Read paragraphs 1-4 of act 1, scene 1. For each paragraph, find a description that Hansberry uses to set the mood of the play. Your description can be 1-2 sentences from the play, or more if needed. Put that description in quotation marks and note the paragraph from which you obtained the description.
Paragraph 1: "The setting is the living room/kitchen of a small apartment of two rooms and a bathroom. The atmosphere is wholly confined to this one room, as are the lives of the Younger family." (P1) In this description, Hansberry sets a mood of confinement and limitation, emphasizing the cramped living conditions and the limited opportunities the Younger family has.
Paragraph 2: "The furnishings are typical and undistinguished and their primary feature now is that they have clearly had to accommodate the living of too many people for too many years and they are tired." (P2) This description sets a mood of weariness and exhaustion, depicting the worn-out furniture and suggesting the long struggle and hardship the family has faced.
Paragraph 3: "In the living room at Right, a heavy sort of makeshift table. (At left, the folding table which also does duty as the do-the-ironing table.)" (P3) This description creates a utilitarian and functional mood, highlighting the practicality and resourcefulness of the Younger family as they make the most out of their limited space and resources.
Paragraph 4: "There is a feeling of suppressed intensity, which hangs in the air, like a thunderstorm, before the first quiet flash of lighting. Nervous laughter is heard from the bedroom." (P4) With this description, Hansberry establishes a mood of tension and anticipation, suggesting that there are underlying issues and conflicts within the family that are about to surface.