A raisin in the sun by Lorraine Hansberry Research Paper

A raisin in the sun by Lorraine Hansberry - Research Paper Example With $10,000 worth of insurance check, Hansberry asks if this is enough to buy their American Dreams. Raisin in the Sun depicts the deferred American Dream, where blacks diverge on their ideas of being African American and how this affects their definition of the American Dream, but as a family, they resolved their individual differences through affirming racial equality through racial integration and the variety of their dreams. The play argues that the poverty of the black working-class is a product of racial prejudice and a misplaced sense of humility. The setting of A Raisin in the Sun embodies the constrained life of African Americans. The Southside Apartment of the Youngers is a place of â€Å"weariness† where â€Å"too many people have lived for too long† (Hansberry Act 1 Scene 1). Blacks are compressed in a limited space through the policies and programs of the government that rely on racial prejudice. May talks about the space that limits African American growth, a space that ensures their poverty. She says: â€Å"Hansberry speaks to the material/ecological situatedness of her characters’ lives† (May 130). Most blacks rented and did not own their houses, a situation that Lena wanted to change. For her, having a house in a white neighborhood is already the realization of her American Dream. Walter thinks differently, however. Washington argues that Lena’s American D ream opposes Walter’s version of it. He asserts: â€Å"[Lena’s] is in short, not the true American Dream, but a second-class version of it reserved for Black Americans and other poor people† (Washington 130). Lena has a misguided sense of humility because she sees that a house is enough. Walter knows better because he does not aim for mere existence, but a true sense of development through a business undertaking. But Lena warns him of taking more than what the white society can afford to give blacks. She says: â€Å"When a man goes outside

The New Deal 1932-1940 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The New Deal 1932-1940 - Essay Example It was the extreme poverty that afflicted certain sections of the society, in the backdrop of the economic recession that became the immediate provocation for a vision about a new deal. This essay is to suggest that though it was the New Deal that removed the stark social disparities that existed in the US society and paved way for the emergence of the US as a nation of equal opportunities, it cannot be called a totally fair deal when it comes to the long term welfare of social minorities and deprived groups. Background New Deal envisaged to deal with the socio-economic threats faced by American society as during that period, the unemployment rate in US was 25%, production output was drastically decreasing, deflation was at its worse, and all major industrial sectors were under the peril of economic depression Edsforth, 22-23; 153). Relief, recovery and reform were the â€Å"3Rs† of New Deal (Edsforth, 54). The concept underlying the motto, ‘relief’, was to bring relief to the poor and unemployed sections of the society (Edsforth, 52). ... ts two stages of implementation, included many people-friendly legislations including the Works Progress Administration Relief Program, which gave relief to migrant laborers who were mostly Mexicans and Black people (Edsforth, 220, 231). The Social Security Act of this era was also an all-encompassing legislation, which provided relief to American women, Indians, and racial minorities (Edsforth, 213) . Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) was another new law that ensured minimum wages for all categories of workers and also laid down the maximum working hours (Edsforth, 277). The limits of change When the Great Depression came, Americans were unwarily celebrating the â€Å"New Era Prosperity† (Edsforth, 20). Edsforth has described this scenario by calling it â€Å"the new American dreamscape of universal mass consumption† (Edsforth, 21). But soon the stock markets crashed, construction and automobile sectors which were having a boom declined suddenly, and these changes  "indicated that the practical limits of those able to buy into the new American Dream were fast being approached† (Edsforth, 21). The wealth distribution was greatly tilted towards a small group of rich people and â€Å"nearly 80 of all families had no savings whatsoever in 1929† (Edsforth, 22). It was in this context that New Deal became an empathetic pat on the shoulder for the deprived groups. The New Deal and American Women The most important New Deal program that could be considered, pro-woman, was the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was introduced in 1935 (Edsforth, 288). It opened up new job opportunities for single women, widows, and women who had physically handicapped husband or whose husbands had even temporarily abandoned them. Most of these women were given jobs in sewing, cloth