In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Songhay civilizations; and the great sculpture of Bnin and then some poetry in the Bantu and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! Of course, something is wrong. Because Mama's housewarming gift is a set of gardening tools, the card reads, "To our own Mrs. Miniver Mama's strength and her survival in a nation divided by racial struggle makes her an appropriate parallel to Mrs. Miniver. Hansberry was raised in an African-American middle-class family with activist foundations. affecting tea party interestBecause Ruth is overwhelmed by her own concerns (mainly, that she might be pregnant), she becomes annoyed and therefore sarcastic when Walter tries to involve her in his conversation about the lives of wealthy whites. The alliteration creates a sense of the rapidity and frequency of the firing. 2021 Navalio. And we have decided to move into our house because my father my father he earned it for us brick by brick. Copyright 2023 Literary Devices. But youve got to admit that a man, right or wrong, has the right to want to have a neighborhood he lives in a certain kind of way. Nigeria was ruled by the Portuguese at the end of the fifteenth century, followed by the Dutch, the Danes, the Spaniards, and the Swedes. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Her love interests George Murchison, and Joseph Asagai influences her life choices. This allusion was conveyed by George Murchison in the Act I, Scene II, when George and Beneatha went on a date. Symbol Poems. Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another." navalio Play: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry pp. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of A Raisin in the Sun (1961 Film), directed by Daniel Petrie. CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. As a result, people within the black community often had negative perceptions about those who adopted this style. 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?! 2 bedrooms one of which is shared by Ruth and Walter, the other by Mama and Beneatha, Travis sleeps on the couch (page 24). 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. In Act One, Beneatha, Walter's sister, mentions "salt losing its savor," a reference to Jesus' warning about rebellious natures; Hansberry foreshadows Walter's stealing Mama's money for a disastrous investment. Or fester like a sore And then run? a descendant of Chaka Chaka, also known as Shaka, or Shaka Zulu, was an early nineteenth century African warrior-king who implemented warfare techniques and weaponry which have been studied and adopted by military leaders and personnel worldwide ever since Shaka's time. Company Contact Us All Texts The Blog. Shortly before the play begins, the head of the Younger family, Big Walter, dies, leaving the . 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. . 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. Still others insisted that these works, found in Africa, had been the products of the European Renaissance. In 1959, anyone, most especially a black person, who could afford to purchase a hotel especially a hotel on such expensive property would have been very wealthy. Although the family moves to the new house, the future is not safe but they are optimistic about staying united to win success and live a better life. I say I been wrong, son. The curtains, she brags, have "hand-turned hems," which would, of course, make them more valuable than machine-made curtains. Luke 14:34-35 "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? Ruth Younger Character Analysis. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Hansberrys family fought the covenant all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Hansberrys in 1940. She'll get her due one day." Beneatha made this statement to Asagai when they first met, a remark he had found amusing. Thematic Structure of A Raisin In The Sun. sharecroppers Many blacks were sharecroppers in the south before the mass exodus of blacks to the northern cities. When they done good and made things easy for everybody? . A Raisin in the Sun (1961 Film) Irony | GradeSaver Also called adage or maxim. Independence and then what? Dodge's Use Of Allusion In Writing - 336 Words | 123 Help Me 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. The reference was somewhat unsettling to colonial rulers of that day because of the suggested imagery of the fates of those caught in the presence of an awakening, ferocious lion. A Raisin in the Sun examines the effects of racial prejudice on the fulfillment of an African-American family's dreams. It is neither for the land, nor yet for the dunghill, but men cast it out. The Ku Klux Klan In The 1930's - 582 Words | 123 Help Me A Raisin in the Sun - Top Ten Literary Techniques - YouTube In short, Walter is questioning the reasons he cannot live the way his bosses live. Du Bois (1868-1963), was a man who dramatically espoused the opposite of Washington's philosophy. He hopes someday that injustice, the view that African Americans are inferior will go away, and they will be treated equally like a full human being. I might've jumped and died. Ruth Younger Character Analysis in A Raisin in the Sun - LitCharts Manage Settings When he heard about Hampton Institute in Virginia, a school for blacks, he enrolled in order to study brick masonry, paying for his education by working as the janitor. 