Propaganda in A Raisin in the Sun
The Original Trailer
The drama film A Raisin in The Sun, released in 1961, remains one of the most influential propaganda films of the century. Directed by Daniel Petrie, it tells the story of an African American family seeking to fulfill their individual dreams during a time where the odds were against their favor. Throughout the film, it seems that the odds are stacked up against them. The film was shot in a time where it was hard for African Americans to be successful. Many people sought to stop African Americans’ from progressing in society. Through three women of different ages, the film shows the struggles that teenage, middle age and elderly women faced during the time of the 1960’s. Arising problems cause the characters to make ethical decisions that go against the norms of their society. Major themes of 1960’s films typically questioned the social norms of society. The characters have to deal with many issues of ethics such as abortion, liquor sales and the belief in God. Through the characters in A Raisin in the Sun, Petrie successfully addresses the commonly asked, moral questions that American’s were trying to answer during this era of significant change.
A Raisin in the Sun was written as a play in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry. Hansberry was a political activist at the time seeking equal rights for people of all races and sex. She had a close relationship with propaganda and art, which she blended together in creating A Raisin in The Sun. The Play takes its theme from Langston Hughes poem, “Montage of a Dream Deferred”. The play answers the question that Hughes asks in his poem,“What happens to a dream deferred?… does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” Hansberry uses elements of art and issues of the time period to form a documentary film that shocked and informed the American people of that time and continues to do so today. Petrie turned Hansberry’s play into a film that emphasized Hansberry’s propaganda in ways that the play itself could not. Through filming techniques and great creativity, he turns the already impactful propaganda play into a ground breaking propaganda film.
A Raisin in the Sun was written as a play in 1959 by Lorraine Hansberry. Hansberry was a political activist at the time seeking equal rights for people of all races and sex. She had a close relationship with propaganda and art, which she blended together in creating A Raisin in The Sun. The Play takes its theme from Langston Hughes poem, “Montage of a Dream Deferred”. The play answers the question that Hughes asks in his poem,“What happens to a dream deferred?… does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” Hansberry uses elements of art and issues of the time period to form a documentary film that shocked and informed the American people of that time and continues to do so today. Petrie turned Hansberry’s play into a film that emphasized Hansberry’s propaganda in ways that the play itself could not. Through filming techniques and great creativity, he turns the already impactful propaganda play into a ground breaking propaganda film.
What happens to a dream deferred?
By Langston Hughes
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
THe Family
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The film is about an African American family, living in a small apartment in the Southside of Chicago, who all have their own dream to succeed. Walter Lee, with his son Travis, his wife Ruth and his sister Beneatha all live in his Mother, Lena’s apartment. Lena receives a $10,000 check from the insurance company for her husbands death, and each member of the household has their own idea of what to do with the check. The movie focuses on what the family decided to do with the check and how the spending of the check transforms the family. Lena decided to spend part of the check on a down payment for a two-story house for the family, and the rest she gives to Walter Lee to invest in a liquor business and to pay for his sister’s schooling. Walter Lee wrongly invests the money and is scammed, leaving the family in emotional and psychological turmoil. Despite the scam, the family decides to move into the new house, ignoring what other people say about the dangers of living in an all white neighborhood. The underlying theme of the movie is the effects that dream chasing has on ones morals.
A Raisin in the Sun is a feature film that uses propaganda to get many viewpoints across to the viewer. One of the points being the role of women in society. The film shows what it is like to be a woman through three different women. Lena, the matriarch of the family, Ruth a middle aged women with children and Beneatha a young women. All three women struggle with achieving their own dreams. Being African American and being women makes is much harder for them to achieve their dreams.
A Raisin in the Sun is a feature film that uses propaganda to get many viewpoints across to the viewer. One of the points being the role of women in society. The film shows what it is like to be a woman through three different women. Lena, the matriarch of the family, Ruth a middle aged women with children and Beneatha a young women. All three women struggle with achieving their own dreams. Being African American and being women makes is much harder for them to achieve their dreams.
