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Impact Of White Supremacy In Richard Wright's A Raisin In The Sun

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The play "A Raisin in the Sun" (2008) explores the impact of white supremacy on the lives of Black Americans, particularly on their struggles to achieve their dreams in a society that is hostile to their very existence. The play is set in 1960, a time when Black Americans faced institutionalized racism and discrimination in every aspect of their lives. The story follows the Younger family, who live in a cramped apartment and dream of buying a house that will provide them with a better life. However, their poverty and the discrimination they face make it difficult for them to achieve their goals. One of the most significant themes in "A Raisin in the Sun" is the impact of poverty on the lives of African Americans. The Younger family is constantly struggling to make ends meet, and their cramped living conditions and limited opportunities make it challenging for them to break out of the cycle of poverty. The play depicts the harsh realities of life for Black Americans, who are forced to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet and are often forced to live in substandard housing. Similarly, in the memoir "Black Boy," Richard Wright recounts his experiences with poverty and segregation in the South. Wright's family is also struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof …show more content…

The book argues that the criminal justice system is a modern-day manifestation of Jim Crow laws and policies that were used to maintain white supremacy and control Black bodies. Black Americans are disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration and the criminal justice system, which limit their opportunities and stigmatize them as "criminals" and "deviants." However, the book also highlights the various ways in which Black Americans are resisting these systems of oppression and building their own communities and networks of

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In the play Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry takes place on the southside of Chicago where Walter and his family are racially profiled and show us how the survive throughout their struggles. The central struggles for the younger family in their search for the American dream is mostly poverty and being racially profiled against for their actions. Hansberry challenges the traditional gender roles and issues of dominance throughout the play when Mama gives Walter lee the rest of the money at the end of the play. He becomes all excited and was supposed to save some for himself and put the rest of the money to Beneatha 's education. Instead, he gave all that money to Willy another character in the play which later on that he stole from him.

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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.

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