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Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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In Lorraine Hansberry’s play “A Raisin In The Sun,” the characters deal with a death in the family. The death of the father cause the family to get his money, which they have no idea what to with. The daughter Beneatha wants to use some of the money for college. Beneatha’s brother Walter, wants to use that money for a business. Lastly, momma wants to use that money to get out of the place they live and move to a white neighborhood. Beneatha and Mama are happy about getting a new house and a better area to live. On the other hand, Walter is not excited whats so ever. Walter says to Mama “you butchered up a dream of mine--you--who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams..” (344). The dream Walter is referring to is to start up his own liquor …show more content…

Everything was segregated schools, bathrooms and even drinking fountains. People always justified segregation as equal. In reality blacks always got the short end of the stick. Housing was one of the biggest ways blacks were segregated from whites. During the late 1950’s most blacks lived in the southside of Chicago. They were forced to live in over prices, overcrowded and poorly maintained homes. Blacks would pay more to have less. Which is why the youngers took the chance of moving to an all white neighborhood, in search of a better life. Most of the blacks wanted to get out of the ghetto more than anything. Blacks would have to pay more for the housing in ghetto, which would make it hard to save up and move from the ghetto. Ruth says “we’ve put enough in this rat trap to pay four houses by now” (342) she’s not only expressing how high the price of the house they live in, but how terrible the conditions of the home are. Another way society segregated african americans was jim crow laws. Jim crow laws had a major influence Lorraine Hansberry's “A Raisin In the Sun.” Hasberry talks about how she thinks blacks are happier in their own communities. Hasberry’s reasoning behind this is because blacks are more acceptant of eachother. Whites were constantly segregating blacks and treating them different. Whites would also threaten blacks if they were to move to their neighborhood. They were afraid the cost values of their homes would form if blacks lived in the

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