"Child, when do you think is te time to love somebody the most? When they done good and made things easy for everybody? Well then, you ain't through learning- because that ain't the time at all. It's when he's at his lowest and can't belive in hisself 'cause the world done whipped him so! When you starts measuring somebody, measure him right, child, measure him right. Make sure you dont taken into account what hills and valleys he come through before he got to wherever he is."
A Raisin in the Sun, pg. 145
This moment was really Mama's breakout- she had always had a steady control over her family, but never like this. At this moment, Mama taught her daughter an important life lesson, about love and family. It made me sympathize much more with Travis. I had been so frustrated with him- when he originally didn't have the money, he had sat around like a lazy drunkard. Then, when he lost the money again, he went off the deep end, shouting at his own mother and wife. Mama's little rant her reminded me that he had been through a lot- his dreams had been crushed, and he wasn't sure how to proceed with his life. Hopefully Beneatha sympathized too, which she should have especially done after his second encounter with Lindner. Mama's speech here also reminded me of the song "Find Out Who Your Friends Are"
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
A line or a circle?
"It isn't a circle- it is simply a long line- as in geometry, you know, one that reaches into infinity. And because we cannot see the end- we also cannot see how it changes. And it is very odd but those who see the changes- who dream, who will not give up- are called idealists... and those who see only the circle, we call them the "realists"!"
A Raisin in the Sun, pg. 134
I find it very odd that Beneatha, the girl full of ideas and dreams, is the one who believes that life is just a circle. She wants to become a doctor, even though she is a poor African-American woman. That seems like a pretty big dream to me. However, when talking to Asagai, she is close-minded and negative. I think that her time in the small house with her family, despite the recent upgrade in their circumstances, has taken away some of her dreams. She, I suppose, is the "realist". Walter, however, is the "idealist". Although his plan doesn't work out as he hopes it will, he sees the world for what it truly could be. He sees the positive, the change that could happen, and he wants to make it happen. He sees the world as a line, not a circle.
A Raisin in the Sun, pg. 134
I find it very odd that Beneatha, the girl full of ideas and dreams, is the one who believes that life is just a circle. She wants to become a doctor, even though she is a poor African-American woman. That seems like a pretty big dream to me. However, when talking to Asagai, she is close-minded and negative. I think that her time in the small house with her family, despite the recent upgrade in their circumstances, has taken away some of her dreams. She, I suppose, is the "realist". Walter, however, is the "idealist". Although his plan doesn't work out as he hopes it will, he sees the world for what it truly could be. He sees the positive, the change that could happen, and he wants to make it happen. He sees the world as a line, not a circle.
Pride
"He talked Brotherhood. He said everybody ought to learn how to sit down and hate each other with good Christian fellowship."
A Raisin in the Sun, pg. 121
On of the main themes and motivations of the actions of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun is pride and its profound effects on people. Every member of the family seems to have pride. In the end, if motivates Walter to not sell the house to Lindner, which is shown in how he interprets Lindner's visit above. It causes Beneatha to want to be a doctor, and to be against assimilation. It is the driving force behind Mama not wanting the n word used in her house. The entire family is proud, too proud to be happy with the life they have been given. Although it doesn't do any good to have no pride, I think the pride of the family members sometimes keeps them from being happy, because they won't do things that could make them happy because they think it is too lowly. In other times, like when Walter stands up to Lindner, pride creates a happy ending. Finally, a happy ending AND a well-written story. They do exist in AP Lit!
A Raisin in the Sun, pg. 121
On of the main themes and motivations of the actions of the characters in A Raisin in the Sun is pride and its profound effects on people. Every member of the family seems to have pride. In the end, if motivates Walter to not sell the house to Lindner, which is shown in how he interprets Lindner's visit above. It causes Beneatha to want to be a doctor, and to be against assimilation. It is the driving force behind Mama not wanting the n word used in her house. The entire family is proud, too proud to be happy with the life they have been given. Although it doesn't do any good to have no pride, I think the pride of the family members sometimes keeps them from being happy, because they won't do things that could make them happy because they think it is too lowly. In other times, like when Walter stands up to Lindner, pride creates a happy ending. Finally, a happy ending AND a well-written story. They do exist in AP Lit!
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