Resilience In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Educated, yet childlike at times, Beneatha Younger will go to great lengths to become a doctor and break a female stereotype. Beneatha lives with the rest of her family in Chicago in the 1950s. Their apartment is overcrowded and not suitable for a family of five. Despite being poor, the Youngers have dreams, big dreams. Those dreams are reflected on Beneatha, a college student who constantly educates herself to improve her situation in life and achieve her dream, that for a black woman from a poor Chicago’s neighborhood, is nothing but easy.

The Dream of a Mom In the 1950s, finding a job, a house, peers, or even food on the table was difficult for most African American fellows. All of these troubles lead back to racism and prejudice against the pigment of some people’s skin. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, Mama goes through many phases of racism and prejudice in Chicago. Along with the rest of her family, she experiences examples of racism, unfair housing regulations, and problems with gender inequality. Though these are hardships that nobody should have to go through, issues involving discrimination and bigotry helped her to realize her dream and defeat the racism that is presented to her.

Further along the poem the speaker mentions how her children should make the pain that she suffered in the past the “torch for tomorrow” (36). This simply implies that the narrators struggle was meaningful considering her children can build upon the efforts of their ancestors to win equality for African American in the future. The use of metaphors helps illustrate the struggles the narrator has been through and helps establish the community’s struggles. It also inspires the future generations to continue to fight for their

In Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, the author uses thematic symbols such as “the black thing” and Annie and her mother seeing “eye to eye” to guide the reader to a position where it is clear to see that Annie and her mother do not have the same, sweet relationship they used to have. Overtime, Kincaid develops the story in such a way where it is easy to see that the relationship between Annie John and her mother begins to go downhill and is not the same as it was in the beginning of the novel. Annie clearly begins to despise her mother as she realizes that her mother is not treating her like the little girl she used to be. In this passage of Annie John, the use of “the two black things” provides a clear example of how the Annie John and her mother are very similar, yet they are never able to retain a good relationship because there is space between them. Throughout the novel, there are many circumstances where Annie wants to be loved and treated like a child by her mother, however, her mother treats her in a different manner than what she expects.

Hansberry did not live the lifestyle that Beneatha did; she did not live in utter poverty. Hansberry had family support for her desires; While Beneatha wants to live in a world where she can pursue her dreams. Though her brother Walter thinks she is ridiculous, Beneatha insists on being a doctor. Beneatha has two main struggles to overcome; she was black and she was a woman (James 42). Mama is a sensitive and proud black woman who strives to improve her family.

She captures the lives and aspirations of African Americans, who end up confronting their most fundamental challenges. Similar to Marxist’s ideology and the Younger family wanting change, the readers begin to thirst for reform and a system of social equality. The ghetto represents their social class, while the Caucasian neighborhood represents new beginnings. Although the play never indicates what happens to the Younger family after they move into Clybourne Park, one can only hope for a better outcome. Hopefully issues of racism and discrimination continue to cause reform, in which African Americans are one day equal to their white

According to Tero Liukkonen, a critic, James Baldwin’s writing is known for his “sexual and personal identity and civil rights struggles in the United States” which is evident in his short story Sonny’s Blues. It presents suffering and survival within the black community and throughout the characters family as well. Sonny’s Blues takes place in Harlem, New York in 1950’s were the Narrator, an unnamed character, as well as his older brother Sonny, tells the story. Characters like the Narrator, Sonny and their mother are strongly impacted by the pain of their families suffering. Throughout the short story, each character understands his/her own suffering and plan to attain a better life.

It has been praised for its experimental writing style, as well as for its relatable lead character and the detailed way it describes everyday life in poetic language. Maud Martha begins when the title character is a young girl, seven years old, and is envious of her older sister Helen, believing her to be much more beloved and cherished by their family. This theme of sibling envy pops up throughout the novel. Her family is a struggling, working class clan in Chicago, and the story takes place in an era when racism is very much part of the social structure. Maud is keenly aware that she is a black girl and that this affects her interactions with others in many ways.

In Lorraine Hansberry’s, A Raisin in the Sun, many hidden but touching meanings are portrayed through various objects, especially Mama’s plant, throughout the play. A Raisin in the Sun depicts a struggling African-American family, also known as the Younger family, coming together to fulfill their deceased relative’s dream. The deceased relative was Mr. Younger. His dream was to move his family into a much better house.

“Raisin in the sun” by Lorraine Hansberry according to Dreams Deterred: A Study of Lorraine Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun is the first African American novel played by Broadway (Al-Duleimy). In this novel Lorraine Hansberry write about the dreams of a colored family, and the difficulties of each member of this family to realize their dreams. “What is so interesting is that these dreams are deferred and finally deterred, because simply they are built on the wrong premises” (Al-Duleimy, 538). Each of family member based their dreams with materialism. Lorraine criticizes the discriminatory and racial climate in America in the 1950s.The novel takes the place in a small neighborhood in Chicago.