Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin...

Fighting Charges of Assimilation in Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and The Cosby Show The critical reception of The Cosby Show, an enormously popular television sitcom in the 1980s, roughly paralleled that of A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberrys highly acclaimed play of the 1950s. Both the television series and the play helped change the way Blacks are portrayed in the entertainment media. But despite being initially greeted with critical praise, both subsequently fell under heavy scrutiny by many critics for being too assimilationist. However, in both cases, the charges of assimilation may perhaps be too harsh. A Raisin in the Sun, a drama of a middle-class family in Chicago, should not be regarded as a wholehearted†¦show more content†¦He longs for the socioeconomic advantages of the affluent people and assimilates to their ideas. As Darwin Turner explains, Walter typifies the upward-moving American male. He honors ruthless capitalism (4). However, all of this is not to say that Hansberrys play condones or endorses this kind of attitude or ideal. Nor is it accurate to assume that the play is against such assimilationist goals. Instead, A Raisin in the Sun remains decidedly and deliberately ambiguous in any sort of moral judgment. The 1950s was a decade in which black literature emphasized the issue of integration. Black writers also consciously stressed the similarities between Blacks and Whites. Hansberry believed that blacks and Whites had similar character traits and values, as A Raisin in the Sun demonstrates. However, Hansberry assumed a consciously ambivalent stance in regard to social integration (Turner, 4). The Youngers did not want to move into a white community merely out of a desire to live with whites. They moved out of a desire for freedom and opportunity rather than for social integration. But this motivation should not be construed as a desire to assimilate. Instead, it is a desire to achieve an ideal shared by all Americans. In this regard, A Raisin in the Sun is not a mere proponent of black assimilation--the play deals realistically

Trifles Play Essay Free Essays

Trifles Essay The play â€Å"Trifles† is a murder mystery, which takes place in the kitchen of the Wrights home. In the beginning of the story, Glaspell sets the murder scene in the audiences mind by having Mr. Peters and Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on Trifles Play Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Henderson interview Mr. Hale on his discovery of Mr. Wright’s body. Mr. Hale then begins to talk about the condition of Mr. Wright, and then continues on and talks about the behavior of Mrs. Wright The rising action in the story begins after the men leave the women, and go upstairs to potentially find evidence, or a motive. The women began to ask many questions, and examine the kitchen, and how it was left after the murder. The men then overhear the women pondering on whether Mrs. Wright was to knot or pierce the rope. The men laugh at the women because they found such matters to be of little importance. The rising action continues with the women finding the bird cage, and the nervous stitching. All through the rising action, ironically, the women were shown inadvertently finding evidence to solve the murder case. Just after these discoveries, the climax of the play is signaled. The women find a dead bird inside of a box placed in the sewing basket. The women then notice that the bird’s neck was wrung, similar to how Mr. Wright had died. Glaspell then narrates that there was a look of growing comprehension between the two. This line is important because, their questions were answered, and the women know who murdered Mr. Wright. It is also ironic because the women find little ‘trifles’ that the men just deem as unimportant, which ironically solves the case. This is also because the men and even the women themselves wouldn’t expect to be capable of aiding in the murder investigation. Inadvertently, the women solve the murder case. It is also interesting that the discoveries were all found inside of the kitchen where the men tend to go very little throughout the play, but also just in general. The purpose of doing so was probably done in order for Glaspell to empathize on the theme of the play: Women are not appreciated by men, and seen lowly by them. This can also be supported because the men thought of what Mrs. Peters brought in was something that was harmless, and couldn’t possibly hold the main evidence that they would need in order to prosecute Mrs. Wright. After secretly and accidently solving the murder case, the women decide to not tell the men that Mrs. Wright did indeed murder her husband. The women mainly resolved to do this out of sympathy. The women’s decision is the resolution and beginning of the falling action of the play. The falling action of the play becomes intensive because the reader thinks that The Attorney will find the dead bird, and the women will be caught. The falling action of the play also achieves the purpose of the plays structure because it shows that women are actually useful in tasks other than housework, which is a sub-topic of the theme. Also, it achieves it because the women hold the key to the one piece of evidence that the men needed in order to find Mrs. Wright guilty. â€Å"Trifles† was a murder mystery with a dramatic structure, but also an ironic twist to it. The women unknowingly find all the evidence, inside of the kitchen. Glaspell structured the play, so that the women and men would think that the women’s findings would be such small trifles, but in actuality were the clues to solving the case. Also, that was done so that Glaspell could place the theme of men believing that women are unhelpful, and unappreciated. Glaspell supports this theme by having the women solve the case, but not tell the men. The structure of this play also gave a underlying truth in the theme. â€Å"Trifles† ironically was structured off of dismissed trifles. How to cite Trifles Play Essay, Essay examples

Outsiders Essay Example For Students

Outsiders Essay The Outsiders is a movie about teenagers who Are always facing conflicts aroundthemselves. The teens are represented in many different ways throughout themovie. There will be many questions asked like are these teens realisticallyportrayed, Are they like any other teen you know, and is it worth doing whatthese teens do throughout the movie? The teens are represented good and bad. They are represented good when they are hiding out at the church, there is afire in the church with a bunch of kids in there and on of the boys run in tosave the kids the other two jump in to help save them. The make the front coverof the newspaper. They risked their lives to save the kids and the one boy hadto get rushed to the hospital to get treated for serious burns. The teen wererepresented with the cloths that they wear, the Socs were all dressed up indress pants and polo shirts for the preppy look. The greasers were dresses up asif they didnt care what they look like, they had long greasy hair, blue jeansand a T-shirt. If I were the teen at the scene of the fire I dont think thatI would go into the church unless I knew someone in there and they really neededhelp. The teens were realistically portrayed when one of the guys from the Socswanted to talk to the Greaser in the blue mustang to talk to him about some ofhis problems. The one Greaser asked the other on what to do and he said nothinglegal, they went under the fence to watch a movie in the drive in theater. Theseteens are like the teens that we have in our city, because we have gangs in ourcity and there are bound to be against each other. There are teens who smoke andhave the tough guy attitude like some in our city. The gangs are the rich Socsverse the poor Greasers, they are always seeing to see who has more power. Thefinal brawl showed who had more power and the Greasers won. These issues areaccurate that they showed, it is in our every day live that we come across suchissues affecting our media. There are also many stereotypes out there that arein the movie and out in the real world.