What Is Racism In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Social status is the position of a person, a group within the society. In racism, there have always been problems of social status and labeling. In a society or environmental culture, African-Americans were always positioned or ranked at the lowest level within the society, and they were always labeled as the criminals and the bad guys. Which is similar to the story of Killing the Mockingbird. Why would Tom Robinson be labeled as a rapist right away without strong proofs of his innocence?

If it weren't for these prejudice thoughts, many people would be together united as one fighting to better one another. As Brent states in “Black Men and Public Space,” “the hatred he feels for blacks makes itself known to him through a variety of avenues - one being his discomfort with that ‘special brand of paranoid touchiness’ to which he says blacks are prone.” (514). Due to this fear of one another, it has brought much tension among many. This discrimination has been going on for many years and is what makes the United States divided. These many examples provided by Brent proved these exact points and showed the belitting of African Americans within Americas society.

The black man is first made out to seem like a bad man. But since the commercial ends with the ‘’appearance can be deceiving’’ slogan, you could also say that they are trying to make you think about judging things by their looks. Things don’t have to be bad because your impression of it is bad. This also reflects on the group of black people in society. The only reason they appear to be bad to some people is because racist people are giving the impression that they are bad.

Racism has deep roots in American history. Slavery, segregation, and unnecessary police charges are just a few examples of racism. But, why does racism exist? Many people believe that their race and ethnicity is superior than others, and that those who are “different” are inferior. Those who are considered, “inferior,” have to be treated differently, which results in unfairness and discrimination.

This use of power by white people over black individuals has caused numerous black individuals to view themselves as trapped in their own skin, which is a concept Fanon defines as “blackness”. In Frantz Fanon’s article, The Fact of Blackness, he speaks about how black people do not feel the weight of their “blackness” until they are under the scrutiny of white counterparts and viewed as objects. Fanon states, “A feeling of inferiority? No, a feeling of nonexistence. Sin is Negro as virtue is white.

Othello is a black general from Africa who is respected by most of his white colleagues. However, all of the racist judgment he faces throughout the play, start to make him believe he is an evil, unstable black man. When Iago tries to ruin Othello by telling Brabantio about Othello and Desdemona he uses Othello 's race and Brabantio’s racism as a scapegoat. Othello portrays Othello and black men in general as monstrous, unstable, and unreasonable making its younger black male audience believe that they could never amount to anything more than stereotypes. Everyone in Othello uses racial slurs when talking to or describing Othello, especially one of his best men, Iago.

One of the main themes of the novel is Racism. During the time of depression, racism and poverty were a common issue. People with a dark skin tone, i.e the African- Americans were seen as derogatory and treated like dirt. Harper Lee depicts it in a very realistic way. Though most of the town Maycomb feels negatively and discriminates the African-Americans, characters like Atticus show us how one person can impact his surroundings if he has high morals.

The additional burden of racism has made that transition much more difficult for those whose skin is black, brown, red, or yellow. In no small part because of the tradition of slavery, Blacks have long been targets of abuse. The use of patrols to capture runaway slaves was one of the precursors of formal police forces, especially in the South. This disastrous legacy persisted as an element of the police role even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In some cases, police harassment simply meant people of African descent were more likely to be stopped and questioned by the police, while at the other extreme, they have suffered beatings, and even murder, at the hands of White police.

Racism, the belief that one race possesses inherent traits that make that particular race superior to other races. In 1900s black people were treated cruelly, and even got killed because of racism. They were considered inferior to the white race. People used to judge each other based on their skin color, and race. The society used to turn a blind eye to the racial problems.

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. The Help focuses on the story of a upper class writer that tries to find her social identity as well as others.