In both A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, Karl Lindner, a white “traditionally-thinking” man, demonstrates an undermining behavior in terms of race through his actions and words and a related arrogance that comes off as ignorance. Yet, he differs in his approach to communicating with each of the families. Attempting to connect himself to both of the families in each novel, the Stollers, and the Youngers, in different ways, Lindner’s motives present themselves through his quickly changing moods as well as his tentative yet pretentious approach to these families. While he behaves differently in both texts, similarly, he shares his love of talking in both and also his act of intrusive actions in other's …show more content…
This is the first time the audience sees a white character in the play, so it plays a testament to the next events that unfold. While introductions are happening, all the focus is on how Karl will react to their household and the people inhabiting it. From the beginning, Beneatha is uncomfortable with him because she is the one who opens the door to reveal him at their front step. The stage directions, “(Smoothing her hair with slight embarrassment)” (Hansberry 113) reveal how even though she is a refined woman of this time, she still heeds racist stereotypes because it is how she's been brought up. This quickly changes, however, throughout the conversation between the Younger family and Lindner and she promptly reverts to her protective nature towards her family. Through covert prejudiced words, such as “...We also have the category of what the association calls-(he looks elsewhere)-uh-special community problems...” (Hansberry 115) and “Anybody can see that you are a nice family of folks, hard-working and honest I’m sure. Today everybody knows what it means to be on the outside of something” (Hansberry
Raisin in the Sun is a film adaptation directed by Daniel Petrie off of a award-winning play written by Lorraine Hansberry. Overall I would rate the film as an 8 out of 10.
Both the 1961 and 1989 film versions of “A Raisin in the Sun” had their highs and lows, but the 1961 version, I believe, was the worst of the two. The 1989 version of the film followed the play almost word for word, while the 1961 version either adds or leaves things out from the play. For example, in the 1961 version of the play they added humor, such as in the scene in which Walter ran to use the bathroom before Mr. Johnson could (Petrie). The play version of the scene reads, “Daddy, come on!” (Hansberry 28). Another issue with the film was that Ruth was downright awful in scenes where her character felt great emotion. In act two, when Travis finally came home Ruth did not look or sound mad. In the book, however, she made it sounds like she
Family’s loyalty is essential to keep order in the family. In both play Raisin in the sun and Fences, the father leads their family through tough struggle. In Raisin in the sun, Walter and his family receive an insurance check from his deceased father, which became the focus of the plays. Through tough conflicts and decisions, the insurance check becomes the center of the family. In Fences, Troy and his family deal with money concerns, but also life issues. The authors from both Raisin in the sun and Fences express the theme, ‘Disloyalty in the family spells disasters and dysfunction in the family’ through symbols like the insurance check from Raisin in the sun and fences from the Fences.
It was unheard of at this time for a poor well-educated black woman to have such high ambitions and dreams. Beneatha took a lot pride in this fact and often waved her intelligence around in her families faces. Mama, knowing how much her education meant to her, told Walter to save $3000 for Beneatha's medical schooling. When it was discovered that Walter had invested the money in his liquor store scheme and Willy had run off with all the money, Beneatha was devastated. She had lost all hope and even though her spirits may have been lifted after her talk with Asagai in act III and the chance to move into a new house, it seems that Beneatha will never realize this
She speaks whatever comes to her mind without a filter. While in a fight with Mama, Beneatha states, “Well - neither is God. I get sick of hearing about God.”, this was a big mistake. Mama, not amused by Beneatha’s comment about God, slaps Beneatha, Beneatha should have thought of who she was talking to before she said those offensive words. Additionally, Beneatha tends to respond defensively when someone makes a comment about her personal life. For example, Ruth and Mama tease Beneatha about going on a date with George Murchison, a rich black man. Beneatha responds indignantly with how shallow George is, concluding that maybe she will never marry anybody. Beneatha shows constant negative interactions with other
Throughout Act 2, we can see the development of the characters. Beneatha continues to find her identity by appreciating her African heritage. Walter becomes depressed when Lena buys the house and fails to realize that Lena did something for the family to become whole again. However, I believe that Act 2 focuses more on assimilation, Walter’s childishness, and Mr. Linder and the community’s racism.
Stereotypically, the “American Dream” is the idealistic family life in America: husband, wife, children, two-story house, etc. Even more than that, this dream is a dream of equal statuses and no gender or race prevails over another. All My Sons, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Joy Luck Club all deal with the idea of the “American Dream” in a different way. In A Raisin in the Sun and The Joy Luck Club, you can see the yearn for this American lifestyle in the racial issues; while in All My Sons it ties into the lifestyle in a more family oriented way (Hansberry) (Tan) (Miller).
