Introduction

Everyone at some point in his or her life has had a dream. We all know of people in our own lives, or figures from history, who have devotedly pursued their dreams. One of the most recognizable dreams from an individual in our nation’s history is that of Martin Luther King Jr. He represents someone who felt so strongly about his dream that he devoted himself to the pursuit of it in spite of the dangers and challenges that can arise in the midst of just such a pursuit.

But what happens when someone doesn’t pursue his or her dream? Or when someone struggles to overcome obstacles standing between them and their dream? What happens to the dream? How might it affect that person? These are issues being faced by the Younger family in the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry…

…and as the record executive that has been put in charge of compiling and producing a soundtrack for the upcoming release of the new movie version of the play, you will be examining some of these same issues as you search for the perfect songs, performers, and graphics that will make up the movie’s official soundtrack.

Task

Imagine you are a music executive who has been asked to create the soundtrack for a new modern movie version of the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. In addition to reading and discussing the play, you will be creating a CD soundtrack that includes the following:

  • A compilation CD of 8 or more songs
  • A list of song titles and artist names on or in the CD case
  • A booklet in the CD case that provides an explanation of each song's significance and connection to the play
  • Cover design, graphics, and artwork for the front, inside, and back covers of the CD case

Your final product will require the use of technology with CD Burning or CD Writing capabilities. Your artwork for the CD’s cover and casing can be created with any form of design technology or through your own personal form of artistic expression, such as your own painting, drawing, photography, etc

Process

Creating the Soundtrack:

  1. In your small group, create a brainstorm list of characters, places, things, and events from the play that you feel may be significant. (i.e. Walter, Lindner, the apartment, the Green Hat, Beneatha’s hair, Mama’s plant, Bobo’s news, arrival of the check, etc.) Refer back to your journal entries, discussion worksheets, graphic organizers, and any other resources you might have used while reading the play if need to refresh you memory about the people, places, things, and events of the play.
  2. Next, discuss with your small group possible songs that might be appropriate for as many of the items on your brainstorm list as you can think of. Remember, you will be writing a brief explanation of why each song that makes it onto your soundtrack fits appropriately with the character, place, thing, or event of the play that you feel it goes with. This will involve citing some of the lyrics of the song as support for why it contributes something important to your soundtrack. So make sure you are discussing each possibility as you examine and narrow down your list and possible song titles. Also, be careful to avoid any songs that have inappropriate or questionable lyrics. There are endless amounts of song lyric databases and search engines online to help you closely examine song lyrics. However, avoid using the lyric sites that have popup ads on them. Sites like Lyrics.Info and LyricServer provide you with ways to search song lyrics without the annoyance of endless popup ads, not to mention the risk of popups endangering the computer.
  3. Now your small group needs to narrow down your list of songs to 8-10. Use the following as criteria to help you narrow down your song list: Which songs have inappropriate or questionable lyrics? Which songs will you be able to gain access to in creating your CD? Which songs can you effectively explain how and why they seem appropriate for the soundtrack that you are creating? Once you have decided on your 8-10 songs, decide on the order of the song list and create your CD by burning them onto a CD using a writable CD drive and a blank CD. If no one in your group has access to this type of technology, you can access it through the LibraryMediaCenter. See your instructor or the LMC specialists for more information on how to check out this type of equipment.
  4. Next, your group needs to write the song explanations. These need to be typed and printed in a smaller font so that they can be placed in your CD case in the form of a small booklet or insert inside of the CD cover. Be sure to include the following in each song explanation: Song title, Artist, Explanation of how it connects to the play, description of parts of the play that it relates to, references to song lyrics as support, and your own thoughts on how the song could enhance the new movie version of the play. Look through CDs of your own to see how they include cover literature of different types in their CDs to get ideas for how to organize your own. Feel free to be creative and/or artistic as you assemble your booklet or insert of song explanations. Each explanation should be at least one paragraph in length.
  5. Finally, you need to create the cover art for your CD case. You can use graphic design technology and computer generated graphics or you can use good old markers, scissors, glue, your own creativity, and whatever else you can scrape together to create your own personal designs without the high tech touch. Just be sure to make it visually pleasing and include your group members’ names, a creative album title, the title and author of the play, and any other information you want to use to put the final touches on your product. Don’t leave any covers or flaps blank. You are responsible for designing and decorating the front cover, back cover, and inside cover, but you could also decorate the disk or the spines of the case if you want. The key to this task is BE CREATIVE!

The Final Product: Once you and your group have put it all together, it’s time to turn it in. Look it over, revise for mechanical errors, test the technology and polish up anything that needs attention before turning it in. Be prepared to show off and talk about your product at a brief press conference or presentation on the big release date. You might even be ask to play a few songs for the class.

Conclusion

On the surface, “A Raisin in the Sun” is obviously a play that sheds light on the senselessness of prejudice and the torment of poverty, which are issues that readers may or may not have first hand experience with. But this doesn’t limit the effectiveness of the play to only those people who know these hardships personally. It also examines one family’s struggles with such issues as the pursuit of dreams, dealing with loss and hardship, self-expression, the importance of family, taking risks, the uncertainty of progress, and the nature of love. These are all universal issues that everyone will find themselves in the midst of in their own lives regardless of race, culture, or upbringing.

Make sure that you have looked closely at the challenges faced by each character individually, as well as the family collectively, while assembling the soundtrack that you would have serve as the backdrop for the experiences of the Younger family. By recognizing the various emotions that are evident in each character and by identifying the lessons they learn from each other and from the society around them, you are broadening your own experience and better preparing yourself for that unpredictable road full of obstacles and uncertainty that may seem daunting at times, but provides the only true path to your own dreams.