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In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry there are many examples of the Younger family members repelled the blatant racism existing in their society. Throughout the play there have been incidents in which the Younger family has stood their ground as black people, especially the women of this play.
The Younger family has experienced racism throughout the play, in the first act the character Ruth is sick and her mother-in-law tells her to call in sick with the ‘flu’ as it’s something white people can get. This remark from the character Mama really makes one understand that people of colour were seen to have abnormal diseases than white people and by Mama saying it in a mocking way, it shows an aspect of her resisting racism and making
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He is also trying to be charming in this scene by telling the Younger family that he is part of a welcoming committee. Beneatha, however, already catches on to what he really wants to say. One can gather this by her response to Mr Lindner, she says ‘uh-huh’ which is normally said in a tone of disbelief as the play states. Here again, Beneatha picks up on the racism present and resists it. In addition to this, he is being deceptive and sarcastic by telling the Younger family that he is part of a ‘welcoming committee’ but does the exact opposite as he play progresses. He goes on to say that the neighbourhood wants to be a ‘certain way’, whether it’s ‘right or wrong’. One can see the ever present shift in Mr Lindner’s speech towards the Younger family, he is now revealing to the family his actual intentions. He emphasises that he is not being race prejudice but used the derogatory ‘Negro’ which tells the reader how ignorant Mr Lindner was, or how he purposely wanted to mislead the Younger family into believe his charade. After Mr Lindner affirms his real reason for coming, which is to get the family to move out of the neighbourhood, Walter then changes his attitude towards him and becomes firmer, and asks him if this what he came here for. Ruth at this stage
Ruth was being prevented from having a baby because of money problems, Walter was bringing him self down by trying to make the liquor store idea work. Once Mama decided to buy the house with the money she had received, Walter figured that he should further go on with the liquor store idea. Then, when Walter lost the money, he lost his dignity and tried to get some money from the “welcome party” of Cylborne Park. Mama forced him to realize how far he went by making him show himself to his son how low he would go. But he showed that he wasn’t susceptible to the ways the racism created.
A Raisin in the Sun In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, there were characters whose dreams were stated, some of which were shattered by greed and misfortune and others which would eventually come true. The first dream that came about was Walter’s dream of one day owning and maintaining a liquor store. He would do anything to attempt to get his dream to come true, but his mama wanted anything but that to happen. His mama had a dream of her own, though, she dreamed of one day owning her own house, where her whole family could stay comfortably.
Their sadness at unfulfilled dreams overlain with the burden of Ruth's pregnancy gets out of hand when Walter says, "Who even cares about you?" The two of them realize at that time that their relationship has dwindled to nothing but nagging and rude comments. Walter may be sorry for having said that to his wife, because he probably loves her, but he is at the end of his rope. He feels that every dream he has had has been taken away from him, either by bad timing or by the white man in general. Ruth, on the other hand, has never had any other dream except to keep her family together and in working order, and now that is falling apart.
Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that the child won't bring no good into the family. All the child will do is put more financial pressure on her family members. Beneatha even goes as far as saying, “...where is he going to live, on the roof?”. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family from the insurance money. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. The house is perfect, however it's in Clybourne Park. A complete white neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr. Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. Mr. Linder proposes an offer to the Youngers saying that he will pay them double the money they put in the house if they don't move in. In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her admirer, George Murchison, whom she believes to be blind to the problems of race and does not care about having deep conversations with Beneatha. She then receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian love interest, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him. Since Walter has always been saying things like, “Have we figured out yet just exactly how much medical school is going to cost?”, she figured why not. Beneatha wholeheartedly agrees; but only after discussion with the
Walter has a steady, but low paying job and wishes that he could do more for his family. The money he makes hardly provides enough for his family to survive. He is constantly thinking about get rich quick schemes to insure a better life. He doesn’t want to be a poor back man all of his life and wishes that he could fit in with rich whites. He doesn’t realize that people won’t give him the same opportunities, as they would if he were white (Decker). Walter feels that he needs to provide more for his family and starts to ask around on how to make some money. He gets the idea of opening up a liquor store and has his heart set on it. Because he wants to please everybody he loses his better judgment and acts without thinking of the long-term effects. He is ready for a change and feels the store will bring his family a better life (Hyzak). “Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his Limousine and say, Yes, sir; no, sir; very good sir; shall I take the drive, sir? Mama, that ain’t no kind of job ... that ain’t nothing at all” ( Hansberry 1755).
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...
When Beneatha is first introduced in the play, we see her waking up on a regular morning; she is living under the same confined circumstances as the rest of the characters. Prior to Beneatha’s entrance, the audience observes Walter and Ruth over breakfast. Walter begins to complain about “colored women” through out the play his character continually spits out patriarchal and misogynistic comments, often targeted at Beneatha. As he finishes his negative complaints, Beneatha enters. The long character description molds her persona. She is illustrated not as pretty but her “almost intellectual face has a handsomeness of its own”(Hansberry, 35). This specific use of handsome portrays her character as a sharp and unfeminine. Hansberry’s word choice is extremely intentional as she connects Beneatha with masculine qualities, which inherently matches the stereotype of her feminist personality. The fact that her face is also described as intellectual implies that she carries an intelligent look in her features.