Names
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Hansberry strategically picks names that have a similar meaning to the womens’ personalities. The name Beneatha was a popular African American name during the 1960’s and it means “excitement, wonderment and curiosity”(babyname wizard). The film depicts her as as being very curios. She is always wanting to try something new and she loves to learn. The name Ruth is usually associated with the Ruth from the bible who is known for being extremely loyal to her husband. Unlike the rest of the family, Ruth is not aggressive and she does not stand up for herself. She represents the punched around housewife. She dreams of being treated with more respect, especially by her husband, who does not appreciate what she does for him and for the household and for a simpler way of life. This was a common belief by many men at the time. Women were seen as inferior to men, whose only role was to take care of the children and maintain the home. The name Lena means “light” (babyname wizard). Throughout the movie, Lena is portrayed as being a sort of light that the family follows. She leads the family by example. Lena dreams of having her own home where her family can live together happily. A place where her grandson could have his own room. All of these women represent women of different age groups during the 1960’s. Viewers during the 1960’s could relate to these women on may different levels.
Morals
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Another piece of propaganda that the film uses as a basis is morals. Lena is portrayed as somebody with great wisdom and good morals. She is compassionate, self-sacrificing and is willing to do absolutely anything for her family. Lena strongly apposes Ruth getting an abortion. which was a very controversial topic during the 1960’s. The film takes a strong stance against abortion when Lena forbids Ruth from getting an abortion. Lena also holds the belief that God comes first before anything and anyone. The film promotes the idea that abortion is a selfish act through Lena and Ruth. Lena also scolds Beneatha for taking God’s name in vain and teaches her children the importance of religion. Through the lens of the film, Petrie portrays Lena as a sturdy force that people do not want to stand in the way of, she is the American Dream. She chases her dream of owning her own house, and against all odds she achieves her dream through hard work and determination. It seems that Lena achieves her American Dream by sticking to her morals.
Racial Dynamics
Petrie does a really good job showing the typical relationships between White Americans and African Americans in Chicago during the 1960’s. At one point in the movie, a man from the neighborhood welcoming committee, Karl Linder comes to talk to the family. Petrie choses language that portrays the white man as a stuck up racist. When Linder, refers to the family he says “you people” distancing himself from them, attempting to make himself feel superior. He claims that “there have been instances that have occurred in parts of the city where colored people have moved into certain areas” and that “people get along better when they come from the same background”. Linder is portrayed as small and he has a high pitch voice. It seems that Petrie wanted to portray him as somebody who thinks of himself as superior and as being part of a superior race to that of the family, but in reality he is small and weak compared to the Brown family. Viewers could relate to the characters in the scene because they had experienced it in someway or another. This scene of the movie is an accurate representation of what was happening all the time during the 1960’s.
Filming techniques
Film provides a different emotion to a scene, that plays and books cannot. Petrie used shots from different angles and perspectives to portray strong sentiments of the characters in the movie. When the family received the insurance check in the mail, the camera zoomed in on the check, giving the viewer the perception that the check is important. Zooming in on an object or person earlier in a film can also symbolize the importance of something that is going to come later in the film, a great way to foreshadow what is going to come next in the film. Petrie also used sound effects to exaggerate the feeling of intensity throughout the audience. When Ruth faint in one of the scenes, music is added and the volume is louder, emphasizing the graveness of Ruth’s situation. Petrie also uses nondiegetic sound effects throughout the film, especially during arguments. These sound effects help the viewers focus in on what the director wants them to focus on. These film techniques are just a few of the many techniques Petrie used in the propaganda film.
Since 1961, Petrie’s film A Raisin In the Sun, has left a lasting impact on those who have viewed the film. The 1960’s were a time of protest and change. Racial inequality, women rights, religion and abortion were just some of the controversial topics being protested for all over the country and all over the world. Without people such as Hansberry and Petri, change and progression would have not occurred. Hansberry based her story off of a family that racially and financially put them at the bottom of the social class. A family that, adjacent all odds climbed out of poverty and achieved their dreams. These creative people transformed their beliefs into a form of propaganda that promoted what they believed was true, while touching the hearts of many people from all over the world. They taught and continue to teach the lesson that any dream can be achieved, no matter your circumstance, with hard work and determination.
For more information about the movie go to: https://www.thoughtco.com/best-picture-oscar-winners-1960s-728454
For more information on Loraine Hansberry go to: http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2013/03/06/lorraine-hansberry-her-chicago-law-story/
For more information on Loraine Hansberry go to: http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2013/03/06/lorraine-hansberry-her-chicago-law-story/