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." A Raisin in the Sun is widely considered a literary classic, and there are several good reasons for this. Sun. A Raisin in The Sun is a popular play by Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun Literary Conflicts - Storyboard That the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables. In the first scene of the play, we watch him cleverly get what he wants (the fifty cents his teacher has told him to bring to school) from his father after his mother has emphatically stated that they just don't have fifty cents. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Refine any search. Form open-ended research questions and complete a formal research project. The Ashanti, originally a part of present-day Ghana, were people within the Ghana Empire whose ascendancy was based on the iron and gold found within this wealthy country. Yeah. A rhetorical question is asked in order to force the audience or reader to think; one does not expect an answer to a rhetorical question. " Mother to Son " by Langston Hughes. This A Raisin in the Sun lesson plan asks students to apply their mastery of literary symbolism to unfamiliar poetry. that big hotel on the Drive Walter refers to "that big hotel on the Drive" in a conversation with George Murchison as he asks George about the Murchison family's prospective real estate ventures. A Raisin in The Sun - Study Guide and Literary Analysis From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes.The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Chicago, as they attempt to improve their financial circumstances with an insurance payout following the death of the father, and deals with matters of housing . And at the moment the overwhelming majority of our people out there feel that people get along better, take more of a common interest in the life of the community, when they share a common background. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# . The play centers on the Youngers, a working-class family that lives in Chicago's South Side during the mid-twentieth century. In Raisin, Ruth refers to Travis' "slubborn" ways, when she really means both "sloppy" and "stubborn." 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. With its first act set in 1959 and its second act set in 2009, Clybourne Park tracks the development of the neighborhood and its residents over fifty years. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Because Beneatha is not accustomed to African dress, she does not "wear" it properly. Hansberry, herself, speaks through Mama, who dismisses Washington as a "fool." Because of Ruth's lack of formal education, she is not aware (but the audience is) that this is not a real word. In Raisin, Walter Lee asks why his wife should not wear pearls. Explanation: alliteration is a literary device that consists in the repetition of the beginning sounds of consecutive words, or words that are close to each other. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. of course not. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too . Nature, or Character vs. Technology. This house is located in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Hansberrys best-known work. These creatures heavily reinforce the Younger family's undesirable living situation. He later proposes to marry him and go back to Nigeria and continue her medical practice. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Du Bois, who believed in the importance of artistic endeavors (which Washington believed to be a frivolous activity). Shaka Zulu incorporated into his own army the warriors from defeated tribes; he also established military towns in order to ensure that his armies were well provided for and excellently trained. Asagai: Were you born with it like that? Although Walter's frustrations of establishing his own business appear to devour his hopes, his obsession with his dream restores his hope. . In 1954 the Supreme Court ruled in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist is always one of conflict. Is there any irony in A Raisin in the Sun? - eNotes.com . Does it stink like rotten meat? 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. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. Blacks began to "choose sides," debating constantly over who was right, and over which philosophy was actually in the best interest of black people. Booker T. Washington Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was one of the most influential black leaders during the period immediately following Reconstruction (1865-77). Travis Younger - CliffsNotes Allusion runs rampant in "Raisin." . 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. Walter Lee's wife and Travis' mother. 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. There aint nothing worth holding on to, money, dreams, nothing else if it means if it means its going to destroy my boy. the nature of quiet desperation The complete quotation to which George refers is "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation," a line from Thoreau's Walden. 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.". Scarlett O'Hara When Travis gives Mama his gift, of which he is enormously proud, everyone laughs because it is an oversized gardening hat worn, as he says, by [rich] ladies "who always have it on when they work in their gardens." Mama implies that perhaps her misfortune now is the "due" that her detractors warned her of. bookmarked pages associated with this title. 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. However, she gives the rest of the money to Walter for the business investment on the condition of reserving three thousand dollars for her daughters education.