...Raisin in the Sun essay - Beneatha Beneatha is a character in Raisin in the Sun that faces a lot of prejudice during the book, including sexism, how she overcomes it is sticking to her dreams and staying independent. She is put down by her family and other strangers because she is a African American woman in a white-male dominated area. She has big dreams of becoming a doctor and she is determined to succeed. Beneatha is independent because she is not influenced by the possible marriage of George, a rich husband who could take care of her, she wants the person she loves, Asagai who doesn’t satisfy Mama’s and Walter’s expectations. When the Younger family is moving out, Beneatha says, “Mama, Asagai asked me to marry him today and to go to Africa-” (Beneatha to Mama page 149). Mama, so concentrated on the heat of the moment on rejecting Linder (Linder was trying to get them to move out because they were black) brushed Beneatha off by retorting, “You ain’t old enough to marry nobody's -Darling, that ain’t no bale of cotton, please handle it so we can sit on it again! I had that chair twenty-five years...” (Mama - Beneatha page 149). Beneatha is a high school graduate that has been striving to achieve her dreams on her own, her family has given her almost no support, and Walter spent the money that was supposed to send her to school. Mama didn’t even pay full attention to the huge news, especially in a mother's’ life, when her daughter is asked to marry someone. Beneatha continues...
Words: 959 - Pages: 4
...The theme of race and racism can be seen in Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" through internal racism, segregation and discrimination. In "A Raisin in the Sun", racism is shown internally because of how the different classes of colored people viewed one another. There is a clear line of division between the two as it relates to unity. The higher classes are stereotyped and compared to other races specifically whites. The rich colored people were perceived as being snobbish because of their financial wealth. They stay in nice neighborhoods, drive nice cars and have decent job. As opposed to the poor colored people who live in the bad parts of town and have to work for hours on end to provide for their families. Beneatha states "The Murchinsons...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Dr. King’s speech and the play A Raisin in the Sun have many similarities including dreams, segregation, and racial prejudice against African-Americans. Firstly, the concept of having dreams is very evident in Dr. King’s speech. He talks extensively about the future of his family (especially his children) and of the nation as a whole, expressing his opinion of how it should be. As Dr. King talks about the dreams that he has, he says: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but but by the content of their character.” (King) He is talking about how he dreams for his children to live in a time where people will not create opinions based on what people...
Words: 540 - Pages: 3
...The two works that will be compared and contrasted in this paper will be “A Raisin in the Sun” and “The House on Mango Street.” “A Raisin in the Sun” gives insight to the lives of the members of the Younger Family who will inherit a check for $10,000 from Mr. Younger’s Life Insurance. Each member of the family has a different idea of what to spend the money on, two of the members of the family, Mama and Ruth, both want to use the money to move into a new house. Walter Younger wants to use the money to open up a liquor store with his friends that he believes will help solve the family’s financial problems forever. Walter’s Sister Beneatha, wants to use the money to help pay for her school tuition as she is going to medical school. The play revolves around each member making choices and having to deal with the outcome, or consequences of their actions. For Example, Mama uses half the money to buy a new house for the family to live in, in an all-white neighborhood. This causes the neighborhood to send Mr. Linder, their representative, to negotiate with the Younger’s and convince them to not move into the neighborhood by bribing them with money. The Younger’s then refuse this deal and move in anyway even through all of the racial prejudice. Another Example would be Walter, using his share of the money, along with Beneatha’s to invest in the liquor store. But when he does, he finds out that the person he is investing with has run away with all of his money leaving him with nothing...
Words: 1503 - Pages: 7
...Andrea Thomas A Raisin in the Sun was an awesome book about many things, it was about a black family struggling with economic hardship and racial prejudice, this play showed the importance of family, the value of dreams, and about racial discrimination. The I have a dream speech by Martin Luther King Jr. is known as one of the best speeches ever given, the key message in the speech is that all people were created equal. His speech demanding racial justice and an integrated society became an expression for the black community. I have a dream speech and A Raisin in the Sun both talk about pride. “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred” I think Dr. martin Luther king means that even though freedom is what and people might do whatever to be free, don’t lost pride in yourself and don’t stop pushing even with all the hate. A Raisin in the Sun “I’m going to look that son-of-a-bitch in the eyes and say all right Mr. Linder that’s your neighborhood out there! You got the right to keep it like you want! You just write the check and the house is yours, you people just put the money in my hand and won’t have to live next to a bunch of stinking niggers”. I think for a minute Walter lost his pride, the fact that he was about to give Mr. Linder exactly what he wanted, which was for the youngers not to move in the white neighborhood but when Mr...
