Chasing the American
Dream through Harlem
As the introduction to the
Edsitement lesson �Quest for the American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun�
states, �People of all backgrounds live in America and come to America dreaming
of social, educational, and economical opportunities as well as political and
religious freedoms. Consequently,
the notion of the American Dream has appeal and meaning to most [�] students.� A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine
Hansberry serves as a fantastic centerpiece in a unit dealing with this theme because
it is a stellar example of American drama and because it addresses the American
Dream from a minority perspective.
Because, in high school, many young adults begin thinking about their
own identities and how they fit into society, it is important to have dialog with
them about identity, goals, and opportunity. Studying diverse perspectives of the American Dream will
allow students to begin forming, modifying, or solidifying their own ideas
about their dreams and goals for life.
Besides the American
Dream, A Raisin in the Sun deals with many other universal themes
including family relationships, financial choices, and education. Therefore, it can be paired with nearly
anything � a classic like The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, or non-fiction
text on how to start a business. In
addition to that, it has a direct link to Langston Hughes poetry � opening the
door to a discussion of the genre of poetry, metaphorical language, and the
history of the Harlem Renaissance.
As can be seen, there are endless
possibilities for this play. Any
one aspect of it can lead to a thousand different possible connections. Depending on the students, the
intention, and the other literature to be done before or after this unit,
teachers can direct the analysis of this play however they need to.
The following resources
are barely the tip of the iceberg.
For greater organization, I have compiled them into four main
categories: understanding the play itself, understanding African American
culture and history, understanding the American Dream, and a fourth category
with other related readings. The
annotations provided for each work are adapted from information found in the
works themselves with the exception of The Collected Poems of Langston
Hughes and The Collected Works of Maya Angelou. Annotations for these works are adapted
from the editor�s review at amazon.com.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: The Modern Library, 1995.
A play about the
hopes of an African American working-class family in Chicago. The title is taken from a poem by
Langston Hughes called �Harlem� which compares a deferred dream to a �raisin in
the sun.� This play touches
important issues such as the American Dream, social status, family
relationships, the generation gap, financial choices, and the African American
experience in the United States.
Hansberry, Lorraine, et al. A Raisin in the Sun and Related Readings. New York: McDougal, Little/Houghton Mifflin (NEL), 1997.
An anthology of
poems and short stories dealing with the themes of racism and identity. This anthology also has a copy of the
play included. A teacher
sourcebook is available as well.
This is great for first year teachers who don�t have anything to start
with. There are handouts, which
are designed to be reproduced, and advice on how to differentiate teaching to
different skill levels. This is a
key work to have if you teach this play.
Chicago Public Library. �Chicago Timeline�. Ed. Joyce Malden. http://cpl.lib.uic.edu/004chicago/chihist.html (July 2004).
This website
provides links to Chicago history between 1673 and 2004. There are brief descriptions of
important events by date. There
are also brief histories of other topics like the Chicago Police Department,
African Americans, weather, etc.
Many of the links go to Deaths, Disturbances, and Disorders in
Chicago: A Selective Bibliography of Materials in the Municipal Reference
Collection of the Chicago Public Library.
Other links go to A Millenium Bibliography � Chicago in 1900.
Teaching
the Play�
Bell, Brenda. �A Raisin in the Sun�. URL:http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/kearny/raisin/teacher.html (December 21, 2000).
This page is a
unit plan with a linked student page.
This unit directs students to do a Webquest to find out more about the
play. The project presented on the
student page could be paired with a persuasive essay or a discussion about
conflict. The teacher page
includes overall unit objectives as well as correlations to the state
standards.
Collins, Mary B. �A Raisin in the Sun: A Unit Plan�. URL:http://www.tpet.com/raisin_web/Table%20of%20Contents.htm Teacher�s Pet Publications, Inc., 1996.
An entire,
complete unit plan with day-by-day lessons, activities, tests, quizzes,
handouts, etc. This serves as a
great baseline. The daily lessons
look a bit dry but the extra activities look like fun. Some of these extra activities include
having the students do projects on how to live on a budget, prospects of
African Americans then and now, and designing a playbill.
