Discrimination
Through the years from Martin Luther King Junior’s time to today, we believe that we have worked to give everyone equal rights. Discrimination is seen as a thing of the past, however, in the book A Raisin In The Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, A family of low class African Americans are harshly discriminated against. The family, The Youngers, experience hard times living in a small apartment with a low income. The Youngers wait for a check of $10,000 to arrive at their house from their insurance since Big Walter passed away. Each family member has a different idea of what they want to do with the money, but the final decision is up to Lena Younger as the wife of Big Walter. In the end, Lena buys a house in an all white community
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A good example of her feeling toward her race is the two men she is dating. After Beneatha meets up with Asagai, George and Beneatha argue about their opinions of their culture. George comes to pick up Beneatha when she is wearing a traditional African robe and Hansberry writes, “GEORGE: (To Beneatha) Look honey, we’re going to the theatre-we’re not going to be in it… so go change, huh? (BENEATHA looks at him and slowly, ceremoniously, lifts her hands and pulls off the headdress. Her hair is close-cropped and straightened. GEORGE freezes mid-sentence and Ruth’s eyes all but fan out of her head)” (Hansberry 80). This quote shows George’s view on traditional African culture. George is an African American that Beneatha calls an “assimilationist Negroe” (Hansberry 81). The fact that they are going to the theatre which was expensive shows that he is rich. He finds Beneatha’s robe to be more of a costume than something she would wear to show her culture. He wants her to change which shows that he may be controlling and rude to Beneatha. Beneatha feels discriminated against because George does not love her for who she is since he wants her to blend in with the other white people at the theatre. The stage directions show that Beneatha is proud of who she is since she stops straightening her hair and she wears it in a typical African hairstyle.
Racism is a problem that people of every race around the world still faces today. In the film adaptation of The Help and the text version of Lorraine Hansberry's “A Raisin in The Sun”, racial discrimination is a major theme explored. Racial discrimination is a major theme that both sources portray. There are laws that make discrimination illegal in The United States but it people still suffer from it, however, The Help and “A Raisin if The Sun” portray more ways in which this problem can be eliminated through resistance, getting support from the oppressors, and showing the intimidators their behaviors and attitudes.
Racism is a major issue that has effected many people since its discovery. Racism is the hatred by a person of one race pointed at a person of another race. A Raisin in the Sun deals with the impact of racism on the life of the younger family.
Walter uses his male privilege to put Beneatha down. Beneatha battles being underprivileged at home and in society by defying odds and choosing her own path. According to the matrix of domination, Beneatha being an African American woman shows that in order for her to have full privilege she has to deal with both the isms. The social construction of difference has produced racism and sexism and connected them and society has used them to justify
Beneatha is a young independent woman, who has big dreams of becoming a doctor. During the 1950, it was very rare for a young woman to become a doctor. As a result, becoming a doctor was even harder for a young black woman, like Beneatha. She is constantly told that women should just sit and look pretty. Constantly being put down by George Murchison a man that neglects his roots, “I don’t go out with you to discuss the nature of “quiet desperation”or to hear all about your thoughts...
His sister, Beneatha, wants to become a doctor and Walter isn't very supportive of her decision. Walter's wife, Ruth, is the recipient of the majority of Walter's anger and sexist remarks. In Act 1 Scene 1, the audience learns that Beneatha, a colored woman, wants to become a doctor and attends medical school. Beneatha and Walter begin to banter with each other about Mama’s money.
He gives her gifts native to Africa, like the robes from his sister, and inspires her to find herself with them and through the influence they bring. He often has intellectual discussions with her about identity and progress. However, Asagai does not always convince Beneatha to love Africa with purely wholesome comments. In order to get his point across, he often ridicules the beliefs of assimilationist black people. He is the one who mentioned Beneatha’s hair was “mutilated” which prompted her to cut it off (Hansberry 471).
She puts a lot of effort and time in trying to get an education for herself and learn how to be her own person. Beneatha does not want to be with George because she feels that she will not be able to fulfill her dream of being a doctor. For example, “But if the Younger’s are sitting around waiting to see if their little Bennie is going to tie up the family with the Murchisons, they are wasting their time” (Hansberry31).Beneatha wants to be a hardworking woman and this connects to the American Dream because hard work is a big component of achieving what you want. Also, she does not want George Murchison stopping her from being a hard-working woman. She does everything by herself and puts her hard work into everything she does.
In Act 1, Beneatha’s quest to find her personal identity is seen in the way she expresses herself, her ambitions, her roots and the way she deviates from what is acceptable in her family. She tries to find ways to express herself such as trying different hobbies. In the past, Beneatha has been a part of a play-acting group, horseback-riding club, and in Act 1 starts guitar lessons (47). She also has the ambition to become a doctor which is looked down upon by her brother, Walter Lee (38). Additionally, her African roots are important to her search for identity.
George thinks men should be smarter than women. George also makes fun of Beneatha’s heritage, by saying “ Let's face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!” (1571). Even though George is also this heritage, he thinks he’s better than them because he is rich. Thi changes Beneatha by showing that George is wrong and Asgia is the guy for her.
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.
George’s negative outlook is something that he received from his upbringing. When George puts down Beneatha’s interests and tells her that thinking is not required of her, he simultaneously shows that he is unhealthy in his relationship with Beneatha and that his unhealthiness comes from his upbringing. The unhealthiness comes from his upbringing because George, taught as a higher class, learned that it wasn’t necessary for his happiness, therefore he thinks that Beneatha does not need it
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.
Hassenberry wrote her play about a poor African American family by the name of the Yongers. Mrs. Younger, Walter Lee, and Beneatha all have there own individual dreams. , But are consistently being differed. Lena Younger, otherwise known as, “Mama” is Walter and Beneatha’s mother and the head of the household. With her deceased husbands ten thousand dollar insurance check Lena bought a three thousand-dollar house with a garden where her family would be happy and hopes to save the rest of the money for Beneatha’s medical school.
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.
Lena is a caring woman who loves her family. She is understanding of the problems of others, and can look past their mistakes no matter the gravity of what they've done. Even though both of her children are grown adults, she still has the motherly drive to protect them as if they were still young children.