I thoroughly enjoyed A Raisin in the Sun despite not having read many plays. The stage directions proved necessary to read carefully as they moved the storyline along and helped me understand the characters’ intentions and tone. Overall, this was a moving play that made me want to try writing scripts.
Lorraine Hansberry’s characterization through dialogue and stage directions taught me lessons applicable to not only script writing, but my own novel chapters. For example, when Ruth and her young son Travis are arguing, Hansberry shows Ruth’s stern personality with their back-and-forth bickering, dashes and exclamation marks: “Ruth: ‘Travis Willard Younger--I got too much on me this morning to be--’ Travis: ‘Maybe Daddy--’ Ruth: ‘Travis!’” I want to try writing dialogue where characters interrupt each other to show arguments. Hansberry characterizes Travis’s dad Walter as boyish and fun-loving when the stage directions have him point a make-believe gun at his son. Without a narrator, the dialogue and stage directions must show the characters’ personalities.
Hansberry used one object, Mama’s old plant, as a symbol for the characters trying to thrive in a restricting, unjust environment throughout the play. The plant refuses to die, even though it is small, ugly and old. This metaphor forces readers to think about how the family continued to persist despite facing racial discrimination and economic struggles. In my writing I want to try using an object to compare to my characters’ situation. Hansberry leaves readers thinking by ending the play mentioning the plant: “The door opens and she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time. Curtain.”
Hansberry stresses the universal themes of pursuing dreams and loving unconditionally at the end of the play. This leaves readers feeling inspired and satisfied. After her son wastes much of her money in a bad investment, Mama says: “Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most?... It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so.” The importance of pursuing one’s dreams is shown when the family moves into a white neighborhood despite white people trying to push them out. They worked to buy a house, so they didn’t let racist white people stop them from moving. I think including deeper messages in writing is necessary to teach audiences lessons they’ll think about long after they finish the play/book.
Lorraine Hansberry’s characterization through dialogue and stage directions taught me lessons applicable to not only script writing, but my own novel chapters. For example, when Ruth and her young son Travis are arguing, Hansberry shows Ruth’s stern personality with their back-and-forth bickering, dashes and exclamation marks: “Ruth: ‘Travis Willard Younger--I got too much on me this morning to be--’ Travis: ‘Maybe Daddy--’ Ruth: ‘Travis!’” I want to try writing dialogue where characters interrupt each other to show arguments. Hansberry characterizes Travis’s dad Walter as boyish and fun-loving when the stage directions have him point a make-believe gun at his son. Without a narrator, the dialogue and stage directions must show the characters’ personalities.
Hansberry used one object, Mama’s old plant, as a symbol for the characters trying to thrive in a restricting, unjust environment throughout the play. The plant refuses to die, even though it is small, ugly and old. This metaphor forces readers to think about how the family continued to persist despite facing racial discrimination and economic struggles. In my writing I want to try using an object to compare to my characters’ situation. Hansberry leaves readers thinking by ending the play mentioning the plant: “The door opens and she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time. Curtain.”
Hansberry stresses the universal themes of pursuing dreams and loving unconditionally at the end of the play. This leaves readers feeling inspired and satisfied. After her son wastes much of her money in a bad investment, Mama says: “Child, when do you think is the time to love somebody the most?... It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself ‘cause the world done whipped him so.” The importance of pursuing one’s dreams is shown when the family moves into a white neighborhood despite white people trying to push them out. They worked to buy a house, so they didn’t let racist white people stop them from moving. I think including deeper messages in writing is necessary to teach audiences lessons they’ll think about long after they finish the play/book.