Blog number 2

Compare and contrast Richard Wright’s socialist-driven naturalism in “Down By the Riverside” with Lorraine Hansberry’s liberal-inflected realism in A Raisin in the Sun. How do these two examples of protest literature confront and process racism and racial segregation? What is the most salient difference that distinguishes their distinct narrative modes? And how might these two modes differently be inspired by and/or promote the struggle for racial equality during the civil rights movement?

The works of Richard Wright and Lorraine Hansberry are both great examples of stories with a greater message interwoven into the text. They both are great examples of protest literature that help the reader grasp larger themes in terms of the contemporary issues they relate to. But to understand how well these novels do, we must analyze each one individually and compare it to the others. How good a job does each one do at confronting and processing racism and racial segregation? Well, starting off with "Down by the Riverside," the novel makes several references to how the South is segregated, and racism is still a very prevalent issue. For example, in the scene at the hospital, they are told that the area for people of color is in the back, meaning they have to traverse the entire hospital before they can be attended to. This shows that even in a time of need, people are still treated unequally and given preference over others, no matter their situation. A great example of racism being exhibited in the novel is in Mann's situation with the boat. Because of his skin, he is forced to take a life in order to make sure his wife receives care. He faces some inner turmoil, but in the end, decides that this is necessary given the options available to him. 

Another great example of this blatant favoritism can be seen when Mann is forced to work on the levee with the other black people, even though his wife had just died and had rowed upstream for a while. Quote, "PLEASE  HAVE MERCY ON ME, CAPM! AHM TIRED! LEMME GO WID MAH FOLKS, PLEASE!" To which the captain responded, "What is wrong with you? All the rest of you n-words are out there, how come you don't want to go?" This is a clear example of racism, where one race is being prioritized over the other for arbitrary reasons. Their human rights are being disregarded, and they are demonstrating how the environment is having an effect on the characters' choices. The book portrays a helpless, lose-lose situation for the protagonist because of the blatant racism. The character feels engulfed by his loss of control and eventually gives in and takes his own life, symbolizing how he has succumbed to the racism. 

In A Raisin in the Sun, there are more nuanced examples of racism. One case is where Mr. Linder comes and speaks with the family regarding their recent purchase of the home in a predominantly white neighborhood. He states, “I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is simply a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned, that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities.” This comment, masked by "genuine concern," shows how racism in this play wasn't seen as evidently as in Down by the Riverside. Instead, it's masked behind shriveled up dreams and prejudices from assimilated Negros. Regardless of external forces, the family was able to make their own decisions about their future. Even though they felt helpless, and selling the house would solve most of their problems, they still chose to fight and didn't let their situation define their outcome. A clear example of Realism.