A Raisin in the Sun Creativity of Hansberry played a crucial role in the development of African-American drama since the Second World War. A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by African-American author which was set on Broadway and was honored by the circle of New York theater critics. Drama of A Raisin in the Sun (1959) brought Hansberry to the Award Society of New York Critics as the best play of the year. A Raisin in the Sun shows the life of an ordinary African-American family which dreams of happiness and their desire to achieve their dream. A Raisin in the Sun is a play telling the story of an African-American tragedy. The play is about the Younger family near the end of the 1950s. The Younger family lives in the ghetto and is at a crossroads after the father’s death. Mother Lena Younger and her grown up children Walter Lee and Beneatha share a cramped apartment in a poor district of Chicago, in which she and Walter Lee's wife Ruth and son Travis barely fit together inside. Lena's husband, the family's father died and his life insurance brings the family $ 10,000. Everyone, especially the children, are waiting for the payment of life insurance in the cash. Now the question is whether the money should be invested in a medical school for the daughter, in a deal for the son or other dreams. But after the death of her husband Lena Younger gets the insurance money and buys a new house, where the whole family is going to move. It would seem that a dream came true. But soon we learn that the area, where the family purchased the house, is full of white people who do not want to see African-Americans in the neighborhood. The Youngers are trying to survive the threats or bribes, but they manage to maintain a sense of dignit... ... middle of paper ... ...me change is for the better. The focus is not only the discrimination of African-Americans in the 1950's and later decades, it is also about dreams, money and family ties. Works Cited Austin, Addell. "A Raisin in the Sun." Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition (1998): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. Brantingham, Philip. "A Raisin in the Sun." Masterplots II: Drama (1990): 1- 3. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: French Publishing, 1984. Tackach, James. "A Raisin in the Sun." Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1- 3.Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. Washington, Gladys J. "A Raisin in the Sun." Masterplots II: African American Literature, Revised Edition (2008): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 25 Apr. 2011.
The stonewall riots happened june 28, 1969. It took place in the the Stonewall inn which is located in Greenwich Village which is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. “The stonewall inn is widely known as the birthplace of the modern LGBT rights movement and holds a truly iconic place in history” (gaycitynews). This means that the Stonewall riots was the event that started the gay rights movement. This is saying that The Stonewall is where the gay rights movement started for gay people to have same rights has anyone else. It all started with A number of incidents that were happening simultaneously. “There was no one thing that happened or one person, there was just… a flash of group, of mass anger”(Wright). This means that everything was happening at once and a bunch of people were angry. People in the crowd started shouting “Gay Power!” “And as the word started to spread through Greenwich Village and across the city, hundreds of gay men and lesbians, black, white, Hispanic, and predominantly working class, converged on the Christopher Street area around the Stonewall Inn to join the fray”(Wright). So many gay and lesbian people were chanting “gay power” . “The street outside the bar where the rebellion lasted for several day and night in june”(gaycitynews). so the stonewall riot lasted many days and
A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry. The primary focus of the play is the American Dream. The American Dream is one’s conception of a better life. Each of the main characters in the play has their own idea of what they consider to be a better life. A Raisin in the Sun emphasizes the importance of dreams regardless of the various oppressive struggles of life.
Lorraine Hansberry is the author of the play A Raisin in the Sun. This play is very significant because it was the first play written by a black playwright to win the Best Play of the Year Award. Another interesting point about the play is the title. The title A Raisin in the Sun also refers to Langston Hughes poem Harlem. In many ways Langston Hughes’ poem relates to Lorraine Hansberry’s play. In the play a family of black Americans have a chance to move ahead in the cruel prejudiced world. Lorraine Hansberry shows the frustrations that occur when one’s dreams are deferred. The Younger family in the play experiences these times of misery when those dreams are broken.
“A Raisin in the Sun” is set at in an area where racism was still occurring. Blacks were no longer separated but they were still facing many racial problems. The black Younger family faced these problems throughout the play. The entire family was affected in their own way. The family has big dreams and hope to make more of their poor lives. Walter, the main character, is forced to deal with most of the issues himself. Ruth, his wife, and Travis, his ten-year-old son, really don’t have say in matters that he sets his mind to. Beneatha, his sister tries to get her word in but is often ignored. Lena (Mama) is Walter’s mother and is very concerned about her family. She tries to keep things held together despite all of the happenings. Mama’s husband had just recently died so times seemed to be even harder. They all live in a small apartment when living space is very confined (Hansberry 1731). They all have dreams in which they are trying to obtain, but other members of the family seem to hold back each other from obtaining them (Decker).
In the wee hours of June 28th, 1969, members of the gay community were forced to enter a string of intense protests when the New York City Police began to raid the Stonewall Inn, a popular hangout spot for drag queens and members of the LGBT community, in Greenwich Village. This occurrence was one of the first times in history in which enraged citizens of this community actually took a stand that would permanently alter not only their own lives, but also the lives of countless men and women for many years thereafter. As a response to this event, the Gay Liberation Front, an organization that identified mistreatment of gay individuals as systemic and fundamentally unjust, formed to instill a new language and style of homosexuality. However, the GLF was ultimately run aground due to identity politics, and its criticism regarding its apparent favor for white gays and perceived disregard for white lesbians and people of color. Nevertheless, it was innovative in that it was one of the first organizations to advocate gay equality that borrowed ideas and ways of operating from antiwar demonstrators and groups such as the Black Panthers.
