Known mainly for his founding of Tuskegee Institute, Washington believed that blacks should be educated only by trade schools. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. slubborness Ruth refers to Travis' habits as being "slubborn" when she really means both "sloppy" and "stubborn." Beneatha laughs and says that their intention in giving the gardening tools was to make Mama look like Mrs. Miniver, while Travis' gift makes Mama look more like Scarlett O'Hara (from Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, a novel that laments the fall of the South after the Civil War). Walter loses the family's money and is so distraught that he resorts to behavior that indicates self-hatred. However, instead of looking like a rich "lady" in her garden, in this hat, Mama looks more like a slave who is about to pick cotton, which makes everyone laugh. fanning herself . Even the other characters on stage become aware of the impending doom long before Walter does. In the south, whites rode in the front of buses, blacks in the back. Bantu The Bantu language is the tongue common to the peoples of Africa who live below the equator. This preview shows page 2 - 3 out of 5 pages. . Mama, you know its all divided up. Analyzes how lorraine hansberry wrote a raisin in the sun to reflect the current events of the 1950s, but these events also relate to the century before. Hansberry attended the University of Wisconsin for several years before dropping out and moving to New York in 1950 to pursue writing and social activism. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme, The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Race, Discrimination, and Assimilation appears in each scene of. Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? . Company Contact Us All Texts The Blog. Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. In the movie, despite the blitz bombs of Nazi Germany, Mrs. Miniver stands stalwart, the symbol of England's hope and strength. Whereas Joseph, a Yoruba student teaches Beneatha the rich culture and heritage of her ancestors in Africa and embraces her identity as a black woman. Even Mama's being in her sixties does not mean that she would not also be referred to as the cleaning "girl" or just "the girl," most especially when the white employers were talking among themselves. One requirement of good literature is that a character's motivation that is, the reasons for his actions must be consistent with his moral nature and personality. Mother to Son Hansberry originally titled the play, The Crystal Stair, a name that, like A Raisin in the Sun, comes from a Langston Hughes poem. A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry that was first performed in March of 1959. Partly written by the Lorraine Hansberrys ex-husband Robert Nemiroff, after her death, Raisin added song and dance to the Youngers story, winning the 1973 Tony Award for Best Musical. She says that everyone around her used to laugh at her; they would say, "That Lena Eggleston is a high-minded thing. Luke 14:34-35 "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? In the forties, it was customary to place crocheted doilies on the arms and head rests of an overstuffed living room sofa and two sofa chairs, which were usually already covered with slipcovers. Hansberry has borrowed the title from a popular poem by Langston Hughes, "Harlem."The play revolves around an African American family living in Chicago who wants to bring improvement in its status through the insurance that their widowed mother, Lena . A flat character is presented only in superficial form, without much individualized detail. Alliteration appears in: a) line 2 b) line 7 (correct) c) line 6. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Struggling with distance learning? The relationship between suspense and surprise heightens the magnetic power of the plot. Yeah. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. A dresser, in contrast, is a short piece of bedroom furniture that has drawer space, a large mirror, and a small stool or chair where one might sit in order to put on makeup. Timbuktu, once the center of learning, became a tiny desert town, important only because of its history. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Everything Walter says when Bobo first makes his entrance is an example of dramatic irony. personification. Caucasus, where his liver was torn out every day by an eagle but grew back each night. The apartment has a small kitchen, attached to it is a living room which must also serve as a dinning room and a small window. . Perhaps, because of such abuses by its kings, Mali, once one of the world's great trading nations, was eventually conquered by the neighboring kingdom of Songhai (Songhay). bookmarked pages associated with this title. Should a person exclaim in desperation "What kind of fool do you think I am?" A round character is more complex and, therefore, more difficult to describe. Lena Eggleston is a high-minded thing Mama is so distraught over Walter's having lost the family's remaining money that, at first, she decides against moving into Clyboume Park and tries to make herself satisfied with the thought of remaining in her cramped Southside apartment. Racial Injustice in A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry and Sonny's Blues, by James Baldwin. We dont want your money. Walter hopes to use the insurance money as an investment in a liquor store, which . and any corresponding bookmarks? Applying Literary Terms to, Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Wilhelmina Othella Johnson). PDF downloads of all 1725 