Raisin In The Sun And Frederick Douglass Comparison

499 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the narrative of frederick douglass

The American dream is “The ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” Everyone has opportunities in the US although some have it harder than others to be able to achieve their dream. In the stories, A Raisin in the Sun and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass they both want the “American dream” even though they don’t believe it to be the same. Separated by time but brought together by its struggles they share some similarities but have distinct differences that divide the two stories. Within the two stories similarities are shown by the characters pursuing what they believe to be the American dream. Walter and Frederick want something that will make their lives better and with it they will be happy. In The Raisin in the Sun Mama argued to Walter “In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the north if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity …show more content…

In The Raisin in the Sun Walter believed the American dream to be money. If you are wealthy you have made it. Walter says with immense passion “Because it is life, Mama!” he thinks without money you cannot live a happy life. On the other hand, in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass in his opinion the American dream was education. Being educated meant you had better chances to go and do something with your life instead of always obeying someone blindly. Frederick Douglass wanted freedom. To be free to live peacefully and make his own decisions, a life free from slavery. Frederick, when a child, made friends so they could help him learn to read. After a few different times being taught by his friends he “finally succeeded in learning to read.” Both characters perceived the American dream differently because of the time they were in and want they wanted

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between A Raisin In The Sun And Langston Hughes

    535 Words  | 2 Pages

    How would you feel if your freedom was halted by the color of your skin? A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes’ poems both capture racial identity, pride, and dreams. Walter, a character in A Raisin in the Sun, relates to those in the poems of Hughes.

    Read More

  • gatdream Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - Casting Doubt Upon the American Dream

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is a concept elegantly simple and yet peculiarly hard to define. At the root of it is the sense that America was created entirely separate from the Old World; the settlers had escaped from the feudal, fractious and somewhat ossified nations of Europe and been presented with a chance to start anew - "a fresh green breast of the new world." From this blank slate, those first idealistic settlers had created a society where "all men are created equal" and everyone had the chance to do the best for themselves as they could. Let us examine the passage from the Declaration of Independence from which that quote is taken:

    Read More

  • Comparing A Raisin In The Sun And I Have A Dream

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Raisin in the Sun and Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech have three similarities. In both of theses works they talk about light and darkness, the check they were given, and the dreams of the people. Dr. King speaks about the injustice the people had to go through and how they have hope because of the singing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The Younger family also has a hope that they will be able to move to a house with the money they are receiving from the check. In both A Raisin in the Sun and “I Have a Dream” speech the people have a dream and they want to achieve their dream then they can be happy and live the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of The American Dream In A Raisin In The Sun And Frederick Douglass

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both Charaters had different dreams, walter dream was to be able to get rich and support his family, while Frederick Dream was to become a free man. However, Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin the sun was published 1959, during this time the social conditions of African-Americans and their journey for identity in a discrimitive society " A job. (Looks at her) Mama, a job? I open and close car doors all day long. I drive a man around in his limousine and I say, "Yes, sir; no, sir; very good, sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?" Mama, that ain't no kind of job … that ain't nothing at all" (Hansberry 2). Also, In the narrative of Frederick Douglass, he applies that slavery is as harmful to whites as it is to slaves, he demostrates his trait of individualism througout his life by willing to take risk to overcome placed in his way to achiveve his American " As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers. With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read. When I was sent to errands, I always took my book with me, and by doing one part of my errand quickly, I found time to get a lesson before my return" (Douglass

    Read More

  • Huck and Dorothy Essay

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is a strong and powerful set of values that includes the chance to have an abundance of freedom, wealth, and success. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the American Dream is something everybody wants. Sometimes it takes a long journey to achieve these goals and the path taken may not be an easy one.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Of Mice and Men by John Stienbeck

    890 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream started off as propaganda in order to make the American people of the early twentieth century work harder to build a successful economy. The idea of the American Dream is that every American citizen has an equal opportunity of making money along with owning a large house, some land, and having a family with kids. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream, no matter how simple is impossible to achieve. As everyone has their own interpretation of the American Dream, Steinbeck uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife to demonstrate how the American Dream is impossible to achieve and how important the dream was for people so they could carry on with their lives.

    Read More

  • Success in America: A Raisin in the Sun

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    In America, every citizen is guaranteed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Although each person is given these rights, it is how each person uses them that defines how successful they will be in America. There are several obstacles that some Americans face on their pursuit of happiness. In this country’s past, Americans lived by a very specific set of beliefs that valued the importance of hard work, faith, and family. As time progressed and America began to evolve as a nation, this capitalistic society no longer devoted itself to family and faith but rather success, and the pursuit of prosperity. The shift from dependence on tradition towards a society that values success and how people struggle to b successful when society makes it difficult marks a common theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun. Two of the main characters in this story Lena Younger (Mama) and her son Walter Lee directly reflect the shift from tradition to a focus on success and capital and the struggles they face in regards to racism. Mama and Walter Lee’s contrasting values about the American dream and the way in which they pursue their own dreams while facing racism exemplifies the shift from valuing tradition like in previous generations in America, to valuing success and prosperity like in more current generations.

