Drama Assignment | College Homework Help

Analytical Topics for Essay #2 (Drama)
1. Some critics have argued that Trifles is immoral. Defend your position regarding this issue.
2. Both Trifles and A Raisin in the Sun have all of their action occurring in one space. Write an essay analyzing the effect of this type of setting on the characters and the action.
3. Choose the scene in A Raisin in the Sun in which you feel each major character most clearly reveals his/her true nature. Analyze the dialogue in that scene and explain how that scene is most characteristic.
4. What is the significance of the title? It is a phrase from a poem called “Harlem” by Langston Hughes. Look up the poem and explain why you think Hansberry chose this phrase for her title.
5. Compare and contrast the dreams of Walter, Mama, Beneatha, and Ruth. Which one of these characters do you find most admirable?
6. Why are Joseph Asagai and George Murchison in the play? What perspectives of the black experience in the United States do they represent? How do their views relate to the problems of the Younger family?
7. The American dream means something different to each character in A Raisin in the Sun. Discuss these differences and how they conflict with one another.
8. Many critics assert that the art of Hansberry’s play is that it is less about race than about humanity. Do you think the play would be equally compelling if the actors were white, or some other minority group? Explain why or why not.

Creative Topics for Essay #2
1. Imagine that Mrs. Wright has been brought to trial. Prepare an opening argument as if you were a prosecuting or defense attorney.
2. How would Trifles be different if the male and female roles were reversed (i.e., the women were investigating the crime)? Write a short scene from the new play.
3. Assume the role of one of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun and describe another character. For example, how would Travis describe his father or mother? How would Joseph Asagai describe Ruth or Mama?
4. Create a background story for one of the main characters. That is, what crucial events have occurred in this character’s life before the play opens?