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Here we go! asyntedon. So since I'm still here livin', I guess I will live on. To those of Mama's generation, it should have been enough that Walter Lee's generation can ride at the front of a bus. More loosely based on the original story, the play Clybourne Park tells the story of the white family that sells its house to the Youngers. The debate does not continue and, at this point, Mrs. Johnson concedes by saying, "You know, me and you ain't never agreed about some things, Lena Younger. Hansberry's "furniture-dark" apartment reminds us of Plato's cave; the absent sun symbolizes life, advancement and self-knowledge, all of which the Younger family lacks. George is trying to persuade Beneatha to abandon her feminist principles when he utters this philosophical truth, but throughout the play, Hansherry shows that many of the characters in Raisin do indeed lead lives of quiet desperation: Mama, although outwardly strong, is consumed with anxiety over the various, disparate directions her children are going; Walter Lee is clearly a desperate man, trying to secure a dream that eludes him; Ruth is pregnant but afraid to have this child (one more mouth to feed), especially since it will be born into a marital relationship that is deteriorating from within; Beneatha is desperately seeking her own identity while simultaneously attempting to escape the stereotypical barriers of her class and gender; and last, even Karl Lindner is a desperate man, rationalizing his rigid beliefs in a rapidly changing world. Foreshadowing. He later proposes to marry him and go back to Nigeria and continue her medical practice. Finally, the play's title alludes to Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," whose final line depicts a deferred dream as a raisin in the sun, shriveling like the family's future. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. In 1949 the United States Congress passed the National Housing Act to address substandard housing and to provide adequate and more integrated housing options for minorities. Teachers and parents! Following the loss of Walters investment Asagai suggests that a disheartened Beneatha come home with me . The lion is waking This phrase refers to all of the African countries that were beginning to demand their independence of colonial rule. always in his voice there is a quality of indictment a description of Walter, who has grown increasingly accusatory about the bleakness of his financial future. "Dry up like a raisin in the sun". Walter is married to Ruth and is Travis' father. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. The irony lies in the fact that he was not killed during wartime, which might have been expected. allusion. When she is asked if she considered whether these curtains will even fit the windows of the new house, Ruth says, "Oh well, they bound to fit something." ", Drop the Garbo routine When George Murchison admonishes Beneatha to "drop the Garbo routine," he is telling her to know her "place" as a woman. Her idea of having their own residence in Clybourne Park may help the family pull out of poverty. The total amount of the policy is $10,000 to be received through a check. . Hansberry was raised in an African-American middle-class family with activist foundations. Of course, something is wrong. Beneatha thinks that as the family does not desire to join the world ruled by the white, she resorts to her identity recognition by recalling African heritage at the end of the play. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Simile. The coastal people who had once been ruled by empires in the interior soon began to trade slaves and gold for firearms and ammunition since lances, spears, and arrows were no match against the rifles and cannons of the Arabs and Europeans. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Monsieur le petit bourgeois noir Beneatha is so angry at Walter Lee for having entrusted their family's money to the unscrupulous Willy that she mockingly derides Walter Lee for having shown such mercantile naivete. However, Walter knows that his mother has been opposed to his idea of selling liquor because of her religious convictions. Early in the play, Mama enters tending a dying plant that "ain't never gonna see spring again," a symbol for the family's fading chances. To Mama, that particular measure of equality is enough; to Walter, it is an outrage. They need more salvation from the British and the French Beneatha says this to Mama as she attempts to "educate" her mother to what Beneatha feels are political realities. George was a wealthy black man who tries to ignore the accomplishments of black people and fit into this white-dominated society and a narcissist who shows off in front of Beneatha by talking about intellectual concepts. . Also, Mama disagrees with the plan because it is against religion. Prometheus, the god who was punished for having brought fire to mortals, was chained to Mt. In addition, Shaka Zulu revolutionized the existing Zulu weaponry by designing a short-handled stabbing spear, known as the "assegai." These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Raisin in the Sun (1961 Film), directed by Daniel Petrie. Partly written by the Lorraine Hansberry's ex-husband Robert Nemiroff, after her death, Raisin added song and dance to the Youngers' story, winning the 1973 Tony Award for Best Musical. Beneatha intellectualizes everything, is clearly independent, does not defer to men, and argues whatever points of chauvinism she finds in her conversation with men. Simile. And when Mrs. Johnson goes on to say that Washington "was one of our great men," Mama counters, almost angrily, with, "Who said so?" Illustrate conflicts in the cells, using characters from the story. Clearly, Hansherry uses her own family's livelihood as being the livelihood of the rich black family in Raisin. We aint never been that dead inside. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. About thirty years old, Ruth was once "exceptionally" pretty, although an air of "disappointment has already begun to hang in her face.". Or does it explode? Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. In Raisin, it is ironic that Walter believes that graft and corruption dominate all successful business activities even before he is asked to do so, he prepares himself to pay the graft that he thinks will be requested of him; however, when he gives the money to his "friend" (who runs off with it), it is not the unscrupulous collector of graft who robs Walter of his dream; rather, it is his "friend.". After Walter has been duped by Willy, Beneatha explains to Asagai that Walter has given away the family's money to a man that ten-year-old "Travis would not have trusted with his most worn out marbles." Gimme some sugar then a southern expression that means "Give me a hug, a kiss." The chief character in a work is called the protagonist, or sometimes, the hero. The person whom Walter Lee describes as having a "conked head" is a part of the entertainment world; he is a musician at the Green Hat, a bar that Walter Lee frequents. When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Struggling with distance learning? PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. I Watch People In The World by Taigu Ryonkan I watch people in the world Throw away their lives lusting after things . I dont mean for yourself and for the family cause we lost the money. Instant PDF downloads. In the same vein as Garvey, Hansberry explores the idea of Africa as a home for African Americans, a view most clearly articulated by Joseph Asagai, a Nigerian student. She makes Beneatha consider this question: who is Beneatha to write his epitaph to write him off as though he no longer exists just because she is so angry at him? We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. This A Raisin in the Sun lesson plan asks students to apply their mastery of literary symbolism to unfamiliar poetry. Nicknamed "Bennie," Beneatha is Mama's daughter and Walter Lee's younger sister. Manage Settings Independence and then what? Many times though, men within the criminal element in the black community also wore their hair in this "conked" style when the style became a symbol of affluence. Translated then, "Peachy keen, as the ofay kids say" means "That's very good as the white kids would say.". While Walter is asking Bobo to "tell him how things went in Springfield," the audience immediately guesses the outcome. Son I come from five generations of people who was slaves and sharecroppers but aint nobody in my family never let nobody pay em no money that was a way of telling us we wasnt fit to walk the earth. Having "forties furniture" in the fifties is a clear indication of poverty. Nigeria was ruled by the Portuguese at the end of the fifteenth century, followed by the Dutch, the Danes, the Spaniards, and the Swedes. (including. . A Raisin in the Spotlight A Raisin in the Sun inspired several adaptations, including a Tony Award-winning musical. Walter's motivation to obtain the insurance money for his business scheme makes all of his subsequent actions believable, even if we feel that they are foolish. He implies in his speech that men do not like aggressive, independent, liberated women, and that if she ever hopes to get married and have a family, she is going to have to "drop the Garbo routine," meaning she will have to stop studying and thinking so much, and start acting "like a [submissive] woman.". Refine any search. Songhai (Songhay) The Sunni dynastry of Songbai conquered Mali after Mali had progressively grown weaker with its line of ineffective kings. Walter is a "lean, intense young man" in his mid-thirties and "nervous movements and erratic speech habits" characterize his behavior. Under his reign, roads were constructed, formal education and social services were instituted, and electricity was introduced. Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Instant PDF downloads. Thus, the art of Benin was, at first, attributed to the Portuguese; then someone suggested that the bronzes had been washed ashore from the lost city of Atlantis or had been created by its descendants or survivors; others said that some lost and wandering Europeans had found themselves in Benin and had produced the bronze wonders; others said that nomadic Greeks had produced these works while journeying through Africa. His woman say: eat your eggs." A Raisin In The Sun. And that such a thing as my own death will be an advance? Throughout the poem, Hughes uses a series of . George, Beneatha's boyfriend, calls Walter "Prometheus," an ironic reference since he brings darkness rather than light. In Raisin, Ruth refers to Travis' "slubborn" ways, when she really means both "sloppy" and "stubborn." Cite this page as follows: "In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, when characters quote from or reference the Bible do they tend to allude to a consistent theme?"eNotes Editorial, 10 Oct . The play's title is taken from "Harlem," a poem by Langston Hughes, which examines the question "What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?" This penetrating psychological study of a working-class black family on the south side of