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Critical review of a raisin in the sun
Literary critique of a raisin in the sun
Al literary essay about the raisin in the sun
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The play, A Raisin in the Sun, has a very strong view of feminism in the 1960’s. The way that the females are portrayed and talked to in this play is not only an example of how the relationship between a man and a woman in society is unequal, but reflects a particular patriarchal ideology. Throughout this play, as the characters strive to achieve their dreams, the relationships that we see can be seen as feminist and as sexual stereotypes. Feminism is a perspective that views gender as one of the most important bases of the structure and organization of the social world. Feminists argue that in most known societies this structure has granted women lower status and value, more limited access to valuable resources, and less autonomy and opportunity to make choices over their lives than it has granted men. (Sapiro 441) A Raisin in the Sun anticipates the massive changes in gender relations-principally, the rise What are you talking about, Ruth? Listen, I’m going to be a doctor. I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet – if I ever get married.” Beneatha wants to make her very life a challenge to gender stereotypes. ASAGAI: “For a woman it should be enough.” BENEATHA: “I know – because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh – but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America or –” (With feminine vengeance)” – one of them!” (ASAGAI has burst into laughter again) “That’s funny as hell, huh!”(Hansberry). Asagai argues that love should be enough for women, but Beneatha argues that she needs more- a career, for instance. She is determined to find her fullness as an individual and to not be defined by the man she marries. Walter Walter constantly criticizes Beneatha’s dream of being a doctor. He treats it as though his dream is anymore feasible. He’s portrayed by Hansberry to be fairly pathetic and helpless. It seems like he needs women to help him move into his
Women were still viewed as housewives and men were saw as the main provider for their families. Characteristics of the Genre A Raisin in the Sun is considered to be realistic drama. It is consider... ... middle of paper ... ... caring, smart Setting Significance of opening scene
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).
Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, centers on an African American family in the late 1950s. Hansberry directs her work towards specifically the struggles faced by African Americans during the late 1950s. Through the dialogue and actions of her characters, she encourages not only a sense of pride in heritage, but a national and self-pride in African Americans as well.
Beneatha Younger’s dreams to be a doctor often contradict what other people think is best for her, showing that she is willing to take risks. Her relationship with George becomes tense when he discovers that she aspires to become a doctor. This is shown when he says “As for myself I, want a nice... simple... sophisticated girl... not a poet, OK?” George does not like the change that Beneatha advocates for. Another instance, when he says “It’s simple. You read books, to learn facts, to get grades, to pass the course, to get a degree. That’s all,
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.
Throughout the plays, the reader can visualize how men dismiss women as trivial and treat them like property, even though the lifestyles they are living in are very much in contrast. The playwrights, each in their own way, are addressing the issues that have negatively impacted the identity of women in society.
Walter and Beneatha’s relationship is very complex. The spiraling tension between the two siblings causes confrontation to form and creep into the Younger household. Walter needs his family to respect him as the man of the family, but his sister is constantly belittling him in front of his mother, wife, and son. This denigrating treatment taints Walter’s view of himself as a man, which carries into his decisions and actions. Beneatha also subconsciously deals with the dysfunctional relationship with her brother. She desires to have her brother’s support for her dream of becoming a doctor, yet Walter tends to taunt her aspiration and condemns her for having such a selfish dream. Mama as the head of the family is heartbroken by the juvenile hostility of her adult children, so in hopes to keep her family together she makes the brave move of purchasing a house. Mama’s reasoning for the bold purchase was,“ I—I just seen my family falling apart….just falling to pieces in front of my eyes…We couldn’t have gone on like we was today. We was going backwards ‘stead of forw...
A Doll House, by Henrik Ibsen, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, both have central themes of search of self-identity within a social system. This is demonstrated by women characters from both plays breaking away from the social standards of their times and acting on their own terms. In most situations women are to be less dominant than men in society. These two plays are surprisingly different from the views of women in society and of the times and settings that they take place in.
...llow." Ruth replies by saying, "He’s rich!" That is exactly Beneatha's point. She does not want to be in a relationship with George (boyfriend) simply because he can support her financially. That is how Beneatha proves her point about looking beyond the surface. He seems her obstacle in fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. She is a strong woman who faces the negative attitude of people with great patience. For example, when Mrs. Johnson (neighbor) says, “I know--- but sometimes she act like ain’t got time to pass the time of day with no body ain’t been to college. It’s just--- you know how some of our young people get when they get a little education” (Hansberry 527).
A Raisin in the Sun is a play set in the south side of Chicago during the 1950s. During this time the civil rights movement was happening and racial tension was at a high. Many African
The play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, begins with an African American family about to receive a check from their father’s death. The check makes the family think about what each person would do with the money and they all have different ideas. Whenever we find out what Walter Lee and Beneatha each want to do with that money, we learn more about their different views on gender and what they believe a man and women "should” do. The family lives in Chicago in the 1950’s, which from my research about this time and location, I’ve learned it’s like everywhere else during this time; the men think they control everything and everyone. During this time, these men and women were raised like this, so they didn’t know any different. It’s hard for us to read about this stuff because women are much more independent these days than they were even just 10 years ago. Walter and Beneatha have different views on how men and women should act. Walter’s relates more to the time period they are in and Beneatha is more modern.
Adventure is the first value that Beneatha and I share. I am always interested into traveling and going to different places, which is same with Beneatha. I love to go to different countries and especially to England because I love their accent and I like to speak like British people. Thus, Beneatha has the same value she loves traveling. In the play, she wanted to go to Africa to the extent that when Asagai asked her if she wanted to
Beneatha’s dream is to become a doctor. She believes that her dream was deferred when she was born since she is coloured and a female. Although she fights this, her dream is deferred even more when Walter looses the money which she needed to get into medical school.
Notwithstanding the verity that this act develops in pessimism, the Youngers recapture assurance and determination to chase their fantasy as it extends. Asagai recommences Beneatha’s gallantry and perception of triumph. His heart-to-heart of colonial Africa and his stated notion that the reigning authorities be compelled to cascade envisages the uprising that was to arise in those provinces in the decades subsequent to the 1950s. Asagai’s contention that when Beneatha appears in Africa she will attain the hysterical desire as if she has been away for only a day is a contention that America can’t at any time be a region of dwelling for blacks, no matter how long they have lingered there.
In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama illuminates the fact that woman can exist and can do positive things in the world on there own. By Mama’s role, she shows that women can live on their own without the guidance of men. Mama’s strong; bold attitude overcame the aspirations of the struggle between men and women, which led to clarifying the book as a guide to the upbringing of the women’s movement. Through Mama’s desires, the play A Raisin in the Sun examines the expressions, the emotions and the feelings of what woman had to cope with during the 1950’s and 1960’s. Mama’s dreams and her attitude designed a new path for woman to walk on. Through Mama’s conduct this play reveals a positive attitude towards the women’s movement and represents that woman can survive on their own.