Raisin In The Sun By Lorraine Hansberry: Critical Response

Critical response: A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry The play falls under realism the stage design and setting is a representation of everyday life. The characters behaved, spoke, and dressed like ordinary people. This play brings the awareness of social and political problems, which inspires change. The characters of the cast represents real life personalities, which shapes the way they behave. The language used in the play is conversational. This play is also a multicultural play, which explores history with Afrocentrism.
In the play, the stage represents everyday life, which is a house where people live. This play made it clear that the space where people stay influence their life. This play also explained the fact that a house is a need everyone as to satisfy in life. Connecting this to Maslow theory of the hierarchy of needs. The lower needs which is psychological needs, is the motivating force in our lives this includes a house, food, and sleep. As seen in the play Walter wanted to satisfy this psychological need for himself and his family, which is, why he was so focus on starting a business and making money. In addition, his mother bought a house because she knew it was her family needed to satisfy.
The way the characters behaved and spoke made me as a reader to inquire and criticize certain actions and incidents that happened in the play.
For instance, in the play, I understood Walter lee younger dreams but the way he wanted to achieve his dream was just money motivated. It was as if he did not think about things except making money that made him not to plan about incase things went wrong. At the same time I understood him he wanted a better life for his family. This also had an emotional impact on how I felt about all the things that happened to him loosening the money and feeling like the one who had failed in
life.
The play also portrayed social issues that were going on back then and are sometimes still going on today. The way people are not accepted in certain parts because of the color of the skin. This play shows how a family changed the social believes which certain people have about African Americans. The paly also inspired conversation that people did not want to talk about during that time. Like not accepting the offer of Mr. Linder. They went on with what they wanted not caring about the difficulties they might face in the future.
The different personalities in the play represented personalities that people have in life I could relate and see how these different personalities worked together. The different personalities each character added to bringing the house together. The play explores different culture, which I could relate to being a Nigerian from Lagos and moving to America to study. I could relate to Asagai, who was proud of his heritage and culture and was willing to share this with people. The use of Afrocentrism in the play portrayed in Beneatha character she learns about her heritage and educates people around about the stereotypical ideas they had about Africa. I also liked the fact that Beneatha wanted to know about her African roots and at the same not denying her American culture.