III. THE STRUCTURE OF A LITERATURE ESSAY QUESTION

Most Literature essay questions contain several important elements. Consider the following question. “How does Lorraine Hansberry use Walter Younger to explore the conflict between individual ambition and family responsibility?”

We can divide the question into the following:

a. Command Word (How) which tells the candidate that the answer must explain the methods or ways through which something is presented.

b. Subject (Walter Younger) which tells the candidate which character should receive particular attention.

c. Focus (the conflict between individual ambition and family responsibility) which is the main idea the candidate must discuss.

d. The Text (A Raisin in the Sun) this tells the candidate where the evidence must come from.

The candidate should therefore discuss Walter’s ambitions, his desire for financial success, his conflicts with Mama, Beneatha and Ruth, his mistakes and their consequences, his eventual change, his acceptance of family responsibility and how Hansberry uses Walter to reveal the conflict between personal ambition and family obligations.