Thursday, October 11, 2007
Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun Baldwin's Amen Corner
Last week, one of our class colleagues asked when, if ever, the subjects we have discussed in relationship to African American Theater would change? I think this was a prolific inquiry and one that we must grapple with when examining the works of Hansberry and Baldwin. What is "new" in the discussions of African American life we see presented in these works? How to they present new perspectives or subversive characteristics which address issues of racism and insitutionalized inequality for African Americans? What stories and/or stereotypes persist?
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One thing that is "new" in the discussion of African-American life we see presented in Baldwin's "Amen Corner" is we are further introduced to the black church and the intricacy of the different roles and stereotypes within it. Baldwin accomplishes this by setting his work within the black church, giving us an inside look into it, and some of the new roles/ stereotypes we see played out include the "gossipy," hypocritical church ladies, the gay musician that is apart of the congregation and everyone knows he is gay but it is never talked about or commnented upon,and the "elders" of the church that serve as the patriarchs of the "family" because they have been there the longest and thus have "earned" the priviledge of being held in the highest esteem and showed the upmost respect. One new and subversive perspective presented by Baldwin in "Amen Corner" is the fact that he subverts traditional male and female roles in the church. Instead of a man being the pastor and leading the congregation, Baldwin introduces us to a woman character that is the pastor and leader of the church. This is subversive because women are not usually found in roles of leadership and power within the church or within the larger society for that matter. Thus, Baldwin is addressing the dual ineqality women of color suffer from in socitey because not only are they place 2nd to whites in regards to positions and power, they are also seen as subservient to the black male.
New discussions and roles/ stereotypes seen in " A Raisin in the Sun" include Asagai's character who is the wealthy, African that takes pride in his heritage and his people and that has come to America to attend school and obtain an education. With the introduction of the Asagai character Hansberry is trying to get her black American audience to see the connection they have with their African brethren and to see the quality of people and life they once came from. Stereotypes that persist in Hansberry's work includes the elderly, matriarch figure, (Mama), and the figure that is reflective of Dubois' talented tenth black elite (George).
A Raisin in The Sun is a play that exposed the dreams of African Americans in a different light than the other plays read. This play showcased a young family in search of the American dream. Walter is a character desperately in search of success. No matter what risk it takes to achieve this he seeks to successfully overcome the oppression he's faced. Throughout the play he addresses the superior race as being his block in the road to move ahead. The character Beneatha highlights becoming a doctor and struggles between dating an established African American who has assimilated into the dominant society ways and an African who seeks to promote African culture and villages. Walter and Beneatha wanted to have the dreams of the dominant society but faced identity conflicts that fall under internalized racism. They were both in search of identity through the eyes of how society had been shaped. They spoke of doing it differently than the norm but showcased the same dreams that the dominant society pursued. The “Mama” was the same stereotypical spiritual foundation found in most African American plays. She explained the struggle of her identity that she has come to face. Mama tells her family of the differences in racism from her generation to the present day. She explained her personal survival from execution and hate crime. She felt as though her children had lost sight of the benefits of the new society. The mother didn’t see a conflict with moving into a predominantly white neighborhood. The inequalities of African Americans living amongst their own persisted in this play but were overlooked by the mothers dream. The sad thing about this experience being set in the time period of this play still carries over today in some neighborhoods throughout this country. You have people from the dominant society that feels they deserve special privileges for being the group of people that are the elites of society. This brings about the segregation housing that continues to persist.
The incorporation of the church is new, as well as a family in A Raisin in the Sun from whom the show Good Times would later model. Baldwin creates a church scenario from which mostly all black churches are based; the judgment by church members for “God” taints the image of “love thy neighbor” because “God gave his only begotten Son.” Baldwin presents the church as an establishment that is larger than any member, just as being black is larger than any one individual. This establishment, or institution rather, addresses racism and institutionalized inequality because the Margaret, even as pastor, goes to great lengths to overcome her identity in the church for the church. From The Escape up until Amen Corner, the beliefs of black inequality and jealousy that persisted amidst persist. Raisin in the Sun introduces a tightly-knit family made of individuals all with depth and identity; each character aids in the story of black success and confusion that has persisted history. Hansberry’s development of this family precedes the show Good Times but Good Times appears to base the complexity of its characters on Hansberry’s. Baldwin and Hansberry write of blacks with different goals and objectives, and either introduce those to a black audience or support the quiet aspirations of the black audience with these plays. Both Baldwin and Hansberry acknowledge the stereotypes infused by whites, but write for black audiences apparently, suggesting that they reevaluate themselves, change for their own betterments or affirm that their deepest trials are common in the black community.
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