Race in America
Hansberry and Hughes: Two Portraits of Race in America
I. Introduction Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun and Langston Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son”
a) background on both authors and texts
b) brief summary of both texts (no more than 3 sentences for each)
c) thesis statement: Both works, while diverse in form, discuss the struggles of being African-American and present convincing portraits of race in the 20th century.
II. Topic Sentence: First of all, Hansberry’s realistic dialogue dramatizes the struggle of African-Americans, as does the lyrical and idiomatic language of the mother’s monologue in Hughes’ poem.
a) dialogue in Hansberry’s play
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of dialogue in the play
b) monologue in Hughes’ poem
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of the mother’s monologue in the poem
III. Topic Sentence: Furthermore, figurative language and diction allow both Hansberry and Hughes to realistically portray race prejudice in America.
a) diction and figures of speech in Hansberry’s play
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of language in the play
b) diction and figures of speech in Hughes’ poem
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of language in the poem
IV. Topic Sentence: In addition, setting in Hansberry and Hughes’ works allows readers to understand racial conflict in terms of social environment, atmosphere, and the perception of time.
a) setting in Hansberry’s play
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of setting in the play
b) setting in Hughes’ poem
1. example 1
2. example 2
3. summarize the significance of setting in the poem
V. Conclusion.
