Intro to African American Literature
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun Act II
Collins, Black Feminist Thought
Housekeeping
Housekeeping
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What stood out to you from the reading? Was there any aspect from the reading that made you think about A Raisin in the Sun?
Collins, Black Feminist Thought (excerpt)
Act I
Key Term: Assimilation
Act II
Facilitations: Jade’ and Ava
Intro to African American Literature
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun Act III
Extra Credit Opportunity
Housekeeping
Reminders
Your blog must focus on something specific (a theme, character, relationship, aspect of Hansberry’s writing style) and offer an argument (thesis, interpretation) about that feature
Reminders
Historical research can strengthen your interpretation
Which of these is more persuasive?
Beneatha is a character who broke with conventions by studying to be a doctor.
Beneatha is a character who broke with conventions by studying to be a doctor. In 1959, when the play was first produced, most Black women worked either in factories or as domestic workers in the homes of wealthy white families (Collins 56). In fact, less than 1% of all doctors were Black women (“Historical Trends”).
Stick closely to the text
Stick closely to the text
Blog comments have been graded (1-5 points)
Excellent Comments
Amandine’s Comment
The Younger family’s aspirations reflect the social challenges of the time as they strive for better opportunities and upward mobility amidst racial discrimination and economic hardship. In fact, it is possible here to evoke the scene in which Mama reveals to her children that she bought a house with the money from the check. We can particularly rely on these quotes which she dedicates to the attention of her grandson : “Well —at least let me tell him something. I want him to be the first one to hear… Come here, Travis. Travis — you know that money we got in the mail this morning?”(92) and “She went out and bought you a house! You glad about the house? It’s going to be yours when you get to be a man.” (92). Here it is essential to note all the pride Mama felt in having bought a house for her family.
Katie’s Comment
Jade, I think you did an excellent job on your blog post!...To answer your discussion question, “How come there’s this stigma that kids shouldn’t be able to speak their minds to their parents?” I believe that this stigma exists because of the importance of respecting one’s elders. As we read in the play, respect is expected by the mothers. On page 91 of “A Raisin in the Sun,” there was an interesting exchange between Mama and Ruth. As Travis comes home late and Ruth prepares to discipline him, Mama starts to speak up. Ruth states, “’Mama I’ nothing! You’re going to get it, boy! Get on in that bedroom and get yourself ready” (Hansberry 90). Then, after Travis starts to speak once more Mama says, “Why don’t you all never let the child explain hisself” to which Ruth responds, “Keep out of it Lena. (MAMA clamps her lips together)” (Hansberry 90). The stage directions for Mama in this quote are significant because Mama, as the head of the household, respects Ruth’s position of authority over Travis because as soon as Ruth addressed Lena, she realized her place in the situation which wasn’t Travis’s mother, therefore not his disciplinarian. As we read in other parts of the play, respect from her own children is just as important to her, so she understands Ruth’s position and decides to keep quiet. Because of Mama’s recognition of Ruth’s authority, this can suggest that the stigma around kids not speaking their minds to their parents is due to generational respect and authority.
Alexandra’s Comment
Hi Ava, I enjoyed hearing your thoughts in your blog post!...As I see it, Mama’s actions…come from a place solely of love. She is the type of woman to put her family’s best interests first. Everything she does seems to be for them. I think this can be justified within Act II of the play, where Hansberry writes for Mama in conversation towards Walter: “Son-you-you understand what I done, don’t you? I-I just seen my family falling apart today… just falling to pieces in front of my eyes… We couldn’t have gone on like we was today, We was going backwards ‘stead of forwards…” (94). Here mama is looking for her son’s approval in her actions (even though she really does not need it) since his dream became collateral to her purchasing of their new home. All Mama seems to want is to provide a better life for her entire family, including Walter. I think this is a decision that the family will come to realize is for the best and was purely out of love, whether they see that now or not.
Writing Skills
We have gone over:
Still to come:
Titles
What makes a good title?
Titles
“It should both interest and inform. To inform—i.e. inform a general reader who might be browsing in an essay collection or bibliography—your title should give the subject and focus of the essay. To interest, your title might include a linguistic twist, paradox, sound pattern, or striking phrase taken from one of your sources... You can combine the interesting and informing functions in a single title or split them into title and subtitle.”
— Gordon Harvey, “The Elements of the Academic Essay”
Title Template One
Love, Murder, and Magic: The Irrational Passions in Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Imagining the Other: Shakespeare’s The Tempest as Colonial Propaganda
For Love or Money?: Interrogating the American Dream in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Dreams Still Deferred: Visions of Racial Justice in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Title Template Two
Choose a short, eye-catching quote from the text and use this to introduce your topic.
“Real tragedy is never resolved”: Postcolonial Conditions in Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease
“In this house, there is still God”: Intergenerational Conflict in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun
Examples
Examples
Act II
Act III