Chicago in the late . Walter's fear forces him to deny the true purpose of Bobo's visit. Merely going through the motions of life is not enough for a person like Beneatha; she has to question every philosophy for herself. She is the representation of new woman as against the traditional opinion of a female character. and any corresponding bookmarks? Between the takers and the tooken. Ive figured it out finally. The inexcusable complicity of the Africans in the heinous slave trade, however miniscule it might have been, is often exaggerated perhaps in an attempt to assuage guilt over the grand scale involvement in the violation of human rights by all those connected with the Atlantic slave trade. "Combo" is a synonym for "band." peachy keen, as the ofay kids say This is a reference to the racial differences in language, most especially in the area of slang. The play starts with the Youngers discussing how to spend the money they are going to receive from an insurance company after the death of their patriarch. line . Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus Christ for the same amount of money (30 pieces of silver) normally paid for a slave. Mr. Lindner is a flat character, while Walter is a round character; there is no need for the character of Mr. Lindner to be as developed or as detailed as Walter's. a brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point. Lorraine mostly turns to irony, sarcasm, and other devices of figurative language to make her dialogs effective. However, just as he is readying himself to join the reviewing stand of his parade, he slips in the shower on a bar of soap, falls, and is immediately and accidentally killed. line 6 Or crust and sugar over line 7 like a syrupy sweet? Asagai: Were you born with it like that? He suggested that blacks devote themselves to agriculture, mechanics, domestic service, and the professions placing more value on acquiring an industrial skill than on attaining a seat in Congress. Rather, he was killed in a place where one would have least expected it, and the cause of his death has been trivialized as he dies in such a non-heroic manner. The way the content is organized, A concise biography of Lorraine Hansberry plus historical and literary context for, In-depth summary and analysis of every scene of, Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of. A form of hamartia is the term hubris, which means the pride or overconfidence that leads a man to overlook a divine warning or to break a moral law. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. . not a single penny for no caps A popular children's toy in the fifties, especially for little boys, was the "cap pistol" or "cap gun, "into which "caps" were placed, producing the sound of a miniature firecracker, making the children feel as though they were actually firing a real pistol. Walter: No it was always money, Mama. There are many languages and tribes among the Bantu people thus, the Bantu are one of the many native African groups who speak one of the Bantu languages. If a white person boarded the bus and a black person was seated in the front, the black person knew, almost instinctively, that he had to get up in deference to the white person who needed that seat. As the economy of Benin grew to depend upon the slave trade, internal strife once again claimed an empire as Benin declined and was eventually overwhelmed by the British. Lets face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts! The rulers of Mali established the Muslim religion that had come out of Arabia and was sweeping throughout Africa. Ruth "affects" or "puts on" a tea party voice, purposely sounding pretentious . Walter's wife, Ruth , is described as a pretty "girl," who is changing into a "settled woman." A lecture on the African past! When Walter gives Travis two fifty-cent pieces and then has to return to and get carfare from his wife, we learn a lot about Walter's character: his wanting to shield his son from discovering the family's true economic situation, his feelings of economic inadequacy, and his denial of the ugliness of his family's economic reality. Didactic literature demonstrates or dramatically presents a thesis or doctrine in a persuasive form. Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was one of the most influential black leaders during the period immediately following Reconstruction (1865-77). About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . George proves to be as pedantic as Beneatha, peppering his arguments with literary allusions and oftentimes esoteric references for example, calling Walter "Prometheus." He was crowned Emperor in 1930. . Chicago's Southside the area in Chicago in which many blacks live; referred to as "the ghetto," the poor neighborhood of Chicago. Because this art received such worldwide attention, few wanted to believe that such magnificent artwork had been created by the Africans. . Continue with Recommended Cookies. Teachers and parents! These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Raisin in the Sun (1961 Film), directed by Daniel Petrie. Prometheus' suffering lasted for thousands of years until Hercules killed the eagle and freed Prometheus. A Raisin in The Sun is a popular play by Lorraine Hansberry. They will analyze a famous poem and write original poems that include a symbol. This phrase also refers to the Lion of Judah. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Mama: No . She is, to Asagai, a person for whom "bread food is not enough.". Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Ruth refers to the "slubborn" habits that Travis displays, combining "stubborn" and "sloppy." the best little combo in the world This phrase refers to the band of musicians that Walter admires in the Green Hat. Despite its harrowing past, Nigeria has become a leader in literature, art, music, and craftsmanship. By 1180, however, a group of rival tribes united as the nation of Mali, ravaged Ghana, and put an end to its empire. In ''A Raisin in the Sun'' Hansberry utilizes Walter to demonstrate the development of an individual. Beneatha refers to the "ghetto" in which they live as though it brings with it a disease that she calls "ghetto-iris.". At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the British gained control over the slave trade there. an implied or indirect reference especially in literature. . An interesting aspect of this particular "Jim Crow" law was that a black person might be permitted to sit in the front of the bus if there were no white person on the bus who needed that seat. (including. Nonetheless, while the North did not have laws demanding policies of segregation be followed, discrimination persisted also in the North, leading to segregated housing, education, and employment. Sure enough. Not Hard. In Raisin, one might erroneously assume that the antagonist is Karl Lindner, but that is merely a simplistic view. Act 1, Scene 1 Quotes. To Beneatha, it is apparent that Walter Lee's financial folly was due to his total lack of knowledge about the workings of the business world; she taunts him by referring to him as "Monsieur le petit bourgeois noir," meaning "Mister [black] small businessman." bookmarked pages associated with this title. Lorraine Hansberry Biography, Next 3. That I been doing to you what the rest of the world been doing to you. Walter is the protagonist in Raisin, for even though he does not appear to be a hero in the traditional sense of the word, he is the person around whom the drama revolves. Also called adage or maxim. Hansberry has one of her characters call Booker T. Washington a "fool," which is an elitist comment since only the very well read of her audience would even have known of the political rivalry between the two men. The "Drive" to which Walter refers is an expressway along a scenic stretch of land a large sprawling park or a river view; in whatever city, this would be expensive property. Extremely hard working, he attended school at night. Don't understand about building their men up and . It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Mama cannot understand why Walter Lee wants more from life than to sit anywhere he wants on public transportation. Walter's dialogue continues in this vein until Bobo "hits him over the head" with the truth. It is 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. Mama gets named for cultural icons: She is selfless "Mrs. Miniver" or woebegone "Scarlett O'Hara." A portmanteau word is the fusion of two meanings packed into one word, as in Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky," where "slithy" is the combination of "lithe" and "slimy." To this day, the name Shaka Zulu garners high praise in military circles and commands great respect. The term propaganda is a sub-division of didactic literature; a work of propaganda undertakes to move the reader to take a position or to . Complete your free account to request a guide. Hansberry has borrowed the title from a popular poem by Langston Hughes, Harlem. The play revolves around an African American family living in Chicago who wants to bring improvement in its status through the insurance that their widowed mother, Lena Younger, is going to receive after her husbands death. never been 'fraid of no crackers After Mama has announced her plans to buy a house in an all-white neighborhood, Ruth at first expresses fear. Because it can't be alliteration because there isn't a repeating sound that the words sound like. Not bad for a single word; Hansberry puts a whole character into it. Contained in an early sixties song, subtitled "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the word was made popular by Pete Seeger and the Weavers. . 24 - 35 end at "women with small minds". A Raisin in the Sun is written by Lorraine Hansberry. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. a settled woman a woman who looks older than her actual years mainly because she has resigned herself to her "lot in life.". LitCharts Teacher Editions. What about all the crooks and thieves and just plain idiots who will come into power and steal and plunder the same as before only now they will be black and do it in the name of the new Independence WHAT ABOUT THEM?! He sees what we cannot, that he is a leader of his people, a great chief, a descendant of Chaka, and that the hour to march has come. Tradition states that around 1170, the Oba (king) commissioned the finest bronze/brass-smith, a man who was so excellent in his craft that to this day, his name is worshipped as a god by the bronze/brass-smiths of Benin. You don't have to ride to work on the back of nobody's streetcar Prior to the civil rights movement, which reached its peak in the sixties, segregated facilities, separating whites from blacks, were common in the south, where "Jim Crow" laws made it legal. Antagonist. . Yet, when Walter decides on his own to regain his self-esteem in his dialogue with Lindner, not only does he maintain his own pride, but he also restores the dignity of the entire Younger family. The Youngers are a family of dreamers who strongly desire upward mobility and improved life circumstances. We dont want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors.
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