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[580,400],'literarydevices_net-medrectangle-4','ezslot_8',125,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-literarydevices_net-medrectangle-4-0'); During these two supposedly relieving plans, the female member, Beneatha, Walters sister has her own plan of pulling the family out of this mess through the money she wants to use in her medical education. Applying Literary Terms to, Mrs. Johnson (Mrs. Wilhelmina Othella Johnson). behind the bureau A bureau is a piece of furniture that was usually kept in the bedroom and used for storing clothing. Petrie's Film Adaptation: Placing A Raisin in the Sun in a New Light . The play is filled with symbolism and literary references that support the framework of the story. She used the dialect of the African American community that is not only distinct but also pure. Gimme some sugar then a southern expression that means "Give me a hug, a kiss." Open hostility, however, between the numerous rival factions within the country bred chaos, with several attempts to overthrow the government, civil war, and finally mass starvation. The total amount of the policy is $10,000 to be received through a check. diction. Walter's fear forces him to deny the true purpose of Bobo's visit. . We aint never been that poor. 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. Mama says this to Travis as she tells him about the house that she is planning to buy. At this point, we should note that although Hansberry lauds the Ashanti empires specifically and speaks highly of the art of Benin through the dialogue of her character, Beneatha, Hansberry, herself, in other essays, refers specifically to the Ashanti as "those murderous, slave trading Ashanti." Removing #book# Simile. a short, pithy statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using rhyme or balance. . Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. She is the representation of new woman as against the traditional opinion of a female character. fly-by-night proposition a reference to Walter Lee's idea for a business, a proposition that appears to his family to be risky, irresponsible, and unreliable. 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. Objects placed on top of the bureau often landed behind it, which, because of its size and weight, was often a difficult piece of furniture to move. Have you cried for that boy today? Du Bois, educated at Fisk, Harvard, and the University of Berlin, was a writer and political activist, activities which Washington perceived as frivolous. When the character makes an innocent remark that refers to this "inside knowledge" that the audience has, the character's words contain dramatic irony For example, as soon as the audience sees Bobo, we are aware that something has gone wrong in Walter's plan. Contained in an early sixties song, subtitled "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the word was made popular by Pete Seeger and the Weavers. this person surely does not expect an answer. She speaks mostly for her own emotional benefit, for she knows that Walter has no knowledge of the meaning of her words in French, just as he barely understands the meaning of the insults she hurls at him in English. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Literary Devices Used in the Story "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine . A Raisin in the Sun includes figurative language like simile, metaphor, and personification.For example, Mama uses a simile when she says that Walter came into his manhood "like a rainbow after . Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs . Beneatha refers to the "ghetto" in which they live as though it brings with it a disease that she calls "ghetto-iris.". Translated then, "Peachy keen, as the ofay kids say" means "That's very good as the white kids would say.". 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. mistakenly more like Butterfly than any Nigerian This stage direction refers to Beneatha's exuberance after receiving the gift of the Nigerian robes and headdress from Asagai. Literary Devices in A Raisin in the Sun by Holly Steffes - Prezi Or does it explode? A flat character is presented only in superficial form, without much individualized detail. Beneatha intellectualizes everything, is clearly independent, does not defer to men, and argues whatever points of chauvinism she finds in her conversation with men. With classical simplicity, Lorraine Hansberry personifies the struggles not only of the characters in her play "A Raisin in the Sun," but also of disadvantaged groups everywhere. Certain characters in the play, such as George Murchison, address persistent racial discrimination by directing their efforts toward assimilation, whereby one integrates into the mainstream of society. Bantu The Bantu language is the tongue common to the peoples of Africa who live below the equator. Merely going through the motions of life is not enough for a person like Beneatha; she has to question every philosophy for herself. Prometheus, the god who was punished for having brought fire to mortals, was chained to Mt. The tragic hero brings out pity in us because his misfortune is greater than we feel that he deserves, and he brings out fear in us because we recognize similar possibilities and consequences in our own fates. A Raisin in the Sun Study Guide | Literature Guide | LitCharts All the family members are dreaming of having a better lifestyle after having this amount, but their dreams ended in smoke when the money seems to have gone as easily as it has come. 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. Or crust and sugar over like a syrupy sweet? Sharecroppers were, for this reason, poor; it was nearly impossible to clear up the initial debt incurred by renting someone else's land and farming it for profit, the bulk of which went to the landowner. as slavery died down, prejudices and segregation were tested. 