“A Raisin in the Sun” versus ”Zoot Suit”

Powerful plays like “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Zoot Suit”

Powerful plays like “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Zoot Suit” depict the hardships, sacrifices, and prejudice that two ethnic groups had to face. The civilizations did not accept the people because they came from diverse backgrounds. The “Zoot Suit” depicts actual circumstances where Henry Reina, a Mexican man in his late 30s, must endure the psychological agony that others from his background endured at the time (Coroian 1).

Mexican-American Community Rebellion

The Mexican-American community rebelled at this time both against American and Mexican culture. On its part, “A Raising in the Sun” was an insinuation to Langston Hughes’ poem known as “Harlem” that questioned, “What is the consequence of a dream deferred?” (Hazelden Publishing 165). The action happens sometime between the cease of the WWI and the start of the 1950’s. This play portrays the struggles that an African-American family had to undergo amidst poverty and racial discrimination that befell them during the pre-Civil Society era. This paper compares the tone of the playwrights in both plays.

Social Injustices in “Zoot Suit”

First, it is evident that Luis Valdez (Zoot Suit) was skeptical about the fact that most Americans looked down on the zoot suits that were worn by Mexican-Americans during the WWII. The fashion became a subculture, which caused tension between White Americans and Mexican-Americans, eventually leading to riots (Coroian 1). In his tone, Valdez demonstrates that there were astonishing social injustices, including the corrupt court system and the cases of oppression meted towards the Mexican-Americans. For instance, during the process of investigating Jose Diaz’s murder, hundreds of people of Mexican-American decent were arrested and severely beaten, including Manuel Reyes, Benny Alvarez, and Lupe Leyvas, among others. Despite the murder weapon not being produced in court, seventeen of the suspects were found guilty after only six days of deliberation. Valdez seems to be questioning the reported accounts in newspapers, believing that it was not accurate. Using song and dance based on the Mexican tradition of corrido, he contrasts yellow journalism with a different reality; harmless, lively singing that is interrupted by police violence.

The Plight of African-Americans in “A Raisin in the Sun”

On his part, Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun) demonstrates his tone by portraying the African-American characters as not possessing anything else other than their names (Hazelden Publishing 1). The characters are considered as inhibited by their race to pursue their dreams. The tone comes out as one that implores the society to disregard race in terms of family life. Comparing the two plays, Hansberry’s tone is more compelling; he raises the plight of race in everyday actions better than Valdez. In other words, race becomes his latent backdrop throughout the play and people are able to acknowledge the racial factors that might prevent them from accomplishing their dreams right from the family setup.

Cultural Identity and Assimilation

While it is true that Valdez’s narrative helped to bring out the theme of nationals being perceived as criminals or Pachucuos, Hansberry’s play portrays an African-American family’s struggles to attain the American dream in a time of hate, racism, and discrimination. This happened during the Civil Rights Movements’ activities, which formed the basis of black emancipation in the United States. As such, it is evident that Hansberry was influenced by the activities that were occurring and portrayed them in his play. However, both plays bring out the aspect of culture in their distinct ways, where they attempt to institute a non-traditional ethnic identity while faced by assimilation. The cultures are caught between the requirement to perpetuate their traditional cultures and the need to assimilate, as well as the need to create an ethnic identity that is distinct to their specific generation.

In Conclusion

To surmise, while the tones of the two playwrights are nearly similar because of their identical theme in the face of hate and discrimination, Hansberry’s tone is more compelling, especially because of the reality that his play happened during the onset of the Civil Rights Movement activities. Both plays are set in different minority cultures that were looked down upon during the tumultuous period in American history. Valdez uses song and dance to spice his narrative, whereas Hansberry uses raw emotions to bring out his message. Both stories depict actual occurrences in American history, which help to appeal to the audience’s emotions.

Works Cited

Coroian, George. “Zoot Suit Riots.” Brittanica. 2016. Web. 16 Nov. 2017 .

Hazelden Publishing. Young Men’s Work Facilitator’s Guides - Item 1751. New York: Hazelden Publishing, n.d. Print.