Lesson 6: A Raisin in the Sun, Act I, Scene 1, Part 2

In the previous lesson, we used Hansberry’s dedication, Hughes’s epigraph, and the opening stage directions to predict that dreams are shaped by the conditions people live in. Today we move from the physical apartment itself to the people living inside it, paying close attention to what Ruth, Walter, and Beneatha say and do in this scene. This helps prepare us for the unit Performance Task because strong arguments about barriers and dreams begin with strong evidence about the people affected by those barriers. Use this routine to quickly surface students’ current thinking about family before they apply that idea to the Younger family. Keep the focus on definitions and text evidence, not personal disclosure. Students remain with a shoulder partner.

Turn and Talk

Say these Directions: Think about the word family. With a partner, answer: What makes a group of people a family? Use evidence from Act I, Scene 1, to decide whether the Youngers fit your definition of “family.” Partner A, share first for 30 seconds. Partner B, listen for one idea you want to build on. Then switch.

• A family is a group of people who are tied together by care, responsibility, and history, even when they argue. The Youngers fit that definition because they live tightly together, depend on one another, and keep worrying about each other’s future.

Connection to Today's Learning:

• Say: Today, we are going to test our first impressions of the Youngers by studying the exact dialogue, actions, and stage directions Hansberry uses to build each character.

Use this routine to teach the relationship between direct characterization and indirect characterization. Students should record both terms in their Personal Dictionary and note that drama depends heavily on indirect characterization because characters reveal themselves in speech and action.

Word Relationship

Teach: The Difference between Characterization and Indirect Characterization

Target Sentence:

Ruth is about thirty. We can see that she was a pretty girl ... disappointment has already begun to hang in her face” (p. 24).

“She wipes her face with a moist cloth and runs her fingers through her sleep-disheveled hair.” (p. 25).

Explain that characterization means how an author helps us understand what a character is like.

• Say: When you read the line that says “disappointment has already begun to hang in Ruth’s face,” Hansberry is telling us directly what Ruth seems like. When you read that Ruth wipes her face, fixes her hair, and keeps moving the morning along, Hansberry is not telling you “Ruth is exhausted” out loud, but you can infer it. The first example is direct characterization, and the second is indirect characterization. In a play, we usually learn most about characters through what they say, what they do, and how other characters react to them.

Say these Directions: In your Personal Dictionary, write direct characterization and indirect characterization. Under each term, write your own definition and an example from Ruth’s introduction that matches each type of characterization.

• Ask: Which of the target sentences is an example of direct characterization, and which is an example of indirect characterization? Explain.

  • The sentence that says disappointment has already begun to hang in Ruth’s face is direct characterization because Hansberry tells us what Ruth seems like. The sentence about Ruth wiping her face and fixing her hair is indirect characterization because we figure out from her actions that she is tired and worn down.

• Ask: Why do you think Hansberry relies more on indirect characterization in her play than she might if she were writing a novel?

  • Plays depend a lot on indirect characterization because characters reveal themselves through dialogue, movement, and stage directions. Instead of narrative explanations, the audience has to notice what characters do and say.

Connection to Today's Learning

• Say: Now that you have language for how characterization works, you are ready to hear the scene aloud and notice how the Youngers reveal themselves through speech, movement, and conflict.

Part A: Hear the Characters Come Alive: A Raisin in the Sun Act I, Scene 1 (RL.7.3) (12 minutes)

Conduct a read-aloud of Scene 1, pages 25-35, with the whole class. Assign speaking roles for Ruth, Walter, Travis, Beneatha, and Mama. The teacher should read the stage directions so students can hear how Hansberry’s descriptions shape meaning before and between lines. Explain that when we read a play aloud, tone and pacing help us notice characterization that might stay hidden on the page. Instruct students to open their copies of A Raisin in the Sun to p. 25 and follow along.

Choral Reading

Teach: Noticing Characterization

Say these Directions: As we read, listen for what each character wants, what frustrates them, and how they sound when they respond to one another. Think about the questions below as you read aloud Scene 1.

