A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide

Exam date: THURSDAY, October 5th

You will be tested over Poetry, A Raisin in the Sun (Acts 1&2), and a speech from MLK

Section 1: Know the following characters and enough about each character to complete a quote identification.

Character: / Description: / Quote:
Mama Younger
Ruth Younger
George Murchison
Joseph Asagai
Walter Younger
Beneatha Younger
Travis Younger
Karl Linder

Section II: Define the following Literary Terms:

  1. Allusion
  2. Dramatic Irony
  3. Foreshadowing
  4. Irony
  5. Tone
  1. What do the following characters do for a living?
  2. Ruth: ______
  3. Walter: ______
  4. Mama: ______
  5. Would you describe Beneatha as an optimist or a pessimist during most of the play?
  6. In Act I, Ruth became upset when Walter gave Travis $1, why did she become upset?
  7. In Act I, during breakfast, what was the argument about between Walter and Ruth.
  8. What does Asagai mean when he calls Beneatha “Alaiyo”?
  9. When we meet Asagai for the first time, what does he say about Beneatha’s hair?
  10. Out of all the characters that we meet, which one never appears on stage or in the film, he is just talked about, but was a cause of a major conflict within the play?
  11. Why do Ruth and Mama approve of George Murchison, even though he clearly is not the best suitor for Beneatha?
  12. How are George and Walter different?
  13. What do Ruth, Beneatha, and Walter give Mama before the family moves?
  14. Who steals the money that Walter had for the liquor store?
  15. How are Walter’s dreams deferred throughout the play?
  16. Think about the bigger picture…what is Walter’s dream, ambition, aspiration?
  17. How does Walter and Ruth’s relationship change throughout the play?
  18. At the end of the play, what does Walter mean by “old time stuff”?
  19. Define afro-centrism and who exemplifies this throughout the play?
  20. How does Hansberry critique gender roles with Beneatha ‘s character?
  21. What might Beneatha’s hair symbolize in the play?
  22. First assimilation, then African American Pride
  23. First African American pride, then assimilation
  24. Only pride
  25. Only assimilation
  26. What does Mama’s poor little plant symbolize?
  27. What does the new house represent for the Younger family?
  28. Look over your theme activity and be able to identify several themes from the play.
  29. How do setting, symbolism, and conflict help develop the themes?
  30. Who is the last character on stage at the end of the play?

Review poetry annotation notes and speech analysis assignments.