A Raisin in the Sun: Afrocentrism, Asagai, My Favorite Quotation, and Discussion Questions

I have taught the drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry dozens of times in my 30-year career as a middle and high school English teacher.  Every time I teach it, I love it more than I thought I could.  I often teach it in February during Black History Month, and I’ll position it after our Harlem Renaissance study which includes Langston Hughes, the poet from which the title was inspired.  Aside from the content, I love teaching the play because students find it more accessible than other dramas they read in high school.  Somehow, it’s just easier for them.  The best reasons to teach it, though, are the pertinent themes of identity, manhood, race, dreams, family, and Afrocentrism.

I hadn't studied Afrocentrism prior to studying this play. Somehow, it didn't come up in my college English studies. Afrocentrism is a belief system which celebrates African culture and the contributions of Africans to the development of Western civilization.

The character of Beneatha (beautifully played by Sanaa Lathan in the 2008 production) demonstrates the theme of identity in the novel. She is born and raised in America, and that fact is evidenced by her style, her interests, and her hair. Beneatha's contrast is Joseph Asagai, her college friend from Nigeria. Beneatha is fascinated by Asagai and what he represents, and she visits him for enriching conversation and light flirtation. Asagai comments on Beneatha's hairstyle being "assimilationist" meaning that it has been heavily influenced by popular culture and styled beyond its natural state. Shortly after, Beneatha symbolically cancels her assimilationist identity by cropping her hair short and dancing to Nigerian music.

Later in the play, after Walter's immaturity results in a devastating loss for the family, Beneatha is comforted by Asagai. That is when he speaks this line. Every year, this hits at my core and leaves me speechless.

He says, "Then isn't there something wrong in a house--in a world--where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man?" Yesss.

I raise these questions for discussion:

• How much, as a society, do we allow people's dreams to be built on the deaths (literal and figurative) of others?

• What do people sacrifice for their dreams? Is there a limit to how much sacrifice is acceptable?

• What is the cost we pay for our dreams?

• What price are you willing to pay for your dream?

• What happens if there is a negative payoff to your achieving your dream?

• What happens when someone else prevents your dream from being realized?

What is your favorite quotation from the play? Who is your favorite character? What is your favorite theme?

If you'd like to explore my A Raisin in the Sun unit resources, I invite you to visit my Teachers Pay Teachers listing.