Clybourne Park
Word Count: 1,002
Clybourne Park Essay The Broadway play “Clybourne Park” is based off the movie and play “The Raisin in the Sun”. It is written by Bruce Norris and was honored with many awards including the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best play. Bruce Norris wrote the play by having it pick up right where “The Raisin in the Sun” left off. By doing this, Bruce Norris picks up where the drama was and shows the racial tensions in the 1950’s and 1960’s up until present day. To create this, writer Bruce Norris created a play with only two acts. The first act is based in the late 1950’s and early 60’s right after the war. The second act is based in the same house fifty years apart in the year 2009. By doing this Bruce Norris shows how race is still an important factor in many people’s lives even though racism has supposedly been abolished. Racism is one of the key factors that play a major role in the play “Clybourne Park”. During act 1 the author shows racial tension in many ways. In the beginning, the play opens up based in Chicago in the 50’s and 60’s with Russ and Bev selling their house because they are in need of a new start. Karl then comes over and begins to question them if they know who bought the house. While doing this the author then informs the audience that the family that has bought the house is a black family. In the 50’s and 60’s many people thought that if a black family moved into a white neighborhood that the neighborhood would not be worth its value anymore. They also thought if a black family moved into the community the white families that lived there would move out a rapid pace and it would be lost to the black families of Chicago. Another example of racism in Act 1 is when Jim decides to ask Francine a hypothetical question. Jim asks Francine if her and her family had the opportunity to live in Clybourne Park if they would and Francine responds by saying that she would like to live there and it would be a
Clybourne Park Essay The Broadway play “Clybourne Park” is based off the movie and play “The Raisin in the Sun”. It is written by Bruce Norris and was honored with many awards including the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for drama and the Tony Award for best play. Bruce Norris wrote the play by having it pick up right where “The Raisin in the Sun” left off. By doing this, Bruce Norris picks up where the drama was and shows the racial tensions in the 1950’s and 1960’s up until present day. To create this, writer Bruce Norris created a play with only two acts. The first act is based in the late 1950’s and early 60’s right after the war. The second act is based in the same house fifty years apart in the year 2009. By doing this Bruce Norris shows how race is still an important factor in many people’s lives even though racism has supposedly been abolished. Racism is one of the key factors that play a major role in the play “Clybourne Park”. During act 1 the author shows racial tension in many ways. In the beginning, the play opens up based in Chicago in the 50’s and 60’s with Russ and Bev selling their house because they are in need of a new start. Karl then comes over and begins to question them if they know who bought the house. While doing this the author then informs the audience that the family that has bought the house is a black family. In the 50’s and 60’s many people thought that if a black family moved into a white neighborhood that the neighborhood would not be worth its value anymore. They also thought if a black family moved into the community the white families that lived there would move out a rapid pace and it would be lost to the black families of Chicago. Another example of racism in Act 1 is when Jim decides to ask Francine a hypothetical question. Jim asks Francine if her and her family had the opportunity to live in Clybourne Park if they would and Francine responds by saying that she would like to live there and it would be a