LGBTQ movement. There was severe police brutality occurring in the streets of New York and
In Lorraine Hansberry “A Raisin in the Sun”, the issues of racial discrimination, the debate of heroism, and criticism is vividly displayed. The play, which was written in the late 1950’s presents itself in a realistic discerning matter that implicates the racial division among the black family and white America. The play insinuates Walters’s heroism as well because of the black family’s struggle not to become discouraged in trying to obtain the world riches and still maintaining human dignity. When Hansberry wrote “A Raisin in the Sun”, many critics questioned the motive behind her play because it showed the America the world wants to grow oblivious to. This presents the reality of racial discrimination and heroism for the black man among
One of the world’s greatest social movements known as the Gay Rights Movement stemmed in the late 1960’s in America. After events known as the Stonewall riots, the Gay Rights Movement gradually became increasingly influential and empowering for all sexual minorities and gender identities.
For many generations, especially in North America, homosexuality was not accepted in any way, shape, or form. Many believed that it was a medical illness that was curable, when in reality, people were, and still are, ignorant and could not come to terms that everyone in this world is different from one another. For many instances of being treated unjust, many individuals in the gay community did not want to “expose” themselves and remained in the “closet”. As means to make gays and lesbians proud and take a stand for who they are, a movement spread across internationally. This movement is known as “The Gay Liberation” movement which occurred between the late 1960s and the early to mid 1970s (“Gay Liberation”). The Gay Liberation movement urged individuals of the gay community to “come out,” revealing their sexuality to their loved ones as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride (“Gay Liberation”). The Stonewall Riots are believed to have been the spark that ignited the rise of the Gay Liberation movement; it influenced the way the gay community is viewed socially and how their rights are politically present day.
The Stonewall rebellion has been considered the birth of a new wave of a liberation movement that changed the world for millions of lesbians, gay men, drag queens, and drag kings of all races, ethnicities, and ages. Yet, it was certainly not the first raid nor the first moment of protest for homosexuals. The raid at Stonewall was preceded by decades of police harassment of gay establishments. The first recorded raid of a gay bathhouse was in 1903, at the Ariston Hotel Baths at 55th and Broadway in New York where 26 men were arrested. Seven of them received sentences ranging from four to 20 years in prison (Chauncey, 1994). Countless raids, arrests, and imprisonments occurred in the decades that followed.
...protest movements throughout America and the world.” Among the gay community Stonewall has become the word for freedom, for fighting, for equality. It became a turning point in Gay history, so much so that most books on the subject refer to “pre-Stonewall” and “post-Stonewall” as the lines of demarcation. Of course the journey is still long and fight has not been won. At the turn of the century there were still 20 states that made homosexual sex illegal , any only a few states would recognize the love and companionship of gays through marriage or civil unions. The military policy of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is still active and prejudices continue to exist. But, as exemplified by any other civil rights movement, it is through the constant grind of activists and lay-people constantly protesting and educating, that change occurs, even if only one person at a time.
Walter Younger is the most hopeful character throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun. He has hopes of providing for his family, even if his hopes may not be the best way to go about earning a living. Throughout the play he is always saying how he wants to provide a better life and home for his family. He is so focused on that goal that he fails to realize the impact of his dreams on the remainder of his family. Walter Younger possesses the traits of an African American man living in Chicago during the times of oppression wanting to live the American Dream.
In 1961 David Susskind produced an adaptation of Lorraine hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun. The cast was Sidney Poitier (Walter), Claudia McNeil (Mama), Ruby Dee (Ruth), and Diana Sands (Beneatha). All of the actors were part of the theatrical play as well as the movie. It was a success, with two of the actors receiving nominations for the golden globe award, Poitier and McNeil, and Dee receiving best supporting actress. It also, was one of the first movies that featured an almost all black cast.
The Stonewall Riots marked the start of the gay rights movement, and inspired members of the gay community to fight for their rights instead of being condemned for their sexuality. Even today, gay people in the US use the incident at Stonewall to educate younger members of the gay community. "The younger generation should know about Stonewall so that they will realize it is possible to make change. It is possible to overcome entrenched, institutionalized prejudice, discrimination, and bigotry. And that they can live full equal lives." (Frank Kameny, aarp.org) This is the message that many members of the gay community continue to spread after the incident at the Stonewall Inn.
The late 1950s was filled with racial discriminations. There was still sections living as well as public signs of Colored and Whites. Blacks and Whites were not for any change or at least not yet. A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Vivian Hansberry, tells a story of a black family that is struggling to gain a middle class acceptance in Chicago. The family of five, one child and four adults live in a tiny apartment that is located in a very poor area. Dreams of owning a business and having money to accomplish goals is two key parts played out throughout the whole play. Walter Younger is determined to have his own business and he will go to ends met to see that dream come true. Financial bridges are crossed and obstacles arise when Walter makes a bad decision regarding money that could have help the family and not only himself, if he would have thought smarter. His pride and dignity are tested throughout the story and he is forced to setup for his family. The Raisin in the Sun helps readers to understand history of racial discrimination and how racial discrimination has an effect on the people in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as how that has an effect on the characters within the play.