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. alliteration. In addition, the word "ofay" was a slang word used in the black communities at that time to refer to a white person. Shaka Zulu initiated the idea of complex battle formations in order to outflank and confuse his enemies, not unlike those strategies used in football formations. This phrase also refers to the Lion of Judah. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. 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 . LitCharts Teacher Editions. The termpropagandais a sub-division of didactic literature; a work of propaganda undertakes to move the reader to take a position or to take action on a particular moral or political issue of the moment. Not Hard. . Bobo is apparently too intellectually dense to understand that this is a term that one does not use openly. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. While Walter is asking Bobo to "tell him how things went in Springfield," the audience immediately guesses the outcome. (Even in the northern cities, vestiges of segregation were apparent.) . . Albeit, the family learns that they lost the money to Willy they refuse to take money from Mr. Linder. Walter's wife, Ruth , is described as a pretty "girl," who is changing into a "settled woman." We've all got acute ghetto-itis Beneatha says this when Asagai drops by to visit, immediately after the Younger family has had a depressing conversation about their financial station in life and Ruth's possible pregnancy. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. For example, a much-decorated wartime hero returns to his peaceful suburban village where a parade is planned in his honor. Walter breaks a moral law when he uses his mother's money for his "get-rich-quick" scheme without telling her; he is not aware of his immorality, for he naively believes that he will get rich and be able to pay her back. Removing #book# - Contact Us - Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions, Definition and Examples of Literary Terms. aphorism. He felt that they should develop manual skills and improve their craft at the building trades and that blacks should become experts in farming. In A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry uses an allusion to compare Walter Lee to the mythical Prometheus. Walter loses the family's money and is so distraught that he resorts to behavior that indicates self-hatred. The diction and tone of the play, too, suit the community, neighborhood as well as main audience. He has taught English at the 6-12 level for more than 20 years. 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. 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. Lorraine Hansberry Biography, Next A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. my girl didn't come in today Ruth works as a domestic, a cleaning woman, for wealthy whites who have traditionally referred to these cleaning women as "girls" a term that the domestics found degrading but never complained openly about for fear of losing their jobs. 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. Dramatic irony refers to the audience's knowledge of something that the character who is speaking does not know. You done wrote his epitaph too Mama says this to Beneatha when Beneatha speaks so harshly against Walter Lee upon learnlng that he lost the family's remaining money. He's got a conked head A "conked head" refers to a hairstyle adopted by some black men during the forties and early fifties. A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry that was first performed in March of 1959. Didactic works attempt to teach a lesson. Lorraine Hansberry. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. 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. The denouement often includes a peripety, sometimes called a reversal, where the hero's fortunes change either for better or worse. In the movie, despite the blitz bombs of Nazi Germany, Mrs. Miniver stands stalwart, the symbol of England's hope and strength. The competing dreams of the Younger family members make them unable to reconcile with each other. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. (It is the word "foe" in the nonsense language of Pig Latin, in which the first letter of a word is placed at the end with the addition of the long "A" sound. Bobo uses the expression casually, as though it were conversationally correct. The theme of racial injustice is prevalent in both "A . Throughout the poem, Hughes uses a series of . 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). The poem, called Mother to Son, speaks to the hardships that many African-American families have faced: Well, son, Ill tell you: / Life for me aint been no crystal stair / . Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? About thirty years old, Ruth was once "exceptionally" pretty, although an air of "disappointment has already begun to hang in her face.". Mrs. Miniver An Oscar-winning film (1942) which starred Greer Garson as Mrs. Miniver, an English middle-class housewife who appears in many scenes tending her roses. Life is. Hamartia is the "tragic flaw," or "tragic error in judgment," which brings the hero to a momentary defeat. and any corresponding bookmarks? Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Walter Lee Younger. 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. a brief narrative often used to illustrate an idea or make a point. "Who decides," he explodes, "which women should wear pearls in this world?
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