ipl-logo

Freedom In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

702 Words3 Pages

Freedom is the ability to be oneself unapologetically; to not be persecuted for existing as yourself. In Lorraine Hansberry famous work A Raisin In The Sun the topic of freedom is explored through the Younger’s struggle for a better life in a racist world. The themes shown in the play can easily be seen in our world today, especially with the upturn in racially motivated issues. The Younger’s journey to a better life mirrors the struggles still faced today with minorities trying to find their freedom, as themselves. An overarching theme in the play is identity, especially the character of Beneatha; she is progressive and decided to fight back against assimilation to reclaim her identity throughout the tough challenges she faces. When talking to her Nigerian suitor, Asagai, the man who led her to these beliefs says, “You came up to me and said.. Mr. Asagai- I want very much to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my indentity!” (1.2.98). While Beneatha and her family are 100% American, she is still seen as an alien by the whites around her, because she’s black, but too assimilated for Africans. This cultural dilemma is an awful state to be in and she suffers greatly for it. For example, in her path to becoming a doctor she faces discrimination for being black and a …show more content…

A Raisin in The Sun exemplifies how white racism has forced thousands of families to give up their culture and identity in hopes to progress in a society set against them. Though the play highlights the negativity the Younger’s experienced, it shows how perseverance and determination can lead to success. This proves that freedom does exist. In America today African Americans have found ways to gain their freedom, they are able to succeed as themselves, the ultimate sense of

Show More
Related
1086 Words | 5 Pages

and she is upset that no one understands that. Beneatha also wants to explore who she is. In a conversation with Asagai, he imitates her saying, “‘Mr. Asagai I want very much to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my identity!’”

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

In the play “A Raisin in the Sun,” the family explores many issues, both within their family and with outside conflicts. This play has a historical feel to it. In Chicago 's south side a black family is living in a run-down apartment. It takes the readers back to a time that many young people don’t know of, and a time that offers respect to older generations (1959). The play takes on a few social reforms.

Read More
426 Words | 2 Pages

The pride Beneatha has in her African heritage is incredible; most Africans at this time could be called assimilationists; they are trying to blend in with the white culture hoping they will get

Read More
1601 Words | 7 Pages

“A Raisin in the Sun,” written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959, was the first play ever produced on Broadway by an African-American woman and was considered ground-breaking for it’s time. Titled after Langston Hughes’ poem “Harlem,” sometimes known as “A Dream Deferred,” the play and the subsequent film adaptations are honest examinations of race, family, poverty, discrimination, oppression and even abortion in urban Chicago after WWII. The original play was met with critical praise, including a review by Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times where he wrote, “For A Raisin in the Sun is a play about human beings who want, on the one hand, to preserve their family pride and, on the other hand, to break out of the poverty that seems to be their fate. Not having any axe to grind, Miss Hansberry has a wide range of topics to write about-some of them hilarious, some of them painful in the extreme.” The original screen adaptation released in 1961 was highly acclaimed in its own right, and was chosen in 2005 for preservation in the United States of America National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural and historical significance.

Read More
1138 Words | 5 Pages

As a civil rights activist, Stokely Carmichael once said, “We are told,” If you work hard, you’ll succeed”- but if that were true, black people would own the country. We are oppressed because we are black- not because we are ignorant, not because we are lazy, not because we are stupid, but because we are black!” This quote is still relevant even to this day, blacks are still considered a minority and they get treated differently simply because of the color of their skin. People continue to treat others by the color of their skin rather than their character. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the interaction between the themes of race and dreams demonstrates that your race can affect the dreams that you have and what you choose to do about it.

Read More
604 Words | 3 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun by Hansberry is a play that accurately demonstrates the race relations in America during the 1950’s due to her representation of topics related to education, housing, and community across all three acts in her play. Hansberry demonstrates an important reality for African Americans based on her representation of education within the first act of the play. While indicating how she feels about becoming a doctor, Beneatha declares, “But first I’m going to be a doctor, and George, for one, still thinks thats pretty funny. I couldn’t be bothered with that. I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!”

