A Raisin In The Sun Literary Analysis

As he pointed out in the very early part of his article, for instance Clyde Ross, resident of North Lawndale Chicago, was denied when he first tried to get a legitimate mortgage; mortgages were effectively not available to black people (Coates, June 2014). Also, just like what we talked about in class last week, Ross and many other black families were forced to live in those redlined neighborhoods with “contract house.” Basically, Ross had not signed a normal mortgage. He’d bought “on contract”: a predatory agreement that combined all the responsibilities of homeownership with all the disadvantages of renting—while offering the benefits of neither (Coates, June 2014). This is a perfect example of how these ghetto-neighborhoods were created; it was created by white supremacists and people in the government who chose to ignore “the elephant in the room.” All these black families left with no choice. They ran from the South, thinking that they could finally go the land of the free. They quickly found out that, it was no different in the North, or even the West. They were forced to stuck with the

During the time period when a lot of the African American population moved from the South to the large northern cities in hope of better jobs and a chance of a better lifestyle, residential segregation was a big issue. At the beginning the African American population thought it was great to have their own neighborhoods where they could live and be themselves. In Southside Chicago there are famous buildings such as the Regal Theatre and Hotel Grand, which are located right within the “Black Metropolis”. Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun takes place in Southside Chicago in the 1950s. It revolves around the Younger family who bought a house in a white neighborhood with the money of Big Walter’s insurance check. But they are facing problems from the neighborhood as the “welcoming committee” offers to buy the house of off them just so they will not move into the neighborhood. In the play A Raisin in the Sun one of the many issues the Younger family faces is residential segregation.

“Gatekeepers and Homeseekers: Institutional Patterns in Racial Steering';, is an informative article that touches upon many of the key points gone over in class. This article deals with the difference in the way blacks and whites were and are treated, past and present, by real estate agents when shopping for a new home. In the study, one can see that blacks were not treated as fairly as white people in the real estate market were. Many times the potential black homebuyers were discouraged from purchasing homes in the same areas that the agent would readily show a white homebuyer. The real estate agent played a very peculiar role in doing this. They were, in essence, the racist gatekeepers of a seemingly non-racist neighborhood.

One of the main plot points within the play is Mama’s purchase of a home in a predominately white neighborhood. In fact

Black Corona and the article White Spatial Imagination both touch upon how real estates agents favored lending and financing white families because black communities were a ‘poor lending risk’. Another tactic that the white community often use was violence, because they viewed the idea of black homeowners as a target on their own financial stability, as it would lead to property value decrease, they employed violent tactics in order to ensure the physical separation of the black bodies and to showcase Black people inferiority. Although they were no longer slaves they were treated terribly to the point where they were constantly being segregated because of the melanin of their skin.when the whites moved the factories out of the cities and whites

For far too long, African Americans have been neglected the rights to decent and fair housing. In “In Darkness and Confusion,” William Jones expresses his discontentment with the almost cruel living conditions of the ghettos in Harlem as he stated, “It ain’t a fit place to live, though” (Petry 261). William was especially motivated to move to a better home to protect his wife, Pink’s, ailing health. William and Pink searched high and low for more decent places to live – however, they simply could not afford decent. Though marketed to those with lower than average incomes, the ‘better’ housing for blacks were still deficient and extremely pricy. In

“Our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” – Mr. Linder Pg.100. In the quote Mr. Linder is expressing his organizations dislike of Blacks; like most of people in the 50’s, Mr. Linder was degrading a group of people on exterior appearances. In the play you can see hints of racism and gender discrimination from Walter when he asked Beneatha why she isn’t a nurse or maid instead of striving to become a doctor. Racism has been a long hard for Black community and other minority groups in the world. A Raisin in the Sun never gives the slightest hope of racist views ever being lifted. Over time the stain of

Lindner explains to the family that the residents of the neighborhood feel as though their whole way of life is being threatened if a black American family moves in. Furthermore, Mr. Lindner tries to justify his actions by saying that the neighborhood organization has seen that “Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” (Hansbury). He says this in order to make the Younger family feel as though this is what is best for them, but in reality, he is

Through Mr. Lindner’s visit to the Younger’s family, A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates racially segregated nature of Chicago’s neighborhood, and how the Younger family suffered emotional trauma in their everyday life due to their race in the form of stress they had to experience due to the non-violent tactics used by the people to racially segregate them from other people in the community, further leading them to have lesser options to improve their status.