Words: 782 - Pages: 4
...Outline Thesis Statement: One of the major themes of "A Raisin in the Sun" is the devaluation of capitalism as a measure for success and its replacement by family pride. I. Walter Lee is obsessed with obtaining money from the very beginning of the play. His very happiness depends on success, and he measures this in wealth. 1. He longs to be successful. His speech at the end of Act II, Scene 2 beginning "You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make [...] a business transaction that’s going to change our lives [...] You just name it, son, and I'll hand you the world!" (Hansberry, 96) 2. Money is the only means of being successful or obtaining success. When asked why he cares so much about money, Walter screams, "Because it is life, Mama!" (Hansberry, 64) II. Mama encourages him to take her place as head of the family, despite disagreeing with his lust for wealth. 1. Mama tries to convince him that money is not the solution to Walter's crisis of purpose in a speech: "Something has changed. You something new, boy. [...] You ain't satisfied or proud of nothing we done. You my children - but how different we done become." (Hansberry 62) 2. Still she trusts him with the money in order to further his pride and encourage his familial responsibility. "I'm telling you to be head of this family from now on like you supposed to be." (Hansberry, 94) III. After the money is all but depleted, Walter stands up for himself and his family and spurns money in favor...
Words: 2676 - Pages: 11
...Social Injustice We live in a society where social injustice and prejudice is inevitable. No matter how perfect we may find ourselves, there will always be someone who will judge us for things that we cannot change about ourselves. In our society, the biggest group that has to face these prejudices is the group of minorities. I do believe that everyone deserves to be treated equally regardless of the color of their skin or their cultural backgrounds but unfortunately, as history has shown us, that is not the case. People of different races are constantly being mistreated because they are different. So it comes down to the group of minorities and what they are going to do about the judgement and the prejudice. Minorities are constantly trying to get rid of these prejudices but they aren’t able to because they always ask for more but they never put in as much effort to deserve it. Although it is very hard to live in a society filled with prejudices, there are still many opportunities available for minorities to break the common stereotypes. In the 1900s, W.E.B. Dubois had critiqued Booker T. Washington’s opinions of rights of black people. Washington had believed that in order to gain respect from white people, Negroes had to give up, “political power, insistence on Civil Rights, higher education of Negro youth,” but this is the reason why minorities can’t get rid of their stereotypes. Negroes were given the opportunity to achieve higher education and vote for whoever they wanted...
Words: 909 - Pages: 4
...One of the key tools to achieving success in life are dreams, because they add guidance to one’s life. From small-scale to large-scale, people accomplish things on a daily basis. What sets people’s dreams apart from each other? Ambition. As defined by Oxford Dictionary, ambition is “a strong desire to do or achieve something.” As mentioned before, the complexity of dreams and ambitions can have various difficulty. Cohesively, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Raisin in the Sun, and American Denial provide examples of dreams from small-scale dreams to large-scale dreams; however, what determines the value of these dreams is not how elaborate they are or outsider’s opinions on their dream, but how important the dreamer’s passion is to them and how they...
Words: 849 - Pages: 4
...The upholding elements of segregation and the Jim Crow Laws were immensely used to restrict and limit the equal opportunity of colored individuals. These laws depended on the racially caste system in the South in order to establish inferior treatment. Although, the oppression of different races has emancipated throughout time, signs of segregation can be found in the real world and in Loraine Hansberry playwright A Raisin in the Sun. For one thing, Hansberry’s use of segregation to portray the effects of the Jim Crow Laws denotes the ideology of black inferiority. Segregation is the act isolating different groups based on their race, religion, and even beliefs. Mama’s purchase of a home in white community quickly aroused controversy...
Words: 507 - Pages: 3
...In Lorraine Hansberry, “A Raisin in the Sun” we begin with a typical day with the Younger family getting ready. The play begins with a description of the living room, with the main theme being weariness. Throughout the play we can see that the Younger family is struggling, and await an insurance check from the death of the father. Though the money is not yet there; each member of the family has a plan for the money in question. Mama wants to buy a house to fulfill the dream she shared with her husband, Beneatha wished to use the money for medical school. Walter Lee would rather ‘invest’ the money and Ruth, Walter Lee’s wife, agrees with Mama and wishes to buy a house as she sees the strain a small home places on the family. As the play progresses the tensions rise and ultimately Ruth comes to state that she is pregnant but considering abortion. At this point Mama rushes out the door and is not seen until later. Upon her return, Mama informs the family she has put a down payment on a house, she speaks to her son about it; describes how they would live in it but Walter Lee remains sullen. He feels his mother has ‘butchered his dreams’. Walter Lee keeps sulking and begins to miss work, but after a heart to heart with mama he feels he is finally validated as the head of the household when he is entrusted with the remaining of the money. The days go by and the family begins to prepare for the move....