Read More
1102 Words | 5 Pages

Racism in A Raisin in the Sun Chicago’s Southside, like many other Northern cities, housed many African Americans in the 1950s. The housing was poor quality and racism was prevalent. Lorraine Hansberry, playwright for A Raisin in the Sun, paints a vivid picture of life in a gloomy city where the struggle of poverty and equality are real. Though the experience of one family, the play A Raisin in the Sun accurately depicts the historical record of African-Americans’ lives in the 1950s of the racist relationship between blacks and whites and the fragmentation of black families.

Read More
648 Words | 3 Pages

She supports them in everything, Beneatha becoming a doctor is harder because she is a black female, during this time the medical field was still mostly male oriented. Even though Beneatha's relationship with her mother is largely one of conflict because of their many differences, but it is not a strained relationship. They always end up hugging and supporting each other afterwards. She will always love her mother even if they do not always get along. Beneatha is a very strong and stubborn character, mostly so when it comes to her brother Walter Lee.

Read More
793 Words | 4 Pages

The play “A Raisin in the Sun,” is written by Lorraine Hansberry. The story is portrayed through the eyes of a small family and their struggle concerning the poor factors in which they are living in. The Youngers, a hard-working black family living in 1960’s, face the conflict of racism in their everyday lives. It is a very prominent fact that the characters feel captivated by their substantial home space, but they also feel restricted by their social roles that have been naturally given to them. For example, Beneatha, the daughter of another character referred to as ‘Mama,’ strives to become a doctor regardless of the family’s financial hassle.

Read More
681 Words | 3 Pages

Several characteristics and elements of "A Raisin in the Sun" stand out. Firstly, the play addresses the experiences and challenges faced by African-Americans

Read More
873 Words | 4 Pages

Through the use of the historical lens, looking specifically at the economic struggles, the struggle of unequal opportunity, and the housing covenant that African-American’s faced in the 1950’s, Hansberry’s message of A Raisin in the Sun is revealed: the perseverance of an ethnic minority in a time of racial discrimination. A Raisin in the Sun is set in a time of great racial discrimination, the 1950’s in the united States. This featured racism towards those of color or non-caucasians, and the struggles commonly faced by the African-American family is shown through the eyes of the Younger family through the writing and experiences of Lorraine Hansberry. Of the three major struggles the Younger family faced, the most prominent in Act one is that of financial disability. This is best shown through the working lives of the family.

Read More
816 Words | 4 Pages

She defies the ideal life for a woman and expresses her opinion loud and clear. Beneatha throughout the play finds herself and her African American roots. Walter does not approve of Beneatha’s hopes to become a doctor he tells her, “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. . .” (1.1.125) These social issues that the characters faced in their lives made them out to be the people that they were meant to be.

Read More
1502 Words | 7 Pages

Beneatha dreams to be a doctor, which is a male-dominated profession. She says, “I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!” (Hansberry 33). This shows her feminist attitude in the play when Beneatha takes a largely optimistic stance when facing troubles of entering a male-dominated profession, implying that she is a ‘non-conformist’. Additionally, Beneatha refuses to “just get married and be quiet” (Hansberry 22), as her chauvinistic brother, Walter Lee, expects her to be.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

This character trait is seen when Asagai mentions how he met Beneatha. She tells him she wants to know more about Africa because she is looking for her identity (62). Beneatha’s effort to make herself different from her family shows her personal identity. She has different views from her family. For example, she does not accept the existence of God (51).

Read More
845 Words | 4 Pages

Just within the recent decades, men and women started to fight against the gender stereotypes and started to challenge their roles in a family and in the society. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, portrays the lives of African–Americans during the 1950s. Lorraine Hansberry, a writer and a social activist, reinforced the traditional gender roles, especially female’s, by depicting how the Youngers interact and how they act in an economical struggle. Throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun, she uses Walter Lee Younger, Ruth Younger and Lena Younger to reinforce the traditional role of fathers, wives and mothers within a family.

Read More

More about Freedom In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Related Topics

Open Document