, Research Paper

Jesse German

Particular Undertaking

December 3, 1999

Lorraine Hansberry and her Short Success

In this study I m traveling to speak about American dramatist and painter: Lorraine Hansberry and her life along with her first success, which was A Raisin in the Sun. This chef-d’oeuvre became a really good known drama and frequently when people here Lorraine s name, they think of A Raisin in the Sun. Besides in this study, I m traveling to compare and contrast the movie version and the subsequently recreated version of this drama.

A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a black adult female to be produced on Broadway. The movie was made in 1959. Hansberry & # 8217 ; s work celebrates persons who stand up for their ain and other & # 8217 ; s self-respect.

Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago as the girl of a outstanding real-estate agent and the niece of a Harvard University professor of African history. Her parents were intellectuals and militants, and her male parent won an antisegregation instance before the Illinois Supreme Court, upon which the events in A Raisin in the Sun was slackly based. She studied at the University of Wisconsin for two old ages, and in 1950 she moved to New York, where she started her calling as a author.

A Raisin in the Sun won the New York Drama Critics & # 8217 ; Circle Award, and the movie version of 1961 received a particular award at the Cannes festival. Hansberry & # 8217 ; s following drama, The Sign in Sidney Brustein & # 8217 ; s Window ( 1964 ) , was set in the New York City vicinity of Greenwich Village, where she had long made her place. The drama had merely modest success on Broadway. Her early decease, at the age of thirty-four, cut short her promising calling.

The drama is set in south side Chicago. Walter Lee, a black chauffeur, dreams of a better life, and hopes to utilize his male parent & # 8217 ; s life insurance money to open a spirits shop. His female parent, who rejects the spirits concern, uses some of the money to procure a proper house for the household. Mr. Lindner, a representative of the all-white vicinity, tries to purchase them out. Walter sinks remainder of the money into his concern strategy, merely to hold it stolen by one of his spouses. In desperation Walter contacts Lindner, and about begs to purchase them out, but with the aid of his married woman and female parent, Walter asserts his self-respect and decides that the household will take the house after all.

The original movie version and the diversion of A Raisin In The Sun is really similar in many ways. The two characters that best depicted the original 1s in the movie were Ruth and Beneatha Younger.

Ruth s character was really similar in both devisings of the drama. She was a small bolder and more dramatic in the drama version, which connected with me better. One portion that moved me in the drama was when she finds out that she is pregnant and merely interrupt down and calls.

As in the movie version, Beneatha was a major women’s rightist and loved to acquire in touch with her African roots. Asagai, helped her make this. His character was much better in the newer drama version than the movie. He is much more credible as a true African. His speech pattern in the drama truly brought out his foreign background.

Walter Lee s character was better in the movie version in my sentiment. His pique was much more dramatic and violent than Danny Glover s character. The scene when mama tel

cubic decimeter Travis that she bought a house with the insurance money and Walter smashes the glass that he was keeping truly portrays the choler and defeat that he was experiencing. He didn t do this in the drama. Another scene I liked in the movie is when Walter comes place from imbibing and Beneatha is dancing about in her frock that Asagai gave her. Walter starts dancing and singing with her. He did this in the drama version besides but I think it was more entertaining and amusing in the movie.

Mamma s character was really different in visual aspect in the two versions. She was really beefy and immense in the movie, which made her sort of chilling and average looking. Mamma in the drama was much better. She had that demanding and traditional house ma type of personality, but at the same clip was really loving and caring. It was easy to see those features merely from her visual aspect. There was a scene in the movie where mama went to the saloon to look for Walter Lee after happening out that he had non been traveling to work. This wasn T in the drama and I think it was a really of import portion of the drama, because this is when mamma eventually decides to give Walter the money. It was sort of Wyrd to see an old adult female in a frock with a large flowered chapeau on walk into a saloon and get down masticating out her boy.

I was truly surprised to happen out that the histrion who played Karl Lindner in the later made drama was the same histrion who played in the movie. He looked about precisely the same and of class his piggy voice was what gave it off.

A few parts that were non in the drama that I thought were of import is when the household goes to see the house. The exhilaration in everyone s faces is something that could non be shown in the drama. We saw how aroused they were when they were packing and acquiring ready, but it merely wasn t the same. Besides the scene where mama goes into the saloon made it more clear of how mamma eventually gave in and ended up giving Walter Lee the money.

On the other manus, one scene that I thought should hold been in the film that was in the drama was when mama was taking down the images from the wall and the wallpaper was still new underneath them. This represented the clip, history and memories that took topographic point in the house. She touched the walls and said one last good pass to the old rickety flat.

Overall after sing both signifiers of this dramatist, I think that I like the drama version better. First of all it was in colour, which truly does do a large difference. I liked all of the histrions in the drama except for Walter Lee s character ( played by Danny Glover ) . It was a good public presentation, but after seeing the original movie I had something to compare it to. The symbolism that was picked up from the drama version was much clearer and meaningful than in the movie.

It was interesting happening out more about Lorraine Hansberry. After seeing both dramas I can see how her personality and life was viewed through the histrions in this authoritative. It s clear that she felt strongly about anti-segregation, one ground being that her male parent one a instance on it. Since Lorraine herself was full of pride and prevail it merely makes since to uncover that through Benni ( largely ) and through mama who couldn t be any prouder of her ascendants, her past away hubby, her household, and her life. I think that this dramatist was reasonably much a narrative of Lorraine Hansberry.