Posted by Amber Sughrue (64.30.110.147) on June 22, 2005 at 3:51:48 p.m.:
In Reply to: A Raisin in the Sun and "Harlem" Wednesday Discussion posted by Jeanne Guerin on June 21, 2005 at 12:57:24 p.m.:
A “Raisin In the Sun” does have a correlation to the poem “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. The poem expresses feelings about dreams that are overdue. The Younger family has many dreams that never come true. Walter especially has dreamed about success as a businessman and making a lot of money. In poverty, sometimes all people have is a dream, however, many times the dream is never realized. The poem expresses the feeling of that lost dream. What happened to the dream? With the Younger family, the dream for success has, as the poem says, dried up like a raisin in the sun. When Walter found out that Willy went away with his money, it felt as if the dream exploded. And in a sense, the dream did go running away, as if Willy stole their dream. Beneatha no longer has money for school, Walter will not be able to open the liquor store, and hopes of a brighter future are now dimmed for the whole family. However, I do believe the Younger’s do still have a flicker of hope for their future, but the dream is gone for now.