Conduct a read-aloud of Scene 1, starting with Ruth’s line “Come on now, boy…” through the stage direction “She rises and gets the ironing board…” (pp. 25-34)

• Ask: How does Walter’s repeated focus on the insurance check reveal his point of view?

• Ask: Hansberry never directly says “Walter is frustrated.” What lines suggest his frustration indirectly?

• Ask: How does Walter connect money to identity or dignity in this passage?

• Ask: What difference do you notice between what Walter says and how Ruth responds? What does that contrast reveal about both characters?

• When I hear Walter interrupt Ruth again and again about the check, I learn not just what he wants but how urgently he sees the world. When I hear Ruth answer briefly while still cooking and managing the apartment, I hear her exhaustion and pressure. In a play, the sound of the lines helps us understand point of view, not just the meaning of the words. That is why reading aloud is part of reading closely.

• Ask: At the beginning of the morning routine, how do the stage directions and dialogue work together to shape your first impressions of Ruth? What do Ruth’s short replies and constant movement suggest about the pressure she feels?

  • The stage directions directly tell us Ruth has disappointment on her face, and her actions show it too. She wakes Travis, calls Walter several times, fixes breakfast, and keeps moving, so Hansberry shows that Ruth is exhausted and carrying a lot.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part B: Build a Character Claim (RL.7.3) (18 minutes)

Divide students into three groups: Ruth, Walter, and Travis. Each group gathers evidence for one character and then shares a claim with the class. Explain that strong characterization analysis does not stop with labeling them with an adjective. Students need to name what traits are associated with each character and explain what dream, pressure, or belief may be shaping that behavior.

Say these Directions: With your group, use a 3-column chart to identify key characteristics about your assigned character. Label the columns: “Text Detail,” “Adjective/Trait,” and “What pressure, dream, or point of view contributes to this trait?” Find at least two strong details from the text that develop the reader’s impression of your group’s character. At least one detail should show indirect characterization. Be ready to share one claim about your character using the words reveals, suggests, or shows.

• Ask: Which adjective or trait best captures your group’s character, and which details support that choice?

  • Ruth seems exhausted and caring. Hansberry directly describes disappointment on her face, and indirectly shows her exhaustion through all the morning work she does while still looking after Travis.

  • Walter seems restless and ambitious. He keeps asking about the check, talks about the liquor store, and says he is choking and wants to change his life.

• Ask: What pressure, dream, or point of view helps explain why your character acts that way?

  • Ruth acts this way because she is under pressure from money, space, and daily responsibilities in the apartment.

  • Walter acts this way because he dreams of power and respect, and he feels trapped by his job and by how little control he has over the insurance money.

Whole-Class Discussion

Say these Directions: Each group will now share one claim and one supporting detail. As you listen to the other groups, jot down adjectives and telling evidence into your notes. Use this sentence frame when presenting your claim:

• “Hansberry reveals [Character] as _____________ through the line “______________.” This suggests ________________.”

Transition students from group talk to individual reflection by reminding them that strong readers notice not only what they concluded, but how they concluded it. Students are now ready to step back and reflect on how they reached their conclusions about the Youngers and which kind of characterization mattered most.

Routine: Quick Write

Say these Directions: Explain whether you relied more on direct characterization, indirect characterization, or both to draw conclusions about the Youngers today. Use at least two specific details from the scene and explain how the textual evidence led you to draw particular conclusions about the characters. If you’d like, use the optional sentence starter to frame your response:

• Optional Sentence Starter:

  • I relied most on ______ characterization because the detail where ______ helped me infer ______.

    • I relied on both, but mostly on indirect characterization. Hansberry directly tells us that Ruth has disappointment on her face, but I understood her even more from her actions because she wakes everyone up, cooks, and keeps the apartment going while exhausted. I also learned about Walter indirectly from the way he keeps returning to the insurance check and talks about changing his life, which shows that money is tied to his dream and frustration.

Instruct students to read back over today’s portion of Act I, Scene 1 and complete the following tasks in their Journal:

• Write one sentence for each character (Ruth, Walter, and Travis) that identifies the character’s dream and how or why it is being deferred.