	During the course of the play, conflicts between Beneath and her brother Walter are revealed. Walter thinks that his sister should be a mainstream woman and not have great dreams and ambitions for her life. "Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people - then go be a nurse like other women - or just get married an be quiet" (38). This passage shows that Walter is clearly a chauvinist, and does not believe in his sister’s desire to be a doctor. Similarly, Beneatha does not believe in Walters aspirations of becoming a rich entrepreneur, and thinks he is rather...
This can be observed during her conversation with Mama on page 48. The text states, “Beneatha: People have to express themselves one way or another. Mama: What is it you want to express? Beneatha: Me!” Beneatha’s excitement to express herself reveals that she does not want to do what is expected of her race and gender. She wants to express herself as an individual and let people know the true Beneatha. She is not afraid to stand out, even if she is judged for being unique. Wanting to build herself into a confident individual, Beneatha can be seen during her conversation with Asagai, a close friend, on page 62. Asagai mentions to Beneatha that the first time they had met at school, Beneatha said to him, “Mr. Asagai— I want very much to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my identity!” Even when she was younger, Beneatha has always wanted to have her own identity. Most african american girls in this time period were ashamed of their race and gender, however, Beneatha rises above this prejudice by wanting to stand out in a positive way. There are many other times in the play where Beneatha can be seen finding confidence by standing out. On page 62, Beneatha decides to cut her hair short, something not common and frowned upon for african american girls during this time period. She and Asagai have a conversation, Asagai admitting he is confused by her action. “It’s not mutilation!” Beneatha states to defend herself. She completely goes against the prejudice of her african american race, and has the confidence to defend herself, showing pride and confidence by projecting herself as an
When talking to Mama and Ruth in a scene about marriage, Beneatha’s opinion on this topic shocks the two other women. When she is asked about her thoughts on who she will marry, Beneatha responds by saying, “I’m not worried who I’m going to marry yet—if I ever get married” (Hansberry 50). Beneatha is not concerned about marriage at the moment because she is studying to become a doctor. Her motivation to become a doctor stems from her want to change the world. Beneatha’s motivation is parallel to her generation’s, the Baby Boomers, drive to improve the world. As the conversation leads towards the topic of religion, Beneatha tells Mama and Ruth that “God is just one of the ideas I don’t accept” (Hansberry 51). Being the youngest of the three women, Beneatha is not as religious as Mama. Instead, she believes that it is wrong that He gets all the credit of humankind. Beneatha not believing in God lines up with how the Baby Boomers are less devout than the GI Generation. Beneatha’s beliefs show how she incorporates more modern values into her
The chasing of a mirage is a futile quest where an individual chases an imaginary image that he or she wants to capture. The goal of this impossible quest is in sight, but it is unattainable. Even with the knowledge that failure is inevitable, people still dream of catching a mirage. There is a fine line that separates those who are oblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represent those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment.
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.
Lorraine Hansberry herself clarified it when she spoke about the play. She states, “We cannot…very well succumb to monetary values and know the survival of certain aspects of man which must remain if we are loom larger than other creatures on the planet….Our people fight daily and magnificently for a more comfortable material base for their lives; they sacrifice for clean homes, decent foods, and personal and group dignity”. (Lester 417). Hansberry used Walter Lee to stand for that exact representation. Many African American men in the 1950’s and the 1960’s suffered pride and personal crisis issues because of the incapability to support and provide his family with the minimum of their basic needs. Walter Lee incriminated himself and his family for what he sees as his personal failure. (Lester 417). During the meeting with Mr. Linder the family, with the exclusion of Mama and Travis, stated that they was not interested in the offer of selling the house back to the welcoming committee of the neighborhood. This showed that the family stood firm for their moral values (dignity) that they share as a collective unit. Then something switch; Walter recklessly invested the family insurance money on a shaky liquor business startup. Feeling that all hope is lost and that his way of changing the family way of life is out of reach, he despairingly call Mr. Linder and
The siblings argue over Beneatha’s hope of becoming a doctor. Walter responds to Beneatha’s fantasy by saying, “Who the hell told you to be a doctor? If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people then go be a nurse like other women or just get married and be quiet… “ (Hansberry, 38). Instead of being excited for his sister in becoming an African American doctor, he belittles her only dream by suggesting that she should either be a nurse or just get married. Walter talks in a sexest tone by implying that women should be nurses instead of doctors. Walter screams inappropriate, incomplete words signifying that he is embarrassed by his sister. The rude tone proves that he isn’t a sophisticated man. Later, Walter undergoes a turning point where he shows his new, grown addition. Mr. Lindner, a white man from the Youngers’ new neighborhood introduces himself. Mr. Lindner tells the family that he is the leader of the “Clybourne Park Improvement Association” and attempts to convince the family that he is helping them. He tries bribing the Youngers out of the white neighborhood and he claims that African American families are happier in their own black communities. Walter explains to Mr. Lindner that the family will keep the house regardless of Mr. Linder’s argument, Walter says, “I mean and we are very proud people. That’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor and we are very
Beneatha is Mama’s daughter. She wants to become a doctor when she gets out of college. She also wants to save her race from ignorance.