“Cultural and Historical Contexts” reading.

Research Essay: We know that Lorraine Hansberry grew up in Chicago, the setting for A Raisin in the Sun. We also know that the play was produced on Broadway, in New York. Both Chicago and New York are major urban centers in the northern United States. Speculate on how an audience in a different part of the country may have perceived the play and reacted to it when it first appeared.

Pay particular attention to historical details you can learn from the “Cultural and Historical Contexts” introduction to the play. Would an audience in the rural South see the play differently than one in the urban, industrial North? Or, in your opinion, would audiences react more or less the same to the “universal” themes? Support your answer with specific details from the play and from the “Cultural and Historical Contexts” reading.