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Essay / The convergence of civil rights and left-wing literary movements
The historical and literary processes of the second half of the 20th century demonstrate the fusion of the civil rights movement with the left-wing literary movement, driven by critical sentiments and a deep desire for social justice. This convergence is exemplified by influential figures such as Lorraine Hansberry, a playwright and publicist who played a major role in the Black Revolution (Thomas 77-78). Hansberry was a vocal opponent of possessive morality, economic oppression, and political oppression, and her works resonated with her contemporaries and millions of readers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Hansberry's plays and journalism reflect his passionate commitment to the restoration of human dignity. She abhorred the pursuit of wealth, seeing it as the root of social ills in a possessive society, where individuals compromise their conscience and become complicit in the hands of the powerful. Its characters are depicted in a struggle against various realities, advocating for the fight against social evil despite personal circumstances, self-interest, and potential consequences. In his play A Raisin in the Sun (1959), Hansberry presents his characters with a dilemma: whether to accept racist morality or resist its blatant injustice. Compared to his previous works, this play introduces new political content and broadens the range of issues explored, including individuality, politics, racial discrimination, art, business and the fate of individuals in a bourgeois world . The way she constructs her characters also differs in this play. Each character in A Raisin in the Sun is driven by a specific goal, and their determination defines the integrity of their personality: “I will return home and much of what I have to say will seem strange to the people of my village …But I will teach and I will work and things will happen, slowly and quickly. Sometimes it will seem like nothing is changing at all…and then again…” (Hansberry 45). Hansberry's contributions to noir drama after World War II were exceptional. According to Sheader, she can be considered "the mother of modern black drama, just as Eugene O'Neill is the father of national drama" (36). A Raisin in the Sun, in this sense, served a similar function to Richard Wright's novel Native Son. Hansberry's characters and Wright's protagonists reside in Chicago's black neighborhood on the South Side in poor living conditions (Perry 138). Walter Lee Younger, the protagonist of A Raisin in the Sun, shares similarities with Wright's Bigger Thomas, as they both work as drivers for white men and aspire to a better life. However, Hansberry's characters belong to a different generation of African Americans who possess a strong desire for a better life and express their self-esteem more boldly. It should be noted that Hansberry's writing style is distinct from Wright's. While Wright tends to use dark, deliberately dramatic language, Hansberry's style is vibrant and infused with humor, drawing on subtle psychological nuances inherent in the drama. Unlike Wright, who often starkly contrasts the worlds of blacks and whites, Hansberry depicts not only the conflicts between blacks and whites but also the internal struggles within African-American families. It depicts blacks and whites impartially, without simplification or idealization.