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.
...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.
A Raisin in the Sun is about the Younger family, they are facing its own war against racism in Chicago. America’s complicated history of racial tension between black Americans and white Americans is ingrained into the Youngers’ everyday lives. Mother (and grandmother) Lena Younger, her daughter Beneatha, and her son Walter, Walter’s wife Ruth and their son Travis, squeeze into a small two-bedroom apartment.
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.
LGBTQ movement. There was severe police brutality occurring in the streets of New York and
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011. 950-1023. Print.
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.
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.
Differences in generations can cause people to have different viewpoints in life. A Raisin In The Sun is a play set in the 1950s written by Lorraine Hansberry. The Youngers are a black family who lives in a cramped apartment in the South Side of Chicago. When Mama receives a check of insurance money, members of the family are divided in their own hopes of what it will be used for. Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha are the three women of the Younger household and their generational differences clearly show through their actions. The difference between generations is why Mama is the most devout, Ruth is an agreeable person, and Beneatha is outspoken and has modern views.
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.
Work Cited:.. Hansberry, Lorraine. A. A Raisin in the Sun. 1958.
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.
Dreams of owning a business and having money to accomplish goals are two key parts played out throughout the whole process. Walter Younger is determined to have his own business and he will go to ends meet to see that dream come true. Financial bridges are crossed and obstacles arise when Walter makes a bad decision regarding money that could have helped the family and not only himself, if he had thought smarter. His pride and dignity are tested throughout the story and he is forced to set up for his family. The Raisin in the Sun helps readers to understand the 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.