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Civil Rights In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

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As far back as humans have studied, music has been one of the ultimate symbols of time. Instruments and music compositions have shown historians how people were living and the struggles they faced. Even the song “Yankee Doodle” possessed historical significance, providing a deeper and almost comical understanding of the tension between the British and the Americans during the American revolution. In the mid 1900s, artists such as Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, and Mahalia Jackson sang songs relating to gender discrimination, racism, and social justice in America during the Civil Rights Movement. Authors addressed comparable issues, and Lorraine Hansberry was one of them. Three classic songs from the Civil Rights era mirror the independent, …show more content…

In her song “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free,” Nina Simone expresses corresponding beliefs to Beneatha Younger, a self-sufficient, passionate character in A Raisin in the Sun. Beneatha finds restrictions and inequality intolerable, and she shrinks from the idea of being governed or constrained by others; nevertheless, she is unwillingly exposed to gender inequity and harassed constantly by the men in her life. Laden with comparable burdens to Beneatha, Simone sings of how she wishes to know “how it would feel to be free” and to “break all the chains holding [her]” (Simone 1-4). Though both women were born in America, neither felt fully free. In A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha feels the sting of sexism when Walter comments on her dream to become a doctor. According to the text, Walter inquires about her decision quite frequently, and even remarks that there “ain’t many girls who decide … to be a doctor” (Hansberry 39). To achieve her vision for the future, Beneatha cannot afford to be discouraged by her own family. She wants to find her identity, her soul. The family does not have enough money to send her to medical school, and though Mama planned

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In 1971, Alvin Ailey choreographed Cry, a three part work solo dance set to gospel music that describes an emotional journey filled with struggle, hardships, defeat, survival and joy. It was intended as a birthday present to Alvin’s mother and a dedication to all black women everywhere. The first part of the dance is the struggle of trying to maintain pride irrespective of the opposition faced from outside. The second part reveals the sorrow within after the woman’s pride has been shattered into pieces and finally the third part is a spirited celebration of finding strength and joy in God. Even though cry was dedicated to only black women, i argue the notion that all women both black and white of the nineteenth century could relate

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Carrying such powerful lines as “the world is big / big and bright and round / and it's full of folks like me” (Simone, 1967), Backlash Blues became a popular song in the civil rights movement, allowing African Americans to express their proudness and protest racism in a more accessible way. Freedom songs such as Backlash Blues were and are still so significant to African Americans as they “sustain as well as … publicise the struggle[s]” they face (Stefani, 2015). Furthermore,

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Influences from popular African American blues artist were noted to have had a huge impact on Elvis’ music career. Although many people today claim that Elvis had initially ‘stolen’ the African American sound of blues, Elvis has never denied their impact on his career. He has always acknowledged and respected the fact that African Americans had been making a similar sound of music prior to the beginning of his career. Despite the assumptions made about this ‘stealing’ of sound, the interviews Elvis appeared in substantiated the fact that he wasn’t intentionally stealing their sound, instead incorporating it in music his own way. The fact that white covers of African American songs often outsold the original kept America segregated and created competition between the two races when instead, music should have helped create peace and respect within both

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The genre of blues exploded into the blues craze during the 1920’s. During this time, white record producers saw the untapped goldmine that was blues music performed by people of color. Ma Rainey was one of them, and to some, one of the first, giving her the title, ‘The Mother of Blues’. The 1920’s was not only an era of continuing homophobia from the past (although that would change, briefly, into a mild form of acceptance until the more conservative 1930’s), but also of harsh racism. And yet, one singer, Ma Rainey’s, broke these restrictions.

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In A Raisin in the Sun, Walter and Ruth have a personality that correlates to the traditional gender expectation. Walter has an abrupt nature, while Ruth is demure and quiet; the temperament of the two characters corresponds to a man expectation to be dominant and superior to women. Walter comments, “Don’t call it that. See there, that just goes to show you what women understand about the world. Baby, don’t nothing happen for you in this world ’less you pay somebody off!”

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The reading “Popular music and the civil war” explained the heavy influence that music had leading up to and during the civil war. Music was used to express the way Americans, those in the north or south, were feeling during this time. Through their lyrics, writers and singers were able to convey their feelings on topics such as being separated from loved ones, losing someone, patriotism for the confederates or the union, and anything else that related to war time. Many of these songs appealed to the Americans because they could easily relate to what the lyrics were saying. Therefore, songs were being greatly produced during this time because people were purchasing the music, whether that was by going to see the performance of it, or buying

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She wants to become a doctor and get the education she needs to become one. Throughout the play she proves that her independence means a lot to her. Beneatha wants to be free and have her own life, just like the American Dream. In the play she says to Mama and 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” (Hansberry32).

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Beneatha also faced a hardship in her life, but herr 's was different from the rest. She face problems with education. Her family did not fully support her decision of wanting to become a doctor. Beneatha wants to become a doctor but her family is not that wealthy.

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Reader Response: 3 “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, is a play about a black families experience in 1950s South Side Chicago. The story revolves around what happens to the family when Lena Younger, the matriarch of the family, receives a ten thousand dollar life insurance check upon the death of her husband. Everyone from the family has different plans for what they want to do with the money. Lena Younger serves as the head of the family. She is Walter and Beneatha’s caring mother so they and Ruth call her Mama.

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For African Americans, jazz music, has always had a political undercurrent. Slave songs spoke of the “Israelites” enslaved by the Egyptians, such as in Go Down Moses, symbolising their own yearning for freedom. However, it took time for the assertion of the political message to develop in a more discernible way. Jazz’s status as a form of entertainment had effectively subdued the message for many years, because of the ostracisation of those involved and because of the early popularity of the white swing bands. The majority of jazz musicians were not political activists, rarely explicitly political in their work, however, they often expressed their political ideals, sometimes more subtley other times more overtly through their music.

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Folk music has since quite a while ago assumed a key part in supporting change developments in the United States over the years. Radical activists, looking to counter an assortment of misuse in mid-to-late twentieth century America, frequently utilized music to express their trusts, points, and objectives. In "To Everything There Is a Season": Pete Seeger and the Power of Song, Allan Winkler shows the reader how society vocalist Pete Seeger connected his musical gifts to enhance conditions for less lucky individuals all over during this time. This book uses Seeger 's long life and great melodies to think about the vital part society music played in different dissent developments and to answer such key inquiries as: What was the wellspring of

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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.

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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.

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All this controversy made American bands that were making traditional music, such as Bob Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Supremes, Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, the Byrds, and others change their tone. These artists began to make music that protested the poor

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Music is not only used to capture peoples hearing but it is used to power peoples minds through the power of an individuals voice. Music served a critical role in the African American’s lives, as it was used to uplift their spirits as well as providing them with hope and strength to fight for civil rights and overcome segregation between white superiority and the unfair treatment of the inferior black. Music was defined as the voice of the people that lived through the oppression of the civil rights movement. During the civil rights movement, there were many different types of music genres sung, dependent on the culture, this included spiritual music; gospel and even folk music, which was performed by musicians, singers and even people of any musical talents. Through this, it brought about the uniting of people to join together and sing songs that helped them go through the oppression of the civil rights movement.

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