A Raisin in my Past

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When I found out that I would be reading “A Raisin in the Sun” for class, a wave of recognition flooded me. I remembered that I had read it back in high school. Such a long time ago now; at least seven years. But what was surprising was that I remembered certain aspects of the play so vividly. I remembered when Beneatha was called queen of the Nile. I remembered when Walter used the word “tooken” a lot. My friend and I used to borrow his word to use as an inside joke. I remember Mama’s plant.

But of all the little things that I remembered, I couldn’t remember the majority of the actual story. It became like a trip down memory lane as I reread the play for class. I felt myself getting more emotionally involved than anticipated. The characters felt like old friends who were forced to live out the same story again. I nearly cried outright for Walter when he lost all of that money. My heart felt nothing but empathy for the man who felt like the entire world was against him.

I feel like “A Raisin in the Sun” is a play that will stick with me for years, even if I never read or watch it again. It was so profound and honest. You can feel the heart that was put into it. It really was a window into another world as well as a mirror to our own. I will not soon forget the perspective that Asagai brought to Beneatha when he said that there is something wrong when a dream must depend on the death of a man. It is a wonderful work of art that I would recommend to anyone.