A Raisin In The Sun Gentrification Analysis

Jonah Rivera
Professor Curtis-Cummins
ENG1036
1 April 2018

The Social Issue of Gentrification
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, set in the 1950s right before the Civil Rights movement, the Youngers are a poor African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago. But their hopes of moving out of the Southside were fulfilled when they receive a check of $10,000. This check was issued because of the passing of Lena Younger’s husband. Lena's children, Walter and Beneatha, each have their plans for the money. The oldest son, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store and the younger sister, Beneatha wants to use the money for medical school. Lena wants to buy a house for the family and to finance Beneatha's medical school. They used

For example, in the 1970s, there was a renewal policy in Britain which switched from redevelopment to rehabilitation which justified a new approach would enable communities to be retained. This summary of the article shows that communities would be retained. In addition, rehabilitation policies were also negatively affected as they were seen as causing gentrification. From the 1930s to 1950s, the New Deal’s housing programs had mortgages to help people buy homes but the flaw was that the programs in home mortgages which encouraged whites only to buy homes as mortgages were following segregated patterns of home ownership. To support this claim, Walter says, “Mama, you know it’s all divided up. Life is. Sure enough. Between the takers and the "tooken." (He laughs) I’ve figured it out finally…People like Willy Harris, they don’t never get "tooken." And you know why the rest of us do? ‘Cause we all mixed up. Mixed up bad. We get to looking ‘round for the right and the wrong; and we worry about it and cry about it and stay up nights trying to figure out ‘bout the wrong and the right of things all the time… And all the time, man, them takers is out there operating, just taking and taking.” (3.1.89). This shows the desperation of the family’s situation and how they are struggling from thieves. This also shows society’s desperation which results to theft. A

There is an article called Bring Out the Hipsters, provided by The Economist, a popular source, explains the problem for most American cities is not gentrification but the opposite: the concentration of poverty. There are neighborhoods that were more than 30% poor in the 1970s: 9% are now less poor than the national average. But the South Side is where housing policies created a ghetto in the 1950s and 1960s which remains violent, poor and almost entirely black. In addition, Ruth says, “What do you mean he’s shallow? He’s rich…Well – what other qualities a man got to have to satisfy you, little girl?” (1.1.249). Ruth jokingly explains about how wealth is the most important trait. This could show that the people who lived in poverty were socially adapted to the social norms back then.
In the play, Hashberry emphasizes on the social issue called gentrification. The issues has not been addressed and what still needs to be done are improvements of old houses and a promotion of a sustainable urban environment. Although the issues have not been addressed, what is important is to at least try to prevent gentrification form happening in