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The importance of african american literature
Essay on African American literature
African american literature
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Even though overcoming racial inequality is hard it is possible. Just imagine how much determination it requires to overcome racial inequality. In fact, imagine you are at a movie theater with your family, and keep in mind you are a black family. You and your family want to see a movie at 2 o'clock but, the workers refuse to serve you as a customer due to your skin color. What do you do? Will you allow the workers to treat you in this way, or will you overcome racial inequality and stand up for you and your family? Two women decide to take a stand, Mama in A Raisin in the Sun, wanting to have the best thing for her family and Maya in the chapter Ocupation: Conductorette of the story I know why the Cage Bird Sings, wanting to get a job prove …show more content…
Mama, in A Raisin in the Sun, was able to overcome racial inequality, she persevered and she demonstrated her dignity. When she received the Life Insurance check for her husband's death she decided to place a down payment of $3500 on a house for her family however, this house was in a white neighborhood. When the families in this neighborhood heard about this they decided to get enough money to pay the Younger family to move to a neighborhood where they "belong." The Younger family which was soon to move heard this from a "gentleman" named Mr. Linder. He came to their house with this deal, to persuade them to move to a different neighborhood. He began his conversation very politely but his intentions were cruel. They showed Mr. Linder to the door immediately when they realized why he was there, they didn't accept the money and planned to still move to their new home. The Younger family would now have to overcome racial inequality. Mama did this by keeping her head high and never allowing Mr. Linder and the white residence of the neighborhood to see her as not worthy for respect and to reassure their thoughts of her being lower than them, this displays her great
There seemed to be no hope for the Younger family because many white Americans were still not treating them as equals.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A. “A Raisin in the Sun.”
In the Play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry there are two main character’s that many people debate upon to be the protagonist of the play. Those two characters are Mama and Walter. The story is about an African American family living in Chicago in the 1950’s. During this time period race was a large issue in that area. The family consists of three generations, Mama being the mother and grandmother has a lot of responsibilities as what I see her to be as the families anchor. The next generation is Walter his wife Ruth and his sister Beneatha. Walter and Ruth have a song Travis who is ten years old at the time of this play. Mama is the moral supporter of the family and believes that everything has a purpose and that things should be done by design. One of the main events in this play is the life insurance settlement check for ten thousand dollars that Mama receives. This being a large amount of money during that time period creates many arguments between the families about what to do with the money. Walter is the type of guy that believes his family shouldn’t settle like everyone else and believes that they shouldn’t be held back just because they are an African American family living in what is referred to as a “white man’s world”. I believe that Walter is the protagonist of the play for two main reasons, he isn’t a selfish man, he doesn’t feel the family should be limited because they are African American and he has distinct options or plans for the future of his family.
Similarly, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, which I first read the summer after I graduated high school, is a tale of oppression that translates into a deeply moving novel chronicling the ups and downs of a black family in the 1930’s and 1940’s. A myriad of historical and social issues are addressed, including race relations in the pre-civil rights south, segregated schools, sexual abuse, patriotism and religion. Autobiographical in nature, this tumultuous story centers around Marguerite Johnson, affectionately called "Maya", and her coast-to-coast life experiences. From the simple, backwards town of Stamps, Arkansas to the high-energy city life of San Francisco and St. Louis, Maya is assaulted by prejudice in almost every nook and cranny of society, until she finally learns to overcome her insecurities and be proud of who she is.
Lauren Oliver once said, “I guess that’s just part of loving people: You have to give things up. Sometimes you even have to give them up” (Good Reads). This quote connects very well to the play, A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry. The quote conveys the message that if one loves someone, one must give things up. A Raisin in the Sun is about an African-American family living in the south side of Chicago in the 1950s. The Younger family is a lower-class family that has been struggling to make their dreams come true. One of the character’s in the play named Walter Lee has been struggling to make his dreams come true. Walter’s changes that are shown tie to the quote written by Lauren Oliver. The changes that are seen in Walter Lee throughout the book, A Raisin in the Sun, reflects the theme that one must sacrifice something for the love and happiness of one’s family.