National Endowment for the Humanities. �Quest for American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun�. EDSITEment. URL:http://edsitement.neh.fed.us/printable_lesson_plan.asp?id=449 (January 20, 2003).
Another great lesson
plan to use with the play. This
unit includes information relating to the American Dream, understanding the
author, a �dream deferred�, Jim Crow laws, and Brown vs. Board of Education. Also contains links to other useful
information.
Web English Teacher. �Lorraine Hansberry: A Raisin in the Sun�. URL:http://www.webenglishteacher.com/hansberry.html (February 22, 2005).
A website with
its own annotated list of related websites. The links include really great teaching tools with projects,
background information, and lesson plans.
Understanding
African American Perspective�
Clinton, Catherine, ed. I, too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
This book is an
anthology of thirty-six poems by African American writers. The poems address issues of black
America, resistence, hope, and despair.
Hansberry, Lorraine. To be Young Gifted and Black: Lorraine Hansberry in her own words. Ed. Robert Nemiroff. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1969.
This book is a
collection of Lorraine Hansberry�s published and unpublished writing. It collects her statements on the black
experience in America.
McKissack, Patricia C. and Fredrick L. Young, Black, and Determined: A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry. New York: Holiday House, 1998.
This biography
covers the life of Lorraine Hansberry paying specific attention to her
contributions to society.
Sullivan, Charles. Children of Promise: African-American Literature and Art for Young People. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991.
This book
includes work from over 60 writers, poets, artists, and historical
figures. It is visually appealing
and presents a brief overview of African American history from colonial times
to the present using a variety of media including visual art, poetry and prose.
Understanding
the American Dream
Reuben, Paul P. "PAL: Appendix S: The American Dream." PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide. URL:http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/append/axs.html (June 16, 2003).
This website has
an extensive bibliography of books and links relating to the American
Dream. References include mostly
nonfiction but relate to popular culture and fiction.
Extended/Related
Readings
American Library Association � Young Adult Library Services Association. "Poetry� Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners. URL:http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/outstandingbooks/poetryoutstanding.htm (April 30, 2005).
This annotated
bibliography of poetry for young adults contains many multicultural works that
could be easily connected to the theme of the American Dream like Unsettling
America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry by Maria
Mazzioti Gillan and Jennifer Gillan.
Angelou, Maya. The Collected Works of Maya Angelou. New York: Random House, Inc., 1994.
A collection of
her poems that spans her career.
The poems comment on love, traveling, and aging.
Any Song Lyrics. "Afroman - The American Dream." URL:http://www.anysonglyrics.com/lyrics/a/afroman/theamerican.htm (April 23, 2005).
This song begins
to get offensive toward the end, but the first half discusses how this
African-American man believes he is still the American Dream despite his
hardships.
California Raisin Marketing Board. "Raisin Facts." URL:http://www.calraisins.org/info/facts.cfm (2005).
This website with
fun facts about raisins.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1925.
The story of a
wealthy man named Jay Gatsby trying to win the love of a beautiful woman named
Daisy Buchanan. This story centers
on multiple visions of the American Dream.
Hayn, Judith and Deborah Sherrill. "Female Protagonists in Multicultural Young Adult Literature: Sources and Strategies." The ALAN Review Volume 24, Number 1 (Fall 1996). URL:http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ALAN/fall96/f96-09-Hayn.html (September 11, 2001).
This article
discusses the necessity of including the female perspective in our concept of
diversity, especially in relation to young adult literature and teaching
it. This article contains an
expansive list of multicultural novels with female protagonists. The novel Luisa�s American Dream
by C. Mills would work well with the Raisin unit.
Hughes, Langston. The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. New York: Vintage, 1991.
A collection of
860 poems written by Langston Hughes during his lifetime.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1976.
The story of
Willy Loman � an aging failing salesman � trying to pursue his dreams of
success.
"The Jeffersons Theme Song Lyrics." URL:http://www.geocities.com/tvshowthemelyrics/JeffersonsSong.html (April 23, 2005).
This song is
about an African American family who finally become �successful� by moving to
the east side of their inner city.