    Read More

  • An Inquiry on the American Dream

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American dream has been a tangible idea, greatly sought after by many over the course of American history. The dream has eluded many, to strive for success in America’s open markets, and become a self-made man from the sweat of one’s brow. The idea of becoming self-sufficient, and having limitless dreams that take one as far as they are willing to imagine is captured very differently from The Great Gatsby to A Raisin in the Sun. Both novels seem to have the American dream as their subject, but both end up having very different outcomes to how one achieves it, and if the dream is truly in existence, namely with the characters of Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger. The books mainly brush upon the idea of what the American dream truly is, how one achieves the dream, and what the real fulfillment of the dream encompasses.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

    625 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people think of the American Dream, they think of individuals who climb up from the bottom of society to the top through hard work and determination. This way they could gain possession of the materialist things they always wanted and live a joyful life as well as provide for their families. One also thinks of a society free of prejudice and discrimination where everyone is considered to have an equal status. Yet, when Mark Twain wrote his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he intended to reveal the darker side of humanity and how things actually occurred after the Civil War.

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    1066 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream was derived from the United States Declaration of Independence which states that, “All mean are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (US 1776). This means that every person has equal opportunity

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun and Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

    2731 Words  | 6 Pages

    A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, and Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, both address the American Dream. Both plays discuss the desire for wealth and how the desire may lead to one’s downfall. However, each play is very different in addressing issues such as race and feminism. A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman have the same major theme of the American Dream, but address other issues differently along the way. A Raisin in the Sun is about an African American family in Chicago. Living in the same old broken down house is Lena Younger, who is the mother to both Beneatha and Walter, who also live in the house. Walter is married to Ruth and is the father of Travis. As the play begins, the family is about to inherit an insurance check for 10,000 dollars. This money comes from the death of Lena’s husband. Each member of the family wants to do something different with that money. Lena wants to buy a bigger house in a nicer area, and Ruth agrees with her. Beneatha wants the money to go to tuition for medical school. Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store, so he can own the store, and become successful and rich. He is tired of just being a cab driver. However, Lena inten...

    Read More

  • The American Dream In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Lorraine Hansberry's inspirational play A Raisin in the Sun, a working class African American family's life is turned upside down when death comes for their father. In this play, the main characters: Walter, Benetha, Ruth, and Mama(Lena), all dream of having a better life. Despite the living conditions that rule their lives, they each try to pursue the "American Dream." Although the "American Dream," is different for each character, by the end of the play and through many trials and tribulations; the Younger's come to realize who's dream is the most important.

    Read More

  • Walter Lee's Dreams in A Raisin in The Sun

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a play about segregation, triumph, and coping with personal tragedy. Set in Southside Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the individual dreams of the Younger family and their personal achievement. The Younger's are an African American family besieged by poverty, personal desires, and the ultimate struggle against the hateful ugliness of racism. Lena Younger, Mama, is the protagonist of the story and the eldest Younger. She dreams of many freedoms, freedom to garden, freedom to raise a societal-viewed equal family, and freedom to live liberated of segregation. Next in succession is Beneatha Younger, Mama's daughter, assimilationist, and one who dreams of aiding people by breaking down barriers to become an African American female doctor. Lastly, is Walter Lee Younger, son of Mama and husband of Ruth. Walter dreams of economic prosperity and desires to become a flourishing businessman. Over the course of Walter's life many things contributed to his desire to become a businessman. First and foremost, Walter's father had a philosophy that no man should have to do labor for another man. Being that Walter Lee was a chauffeur, Big Walter?s philosophy is completely contradicted. Also, in Walter?s past, he had the opportunity to go into the Laundromat business which he chose against. In the long run, he saw this choice was fiscally irresponsible this choice was. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee's dreams, which are his sole focus, lead to impaired judgement and a means to mend his shattered life.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The American Dream

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    When the term ‘American Dream’ was first mentioned in 1931 by James Truslow Adams, he described it as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Clark). When Adams mentioned the term, it had much more of an idealistic meaning, rather than the materialistic meaning it has in modern society. At the time of it’s mention, the dream meant that prosperity was available to everyone. In the beginning, the American Dream simply promised a country in which people had the chance to work their way up through their own labor and hard work (Kiger). Throughout history, the basis of the dream has always been the same for each individual person. It

    Read More

  • Racial Disccrimination in a Raisin in the Sun

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dreams of owning a business and having money to accomplish goals are two key parts played out throughout the whole process. Walter Younger is determined to have his own business and he will go to ends meet to see that dream come true. Financial bridges are crossed and obstacles arise when Walter makes a bad decision regarding money that could have helped the family and not only himself, if he had thought smarter. His pride and dignity are tested throughout the story and he is forced to set up for his family. The Raisin in the Sun helps readers to understand the history of racial discrimination and how racial discrimination has an effect on the people in the late 1950s and early 1960s as well as how that has an effect on the characters within the play.

    Read More

More about Raisin In The Sun And Frederick Douglass Comparison

Open Document