Hansberry promotes a sense of African heritage through her character, Beneatha. She characterizes Beneatha as a college student struggling to find her identity, who tries to achieve such by getting in touch with her roots. The author expresses Beneatha’s struggle with the arguments between her and the rest of her family, namely her mother, Lena. Beneatha tries to express her opinions and ideas, yet because she is the youngest in the household, she tends to feel confined and restricted. Hansberry states Beneatha’s conflict when she writes “Why? Why can’t I say what I want to around here like everybody else?” (Hansberry 39). This statement reveals how Beneatha feels as though her family lacks an understanding of her feelings as well as an appreciation of her opinion, thus leading to her feeling of needing to discover herself. Only when she begins to embrace the idea of returning to her African roots, an idea first given to her by the African exchange student, Asagai, does Beneatha’s mood appear happier and lighter. Upon Asagai’s presentation of a traditional Nigerian dress to her, Beneatha seems elated, and begins to contemplate wearing her natural hair after he comments “You wear it well—very well—mutilated hair and all” (Hansberry 48). Although, Beneatha’s happiness may in some cases be attributed to possible infatuation, Hansberry shows her true passio...
Beneatha wants women to have the same rights and the same expectations that men have. In the setting of A Raisin in the Sun, women are not expected to go to medical school and to become a doctor. If anything, they are “supposed to” become a nurse, or be a stay-at-home mom. Beneatha’s dreams to be a doctor often contradict what other people expect her to do with her life, but she doesn’t care what they say. She identifies as an anti-assimilationist, showed in A Raisin in the Sun when she says, “(Wheeling, passionately, sharply) I am not an assimilationist!”. She is accused of being an assimilationist by Asagai and passionately denies it. She thinks that being an African-American assimilationist would be an insult to her culture and thinks that African Americans should embrace their native culture. Her position on this matter often get in the way of her relationships with other people. This is shown in A Raisin in the Sun when George says “Oh dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the African past! On our Great West African Heritage! In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti sculpture of Bénin - and then some poetry in the Bantu - and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!”. George wants Beneatha to leave behind her heritage and embrace what Americans are doing. He wants her to abandon her family history and be an assimilationist. Beneatha is willing to fight against this mindset and this shows that she is willing to fight for what is right. Beneatha would much rather prefer to embrace her heritage and be proud that she is African rather than submit herself to American culture and leave behind her
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011. 950-1023. Print.
This event shows yet another time in which a family member threatens to ruin the inherent stability of the family structure by trying to build in a manner which is completely incompatible with the rest of the structure. Beneatha, although believing in bettering herself, is leaving an important part of herself and her heritage behind. Beneatha's speech about God is her attempt to show her independence and uniqueness in the world, but when she asserts herself in an area that is extremely sensitive to the family heritage and structure, she threatens to wean herself from the only guaranteed support group in life, the family. Once again, as with Walter, Benetha realizes later in the story that it is the furtherance of long-standing family values and morals which give the foundation upon which to build a wonderful life.
At the end of the play it is unclear whether or not Beneatha would actually leave her family in order to find herself and pursue her dreams of becoming a doctor. She is obviously is not going to marry George, although Walter would like her to because of the money. Living in such close quarters for so many years with her family, she developed a love-hate relationship with all of them. I would be surprised if she did actually go to Africa. Like Nora, Beneatha at the end of the play has a strong sense of self. She knows what she wants, and is determined to accomplish her dream.
Hansberry experienced many of the situations she placed the Younger family at first hand. Hansberry’s father, Carl Hansberry, was put in a similar circumstance when he moved his family into a predominately white community at the opposition of the white neighbors. He eventually won a civil rights case on discrimination. Speaking of the United States, Adler states, “A Raisin in the Sun is a moving drama about securing one’s dignity within a system that discriminates against, even enslaves, its racial minorities” (824). Hansberry overcame many racial barriers to become one of the best authors in the world.
In the words of Jim Cocola and Ross Douthat, Hansberry wrote the play A Raisin in the Sun to mimic how she grew up in the 1930s. Her purpose was to tell how life was for a black family living during the pre-civil rights era when segregation was still legal (spark notes). Hansberry introduces us to the Youngers’, a black family living in Chicago’s Southside during the 1950s pre-civil rights movement. The Younger family consists of Mama, who is the head of the household, Walter and Beneatha, who are Mama’s children, Ruth, who is Walter’s wife, and Travis, who is Walter and Ruth’s son. Throughout the play the Youngers’ address poverty, discrimination, marital problems, and abortion. Mama is waiting on a check from the insurance company because of the recent passing of her husband. Throughout the play Walter tries to convince Mama to let him invest the money in a liquor store. Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor while embracing her African heritage, and Ruth just found out that she is pregnant and is struggling to keep her marriage going. The Youngers’ live in a very small apartment that is falling apart because of the wear and tear that the place has endured over the years. Mama dreams of having her own house and ends up using part of the insurance money for a down payment on a house in an up-scale neighborhood. The Youngers’ meet Mr. Lindner, who is the head of the welcoming committee. Mr. Lindner voices the community’s concerns of the Youngers’ moving into their neighborhood. Is the play A Raisin in the Sun focused on racial or universal issues?
Racial discrimination is defined as the act of treating a person/group differently then another solely based on their racial background. The play as its self-receive racial discrimination, because its author make history, and because of what she did she was talked about it. An historical significance about A Raisin in the Sun, is that Lorraine Hansberry earned the New York Drama Critics Circle Award as the year’s best play. “A Raisin in the sun brought African Americans into the theater and onto the stage.” The word is that “the reason was tha...