Name______Period______Date______
English 10 Arleta High School Dr. Good
A Raisin in the Sun Essay Exam
Answer each question in the form of a two to three paragraph essay. Be sure to use specific examples (lines) from the play in order to support your ideas. (20 points each)
Theme: The main meaning/message of a work of literature.
Some themes in A Raisin in the Sun: the importance of family; the importance of dreams; the importance of being true to yourself/your race; poverty and the struggle to rise from it; women's roles (career vs. homemaker)
1. Identify and discuss a major theme of the play. Support your ideas with references to specific events and speeches. What characters and situations does Hansberry use to show the audience the theme?
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Epigraph: A quote at the beginning of a literary work that gives a clue about the meaning or theme of the work
2. Explain why Hansberry chose a line from Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” to be the epigraph for the play. What does this epigraph and poem add to your understanding of the play?
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
In each act of the play, Mama tends to her plant. At the conclusion of the play, Mama returns to get the plant to take to the new house. In the apartment, the plant is scrawny and weak because it gets no light.
3. What does Mama’s plant symbolize? Why is it important to the play.
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Beneatha has two boyfriends, Asagai, who is an exchange student from Nigeria, and George Murchison, who is a wealthy African-American college student from Chicago.
4. Compare and contrast Asagai and George. What does each character represent to Beneatha?
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
At the conclusion of the play, the family is on their way to their new home in Clybourne Park.
5. Are you satisfied with the play’s ending? Why or why not? How do you envision the future of the family, particularly of Ruth and Walter and Beneatha?
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Standards Addressed:
Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level Text
3.3 Analyze interactions between main and subordinate characters in a literary text (e.g., internal and external conflicts, motivations, relationships, influences) and explain the way those interactions affect the plot.
3.4 Determine characters' traits by what the characters say about themselves in narration, dialogue, dramatic monologue, and soliloquy.
Literary Criticism
3.7 Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal.
3.12 Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period. (Historical approach)