A Raisin in the Sun and The Colored Museum PDF

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A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansbury and The Colored Museum by George C. Wolfe Analysis Name Institutional Affiliation

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A RAISIN IN THE SUN in 1959 by Lorraine Hansbury 1. Walter does not deserve to decide whether the family should stay or move after the family allows him near the end of the play. He has made poor decisions previously, such as squandering part of the insurance money that Mama gave him (Hansberry, 1994). He disregarded the advice against starting a liquor store business. The family should sit together and decide amicably on their predicament. Mama being the matriarch, has too much faith in Walter, who is rash and incapable of making the right decision in pursuit of quick riches. 2. I think Beneatha will stay with her family and seek an alternative way to fund her college education. She is a feminist and an independent person who has strong opinions about life and can determine her African-American boyfriend's character (Hansberry, 1994). She is indisposed to travelling to Nigeria with Asagai even though she loves him. Upon realizing that Walter had the best interests at heart, she admires his strength and begins siding with him. 3. Mama is the matriarch of the family. She is caring, requires that people become proud of their dreams, strive towards achieving them and stand firmly for her beliefs. Mama is against Beneatha's ideas against God and is disappointed when Ruth considers procuring an abortion (Hansberry, 1994). She requires that they keep the apartment clean and illustrate the older generation's beliefs and moral perspectives. 4. The play represents African-American identity today despite giving a glimpse of their life in the past. The issues of discrimination brought about in the play are still prevalent in the current society, as shown in the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. Also, the

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representation of Beneatha as a vocal feminist with radical ideas is evident today by the rise of feminist movements. THE COLORED MUSEUM by George C. Wolfe 1. The eleven scenes from The Colored Museum are separate individual plays without an intermission. Each of the scenes is self-contained to depict African Americans' lives in the United States in the 80s. Whereas two or more scenes portray actors speaking to each other, they address the audience in most of them. 2. The Colored Museum is a satire, as evidenced in several scenes. The "Git on Board” scene features an ever-smiling attendant called Miss Pat on the Celebrity Slaveship. She gets the passengers' attention to fasten their shackles, avoid singing on the flight and worship a new God. These were some of the elements of slavery where blacks were bound in chains, sang to find the strength to face their oppression and abandoned their God. "Cookin' with Aunt Ethel" is a scene imitating a cooking show. She states that she has put in too much while cooking to make a batch of Negroes. This shows disrespect to blacks based on their skin colour. 3. The Last Momma on the Couch Scene is a parody of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Mama is self-righteous, Walter is a victim, and his wife is a feminist poet. In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama is caring, Walter plays the protagonist and antagonist roles while Ruth, his wife, perseveres all the problems Walter puts her through and hopes for a better life for Travis, their son. Beneatha, Mama's daughter, is the feminist. C. Wolfe brings out the element of hardship suffered by blacks and how they are clinging to religion.

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4. The Colored Museum play was written to a particular audience, the African Americans. However, other people with knowledge of slavery and racism after independence can relate to the scenes. Some of the phrases and setting used, for example, in The Photo Session, where the glamorous couple retreats from their history, show how the blacks were forcefully forced to adopt a superficial world. "Soldier with a Secret" shows a soldier who kills his fellow African-American soldier after foreseeing his painful future. Also, "The Hairpiece" shows a woman's dilemma between an Afro wig and a long straight wig as she gets ready for a date. Should she embrace her roots or disregard her heritage to blend in. References Hansberry, L. (1994). A Raisin in the Sun. 1959. New York: Vintage....