Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun have challenged society’s cognitive model and helped shaped the American culture we know and live in today. Throughout the 1950’s, America saw a rise in African-American families facing extreme racial prejudice, poor education, inferior standards of living, and lower incomes. In Fact, in the 1960’s the average African-American family had an income of $3,233, compared to an income of $5,835 for white families ("The Postwar Period Through the 1950s"). Both Clybourne Park and A Raisin in the Sun use the power of theater to bring these relevant social issues to light. Norris’s Clybourne Park shows the social tensions between a black and white family and the blockade that
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Norris uses rising tensions throughout the play in order to reveal the lack of compassion in society. More specifically, these tensions also reveal the social unrest and lack of sensitivity between white and black people in the play. As Bev insists on giving Albert money or a chafing dish the audience is able to notice a rise in tensions between the characters: BEV: Or take something. You have to take something. /ALBERT: No ma’am. But -/BEV: What about this chafing dish? Did you see this dish?.../BEV: She said you didn’t have one and somebody should take it and -/ALBERT: (overlapping) But we don’t need it, ma’am./BEV: (continuous) – make use of it, so if you let me just wrap it for you./ALBERT: (finally raising his voice) Ma’am, we don’t want your things. Please. We got our own things. (Pause. BEV is shocked.) (Norris 95-96). Bev and Albert’s conversation shows how assumptions about privilege and wealth led to conflict. Bev’s cognitive model, which has stereotyped African-American people, creates tensions as she continues to offend Albert. Because theater is a reflection of society itself, Norris uses increasing tensions on stage to hint at the larger problem in society that is on track to eventually burst and explode. Norris shows the …show more content…
Throughout the play the Hansberry constantly illustrates the struggles of Beneatha, a African-American women, faces during her pursuit to defy the stereotype that women cannot be doctors. Beneatha proves to be one of the strongest characters in the play as she is unaffected by the discouragement she receving for pursuing her goal: BENEATHA: Oh, I probably will. . . but first I'm going to be a doctor, and George, for one, still thinks that's pretty funny. I couldn't be bothered with that. I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that! (Hansberry 506). In general, society is slow and unwelcoming to new changes that are different from the norm and in A Raisin in the Sun society laughs and beats down on Beneatha’s desires to become a female doctor. In A Raisin in the Sun, theater is also used as a tool to show a reflection of society itself, which exposes society’s flaws to the audience. Throughout the play, Hansberry illustrates the struggles of an African-American family to move out of the city and into a better neighborhood. Through the family’s liminal journey to their new house, Hansberry shows how corrupt and divided society really is: LINDNER (putting on his glasses and drawing a form out of the
Norris uses rising tensions throughout the play in order to reveal the lack of compassion in society. More specifically, these tensions also reveal the social unrest and lack of sensitivity between white and black people in the play. As Bev insists on giving Albert money or a chafing dish the audience is able to notice a rise in tensions between the characters: BEV: Or take something. You have to take something. /ALBERT: No ma’am. But -/BEV: What about this chafing dish? Did you see this dish?.../BEV: She said you didn’t have one and somebody should take it and -/ALBERT: (overlapping) But we don’t need it, ma’am./BEV: (continuous) – make use of it, so if you let me just wrap it for you./ALBERT: (finally raising his voice) Ma’am, we don’t want your things. Please. We got our own things. (Pause. BEV is shocked.) (Norris 95-96). Bev and Albert’s conversation shows how assumptions about privilege and wealth led to conflict. Bev’s cognitive model, which has stereotyped African-American people, creates tensions as she continues to offend Albert. Because theater is a reflection of society itself, Norris uses increasing tensions on stage to hint at the larger problem in society that is on track to eventually burst and explode. Norris shows the …show more content…
Throughout the play the Hansberry constantly illustrates the struggles of Beneatha, a African-American women, faces during her pursuit to defy the stereotype that women cannot be doctors. Beneatha proves to be one of the strongest characters in the play as she is unaffected by the discouragement she receving for pursuing her goal: BENEATHA: Oh, I probably will. . . but first I'm going to be a doctor, and George, for one, still thinks that's pretty funny. I couldn't be bothered with that. I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that! (Hansberry 506). In general, society is slow and unwelcoming to new changes that are different from the norm and in A Raisin in the Sun society laughs and beats down on Beneatha’s desires to become a female doctor. In A Raisin in the Sun, theater is also used as a tool to show a reflection of society itself, which exposes society’s flaws to the audience. Throughout the play, Hansberry illustrates the struggles of an African-American family to move out of the city and into a better neighborhood. Through the family’s liminal journey to their new house, Hansberry shows how corrupt and divided society really is: LINDNER (putting on his glasses and drawing a form out of the