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Essay # 3
Introduction
“A Raisin in the Sun” is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in which she depicted the segregation era and the problems that Black people faced during that time. The younger family was also one of the many Black people who faced racial discrimination because they were black. However, the story explains that how, despite all the struggles and discrimination, they denied to let go of their dream to shift in a new house in a white neighborhood. In the play, the author did not mention the aftermaths of shifting into a new house so it is rather an intricate thing to assess what happens to the family after they shifted to the new house. Thus, with the help of narratives of the people who lived in the segregation era, one can easily speculate the challenges that Younger family members had faced after shifting in a white neighborhood. This essay will discuss the problems that the Younger family must have encountered while shifting into a new house located in a white neighborhood.
Body
The play revolves around Mama and her children. Mama wants to move out of all-black south side Chicago and buy a new house with the insurance money from her deceased spouse insurance policy. Although every other member of the house has their all plans yet they all eventually agree to mama’s wish and supported her decision to move out despite being reluctant at first. The reason for their reluctance was due to the discrimination they all faced because of their color. Even the broker Mr. Lindner, who showed them the house also tried his level best to convince Mama to not buy a house in a white neighborhood. He suggested, “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 communities (Hansberry Act II)”.
In the era of segregation, black people were oppressed by white people and they were not even allowed to live in the neighborhood of white people. Both black and white people have a separate area allocated to them to live in (King et al. p.590). So, shifting to a new house in a white people territory was very difficult and challenging. The first thing that the Younger family must have encountered would be the unwelcome attitude of the neighbors and the contemptuous gaze of neighbors. The community members would never have wanted to interact with them just because of their color. Also, Younger’s family members would be ignored in any community-based task. While discussing the members individually, Mama despite facing several issues, would be happy that at least she fulfilled her and her husband’s lifelong wish to shift in a white neighborhood. Walter and Ruth must be struggling as Walter already lost the money that he invested to start a business so they would have financial issues. Additionally, living in a white community would make it difficult for Walter to start a business as the majority of white people despise black people so they would not support a black man’s business (Darity Jr p.226). Moreover, if they ever decided to start a family, their child has to face racial discrimination and would be bullied by their peers as well. Although, living in a white neighborhood opens doors for several opportunities such as Younger’s family could also experience the living standards that were only dedicated to white people. Ruth and Walter can provide their children with an opportunity to get an education in an all-white school. However, the racial prejudice and stereotypical thinking of white people would make things difficult for Younger’s family.
Conclusion
The play "A Raisin in the Sun" highlighted several aspects of the time when black people were oppressed by the white people. Even the segregation was also pervasive in housing. However, despite being constantly discriminated Younger’s family decided to move to a house that was in the all-white neighborhood. Based on the narrative of people and the knowledge gained after reading the literature regarding the issues faced by black people during the segregation period, the challenges faced by Younger’s family can easily be speculated. Younger’s family like every other family living in the segregation period must have faced several issues. However, they would have found their way to resolve the issues as they did before by believing in themselves and taking firm decisions with unity.
Works Cited
Darity Jr, William A. "Employment discrimination, segregation, and health." American Journal of Public Health 93.2 (2003): 226-231.
ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun: A Drama in Three Acts. Random House, 1959.
King, A. Thomas, and Peter Mieszkowski. "Racial discrimination, segregation, and the price of housing." Journal of Political Economy 81.3 (1973): 590-606.
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