Segregation In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun
The American Dream is the freedom given to every person in America, no matter their race, gender, culture, religion, or beliefs and an equal chance at prosperity. The Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, is an African American family living in the 20th century in a cramped apartment, dealing with racial prejudice and discrimination. During A Raisin in the Sun, the Younger family struggles to live in a cramped, overpriced apartment while facing challenges and tension in their new neighborhood; the historical context of Lorraine Hansberry’s play reveals the controversy of segregation.
In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, factors such as racial zoning, immigration policies, and inadequate municipal services in …show more content…
Even after segregation was no longer by law, “bombings, shootings, riots, or threats greeted the arrival of nearly every new colored family” (Ida Mae Brandon Gladney). In addition to the violence and protesting, neighborhoods and cities would use a tool called invoking eminent domain which gave them “the power to condemn and seize land for public purposes” (Rothstein). Since the Younger family’s new neighbors urged them not to move in, it is likely that they will experience violence and protesting against them. Referring to the possibility of them being bombed like many other black families, Mrs. Johnson, the landlady, said, “I bet this time next month y’all’s names will have been in the papers plenty” (Hansberry 102). Many African American families in the 1950s were also annexed for public reasons, which Lindner and his Clybourne Park Improvement Association could have the power to do in the future. It is evident that the Younger family is not wanted in Clybourne Park when Lindner suggests that, “Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” (Hansberry 118). Lindner also offered to buy the home back from the Younger family on behalf of the neighborhood. Although the Younger family did not accept this offer, the neighborhood’s effort “to buy the house from [them] at
In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, factors such as racial zoning, immigration policies, and inadequate municipal services in …show more content…
Even after segregation was no longer by law, “bombings, shootings, riots, or threats greeted the arrival of nearly every new colored family” (Ida Mae Brandon Gladney). In addition to the violence and protesting, neighborhoods and cities would use a tool called invoking eminent domain which gave them “the power to condemn and seize land for public purposes” (Rothstein). Since the Younger family’s new neighbors urged them not to move in, it is likely that they will experience violence and protesting against them. Referring to the possibility of them being bombed like many other black families, Mrs. Johnson, the landlady, said, “I bet this time next month y’all’s names will have been in the papers plenty” (Hansberry 102). Many African American families in the 1950s were also annexed for public reasons, which Lindner and his Clybourne Park Improvement Association could have the power to do in the future. It is evident that the Younger family is not wanted in Clybourne Park when Lindner suggests that, “Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” (Hansberry 118). Lindner also offered to buy the home back from the Younger family on behalf of the neighborhood. Although the Younger family did not accept this offer, the neighborhood’s effort “to buy the house from [them] at