What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
Like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
- "Harlem," by Langston Hughes, 1951
Updated June 25, 2001
Class is gettting better all the time- check the Classroom page for updates on our discussions
By the way, here is an article in the New York Times that is very much on point (you have to register with them, but it is free and very much worth it).
Next semester
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is the favorite American book of many English Literature students. (in my experience)
I try to read the book once a year, it gets better each time.
About the class in general
I am very glad to be able
to teach the movies class at Sophia Community College. One aim of the
class is to introduce movies that are not well-known; in addition we learn
how to "read a film" and discuss the cultural and literary implications
of the text and film.
The links below are on every page of the site and will lead you to more information on the movie, the vocabulary, the author Lorraine Hansberry and the discussions in class.
About the Movie | Vocabulary
|
Lorraine Hansberry | Classroom
If you would like to find out what other people think of the text and the movie, use these links:
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Information on the movie A Raisin In The Sun at the Internet Movie Database.
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Information on the text A Raisin In The Sun at Amazon.com
Finally, here are some of my thoughts about how you should prepare for the class, most specifically about choosing a text to study.
About the class - more specifically
Our movie this term is A Raisin In The Sun, starring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. It was released in 1961 and was based on Lorraine Hansberry's Broadway play of the same title.
The play is concerned with the Younger family. They live in the "Black Belt" ghetto of Chicago after the Second World War. Mr. Younger has recently died and his widow is about to receive $10,000 from his life insurance policy (a very large amount of money in those days).
Each member of the family has an idea of how the money can be used. But they are completely shocked by what Mrs. Younger finally decides to do with the money.
I don't want to give away much more than that, but suffice it to say that the movie is one of the best you'll ever see and that by the end of class you will have a much expanded understanding of American culture.
Vocabulary List
The vocabulary list is coming along, it should be finished by late February.
Text
The stage play version of A Raisin In the Sun will be the base material for our discussions in the Spring 2001 class. The film screenplay is a fine alternative text / supplemental text.
There is little difference in the dialogue in the two versions. The movie deleted some scenes and added others, but the dialogue that is in the movie is virtually identical to that of the play.
My recommendation
Get the Modern Library edition if you wish to treasure the book; get the
screenplay instead of or in addition to the stage play if you wish to
learn more about the filming process.
Information on getting the text
There are several editions of the text for you to choose from. I provide links to the books below to amazon.co.jp (By the way, I have no affiliation with amazon, the links are just for your information).
At this writing amazon.co.jp has free shipping until February 28, 2001. If that offer indeed ends on February 28 you may wish to order books as part of a group. Contact me by email and I will be happy to order for you to save on shipping costs.
Of course, if you wish to buy the book at a bookstore or other Internet service that is your choice.
Stage play script
The reason I chose the stage play script as our fundamental text is that
part of the class will focus on the difference between staging a play
and filming a movie.
Modern Library edition - Beautifully printed, not terribly expensive; get it if you are a book lover.
Vintage paperback - Vintage is a good publisher; this book should be of sufficient quality.
Unfilmed Original Screenplay
The film screenplay is useful if you enjoy learning more about how movies
are made; the reason these are termed "unfilmed" is that many
scenese were cut from the final print of the movie. As a result the movie
A Raisin In The Sun was turned into the filmed stage play A
Raisin In The Sun.
Plume edition: this edition is a high quality paperback. I found it much easier to read than the mass market paperback edition. The large size accomodates note-taking as well as reading.
Signet Mass Market edition: this edition is cheaply made and with smaller print than the Plume edition. But it is half the price!
Movie Database:
See the A Raisin in the Sun entry in my movie database to link to the Internet Movie Database and Amazon.com's pages on the movie. You can find a lot of interesting information about the movie, and read the comments from other viewers of the movie. You can also look through the database to find other texts and movies that will be good for self-study.
A Raisin In The Sun
Introduction Page | About the Movie
| Vocabulary |
Lorraine Hansberry | Classroom
Movies Class
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Database | Community College Courses