Mama Younger has lived in the same ‘house’ for years, but not willingly. When finally presented with the chance of moving her family out of the small cramped room, she naturally takes it, only to soon realize the prices in the ‘colored neighborhoods’ are too overpriced. Seeing this, Mama then takes her search elsewhere and comes across a perfect house, the only problem being that it was in a white neighborhood. When the people in this neighborhood heard of the African American family moving into a house, they send a man named Linden to show their displeasure. “‘I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities.’”(pg 117) This quote suggests that the easiest thing the Younger family can do is to sell the house to avoid confrontation. Because of their ethnicity the Younger family is automatically rejected from the welcoming committee of Clybourne Park, even though Linden says race does not play a role in their decision to ask them to move
I. Conflicts in the Play - There are many types of conflict evident in this play. Some are as follows:
A Raisin in the Sun is written by a famous African- American play write, Lorraine Hansberry, in 1959. It was a first play written by a black woman and directed by a black man, Lloyd Richards, on Broadway in New York. The story of A Raisin in the Sun is based on Lorraine Hansberry’s own early life experiences, from which she and her whole family had to suffer, in Chicago. Hansberry’s father, Carol Hansberry, also fought a legal battle against a racial restrictive covenant that attempted to stop African- American families from moving in to white neighborhoods. He also made the history by moving his family to the white section of Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood in 1938. The struggle of Lorraine Hansberry’s family inspired her to write the play. The title of the play comes from Langston Hughes’s poem which compares a dream deferred too long to a raisin rotting in the sun. A Raisin in the Sun deals with the fact that family’s and individual’s dreams and inspirations for a better life are not confined to their race, but can be identified with by people with all back grounds.
As a black woman in the 1930's and the 1940's, little power or ever respect was given. There had been no civil rights movement and Jim Crow laws and segregation were still in effect. Blacks, in general, especially women, were not given a felicitous education because it was illegal to acquire or obtain books during that time period. Maya Angelou's autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was deeply shaped of her coming of age during the depression that caused her separation, the racism and discrimination she experienced living in the south, and the abuse she endured which formed her discernment of men.
The conflict that involves Walter and Mama superficially concerns Mama's receiving an insurance check for ten thousand dollars, which she hasn't yet decided what to do with. Walter has hopes for using the money to invest in a liquor store, with the profits providing him and his family a better quality of life than what they have endured in the past. What really is at stake here, though, is more than money. Mama and Walter have different visions of what happiness is and what life is all about. For Mama, the best thing to do with the money is to make a down payment on a house. This house is to be situated within an all-white neighborhood, and represents assimilation. This is Mama's dream, and the dream ...
The social inequality which the Younger's encounter also does not hinder Mama's compassion. Mr. Lindner temporarily shatters Mama's dream of owning a home when he comes to the Youngers prepared to give them money to move from Clybourne Park. The derogatory use of "you people" by Mr. Lindner has little to no effect on Mama's steadfast decision to move to Clybo...
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.
Walker, Pierre A. (October 1995). "Racial protest, identity, words, and form in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". College Literature 22 (3): 91–108. Retrieved February 17 from http://web.archive.org/web/20080401071226/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3709/is_199510/ai_n8723217
Throughout the story, the African-American maids are treated unfairly in several different ways and Stockett does a great job of making the readers picture that in their mind as they progress through the story. She made sure to show that when people take a stand and make their voices be heard they can make a difference. When someone wants to be heard they will be heard if they try hard enough. So, with a bit of courage and hope anything can be achieved if you really want it to. Through this compelling story, it is seen that writing does have the power to make forceful yet positive changes, on individuals and a community as a whole, even when society has such a strong outlook on what is right and
The novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings goes through the childhood of Maya Angelou as she faces the difficult realities of the early South. This novel does not do a very good job at portraying the hardships of the blacks because she
Maya’s journey throughout the book is one of true strength and empowerment. She fought racism, even when she didn’t understand what it was. Discrimination strengthened her before she had graduated eighth grade. She turned hate into motivation and ambition. The racism and discrimination Maya faced throughout I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, affected her attitude, personality, and overall outlook on life in a positive way.