Imagine if you were a black family living in the 1950's during the height of racism and the civil rights movement. How difficult would your lives be and what obstacles would have to be overcome? In Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the Youngers family live in a rundown Black neighborhood located in Chicago. Much of the play talks about the struggles that the family faces. Loraine Hansberry's message talks about the importance of achieving dreams, awareness of racial discrimination, and family dynamics.

Our parents always told us that we should have goals and dreams in our life, and through them we will gain happiness. There are some things in life that get in the way of our dreams and goals. In the Declaration of Independence, It states that we have the right to pursue happiness. For example having everybody in the world be equal, and not be shamed upon or looked at differently due to the color of their skin. The poem ¨The Negro Mother,¨ the play A Raisin in the Sun, and the article Innocence Is Irrelevant, all show how our society and they way people can get in the way of our happiness.

Lorraine Hansberry develops the theme that racial discrimination makes it hard to obtain the American Dream through the use of setting. The play takes place in Southside Chicago 1950. During this time the south was segregated by racist Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow Laws were laws requiring the separation of whites from persons of color. Many African Americans faced unofficial racial barriers in the North. Black and white communities were even segregated from each other. Black and white communities were very different. Buying a house in a black community was different from buying a house in a white community. Black communities were more expensive and were less well-kept, in contrast to white communities being cheaper, very clean, and well-kept. Linder states, “I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities.” Linder is trying to say that they are not trying to be racist but clearly are because they are telling the Younger’s that they can not live there because it is an all white community and blacks have their own communities. Linder offers money for the Younger’s to leave just so that they don’t have any blacks in their all white community. Galens states, “Mama Younger has the money to pay for a house she wants, but people attempt to

The white side of town represents privilege. The colored side of town represents hard work. The white side of town represents most things handed to you and a lot of things done for you. For example, “Get the house straightened up and then go fix some of that chicken salad now” (Stockett 14). This represents a privileged lifestyle because you always have someone to call on when you need something. The whites always have the help to cook, to clean, to take care of your children, to do all of the things that you don't want to do. The colored side of town represents hard work because they spend their day taking care, cleaning, and cooking for someone else and then having to go home and cook, clean, and take take care of you own children and

It was a way to constraint African Americans to areas that were far away from those with status, class, and power. Segregation led to discrimination in economic opportunities, housing, and education. The black culture has suffered from the barriers that were placed through segregation. However, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 tried to limit some of the discrimination associated with segregation. It was discovered that even a “rising economic status had little or no effect on the level of segregation that blacks experience” (Massey and Denton 87). The authors imply that “black segregation would remain a universal high” (Massey and Denton 88). The problem with the continuing causes in Segregation is that even though the Fair Housing act was placed, many realtors still discriminate against blacks “through a series of ruses, lies, and deceptions, makes it hard for them to learn about, inspect, rent, or purchase homes in white neighborhoods” (Massey and Denton 97). Segregation and discrimination have a cumulative effect over time. Massey and Denton argued that the “act of discrimination may be small and subtle, together they have a powerful cumulative effect in lowering the probability of black entry into white neighborhood” (98). William Julius Wilson had

A Raisin in the Sun was a play written in the late 1950’s analyzing the cruel effects of racism amongst the Younger family. The younger family suffers from racial discrimination within their living space, place of employment, and the housing industry. Racism has been going on for a very long time in the United States and will always continue to exist. Racism has not only led to political but also social issues. "A Raisin in the Sun confronted Whites for an acknowledgement that a black family could be fully human, 'just like us."(qtd. White fear.) The setting took place in the ghetto, south of Chicago where mainly African Americans settled. In this division, apartments and houses were overly priced, crowded and poorly maintained. Crime rates were extremely high and most families lived in poverty. Due to segregated housing, it was a daily struggle for black families who had hopes in leaving the ghetto for better lives.