The adolescence, admittedly lingering still, brought the traditional passionate commitment to melancholy autumn—and all that.

By duration alone, for instance, a summer’s day seemed maddeningly excessive, an utter overstatement.

And it was also cool and sweet to be on the grass and there was usually the scent of freshly cut lemons or melons in the air.

The woman that I met was as wrinkled as a prune and could hardly hear and barely see and always seemed to be thinking of other times.

I heard later that she did live to see another summer. And I have retained my respect for the noblest of the seasons.

The word on, meaning “concerning” or “about,” has been used in the titles of many essays.

What expectations does Hansberry’s title create in you, the reader?

In her first sentence, Hansberry declares, “It has taken me a good number of years to come to any measure of respect for summer.” What does this opening sentence lead you to expect about the structure of Hansberry’s essay?

A crucial fact about Hansberry’s own life was her struggle against cancer and her premature death from the disease at age thirty-four. How do you think this biographical fact might affect the writer’s attitude toward the seasons and the passage of time?