Words: 1032 - Pages: 5
...The Theme of Oppression Since the beginning of time people have been opressed through means such as slavery, prejudice as well as other injustices.The theme of oppression is a theme that has been used in writing ever since books became more popularized after the invention of the printing press. In more current times the theme of oppression is used in fiction to depict dystopian futures . Oppression is a very important theme to both read and understand.There are multiple purposes for both writing and reading about oppression. To begin with, authors write about oppression to describe some of the worst atrocities of history in order to not repeat them. One example of this is Night by Elie Wiesel where the horrors of the holocaust were brought...
Words: 622 - Pages: 3
...Symbolism is when the author uses a character or an object to add a deeper understanding of the story. Even a tedious work of literature can be roused when symbols are applied. The 1959s play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry comes from the poem “Dream Deferred” by Langston Hughes. The Younger’s are an impoverished family who lives on the Southside of Chicago during the time of World War II and escapes poverty through the $10,000 insurance check followed by Big Walter’s death. Considering the poem what Langston Hughes wrote about, the dream discussed is most likely to differ due to the American Dream of success and wealth. Mama’s plant, the eggs, and the apartment represent symbols in the book that represents the struggle of achieving...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...Money seems to be the basis for several things in the lives of us human beings. In the play A Raisin in the Sun, Money is the center, basically, for everything - the good and bad. In this play one character stands out as it is very complex and powerful, growing from scene after scene. This character is Walter Lee, who is a passionate and ambitious person, bursting with the energy of his dreams. He is extremely hard-headed, and is unable to give up on his beliefs. He is ashamed of his economic status and he desperately wants to get out of the poverty and prejudice they are in, and therefore he is obsessed with a business idea that he thinks will solve all of their problems. We see how his emotions unfold in A Raisin in the Sun script and film, while it revolves around Walter Lee. He is the protagonist and backbone of the play, developing throughout the story....
Words: 949 - Pages: 4
...Reading a good book is like taking a bite into an ice cream sundae on a hot summer day, it is refreshing and excites the senses. With the thousands of books that are published each year it is hard to decide which ones are worth reading and which ones to avoid. Some components to look for in good literature are things like moral lessons that can endure time and can be relevant 40 years after being published. As well good literature makes you think and feel strongly about the themes of the work. Good literature can be read over and over again each time receiving a new component which was not realized before. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a novel that takes on the complex issues of racism within a community and the justice system. In this novel a white man, Atticus Finch, takes on the case of a black man, Tom Robinson, who has allegedly raped a white teenager, Mayella. In the setting of Maycomb, a city in a southern American state in the 1930s, it is considered appalling that Atticus Finch would be defending Robinson. In the time that this book was published it was only 12 years earlier that Order 9981 was made which stated the equal rights and treatment of all races and religions, and only five years earlier that Rosa Parks stood up on the bus for her rights. That being said this book in its time would have been social criticism, and still applies to today world. Looking at cases like Michael Brown or Trayvon Martin there is a direct connection that can be made...
Words: 579 - Pages: 3
...Canterbury Tales, Catcher in the Rye, Cathedral, Chrysanthemums, A Clockwork Orange, The Color Purple, Comparing Literary Works, Crime and Punishment, Death of a Salesman, Death in Venice, Desiree's Baby, A Doll's House, Dr. Faustus, Epic of Gilgamesh, Everyday Use, A Farewell to Arms, Frankenstein, The Grapes of Wrath, Great Gatsby, Great Expectations, Glass Menagerie, Gulliver's Travels, The Handmaid's Tale, Heart of Darkness, The Iliad, Invisible Man, Jane Eyre, The Joy Luck Club, The Lottery, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Metamorphosis, My Antonia, My Papa's Waltz, Neuromancer, The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex, On the Road, Oresteia, Paradise Lost, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Pride and Prejudice, A Raisin in the Sun, A Rose for Emily, The Scarlet Letter, Siddhartha, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Slaughterhouse-Five, Song of Solomon, The...
Words: 503 - Pages: 3
