters. First performed in 1959, the play follows the Younger family on Chicago's South Side as they wait for a ten-thousand-dollar life insurance check after the death of Walter Lee Sr. Each family member has a different vision for the money — Mama wants a house, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store, Beneatha wants to pay for medical school. The play takes its title from a Langston Hughes poem asking what happens to a dream deferred, and every character embodies a different answer. These 25 questions are organized by theme. A Raisin in the Sun Discussion Questions: Dreams — Deferred and Pursued Hansberry's genius is showing that...