Lorraine Hansberry in, “A Raisin in the Sun,” conveys Mama and Walter’s feelings on the American dream through their continual dispute over the money. Walter still wants to invest the money in a liquor store and somewhat discusses this with George when he claims he has, “some plans that could turn this city upside down” (Hansberry 84), which would require him to, “invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big it you have to” (Hansberry 84). Walter feels that the only thing that is going to help them out, or more importantly himself, would be to invest in the liquor stores. He predominantly desires to take part in this investment because if it succeeds then that would be the way he could prove himself to his family and people in general. Mama comes home that night and announces, “she bought [the family] a house” (Hansberry 91), because she saw that the, “family was falling apart today…just falling to pieces in front of [her] eyes” (Hansberry 94), and that they, “couldn’t of gone on like,” (Hansberry 94), that anymore. The Younger family was constantly fighting these days because everyone was disagreeing with the others’ ideas and feelings. Mama did what she felt was right to keep her family together and heading toward a happier place for all of them. Walter of course is at the least disappointed with Mama’s choice and expresses that when he says, “So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking about your children’s dreams” (Hansberry 95), when she asked him to, “say how deeply inside [him he thinks she did] the right thing” (Hansberry 94). Walter, not being able to see past his own wants, does not appreciate Mama’s gesture. Also Mama did go against her child’s dream which is hypocritical of her since she does focus on her children’s’ dreams a lot, but is not completely wrong because she is looking out for her children and grandchildren. Hansberry portrays how Mama and Walter differed with their actual dreams, but both had the same idea behind their dreams which was to better the family.
1) Some revision to this post is needed: make sure the dominant focus of this analysis is both characters' view on the American Dream. 2) While revising, do some editing - check grammatical structure of sentences. 3) Citations always go at the very end of the sentence.
Lorraine Hansberry in, “A Raisin in the Sun,” conveys Mama and Walter’s feelings on the American dream through their continual dispute over the money. Walter still wants to invest the money in a liquor store and somewhat discusses this with George when he claims he has, “some plans that could turn this city upside down,” which would require him to, “invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big it you have to” (Hansberry 84). Walter feels that the only way he can help them out would be to invest in the liquor stores. He predominantly desires to take part in this investment because if it succeeds then that would be the way he could prove himself to his family and people in general. Mama comes home that night and announces, “she bought [the family] a house,” because she saw that the, “family was falling apart today…just falling to pieces in front of [her] eyes,” and that they, “couldn’t of gone on like,” that anymore (Hansberry 91, 94). The Younger family was constantly fighting these days because everyone was disagreeing with the others’ ideas and feelings. Mama did what she felt was right to keep her family together and heading toward a happier place for all of them. Walter of course is at the least disappointed with Mama’s choice and expresses that when he says, “So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking about your children’s dreams,” when she asked him to, “say how deeply inside [him he thinks she did] the right thing” (Hansberry 94, 95). Walter, not being able to see past his own wants, does not appreciate Mama’s gesture. Also Mama did go against her child’s dream which is hypocritical of her since she does focus on her children’s’ dreams a lot, but is not completely wrong because she is looking out for the entire family. Hansberry portrays how Mama and Walter differed with their actual dreams, but both had the same idea behind their dreams which was to better the family.
In Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun", Walter and Mama continue to have differing opinions on their own "American Dream." In speaking with George about how his family is doing, Walter explains that he has "some plans that could turn this city upside down" (Hansberry 84). Walter still has desires of running his own liquor store as part of his dream; he feels that his American dream is becoming wildly successful to provide for his family and making a name of himself. He desires to work for his money and well being, and feels that he should be given an equal opportunity like others. On the other hand, Walter will be unable to reach this dream, as mama has gone ahead and bought a house in "Claybourne Park", an entirely white neighborhood (Hansberry 92). Mama's dream has just been to live in a home owned by her family, instead of their current residence. Mama just wants to have their own home regardless of how it was obtained, especially since the house was the cheapest in an all-white neighborhood. Walter is obviously off-put by this and disappointed, stating that mama has " butchered up a dream of [his]-[her]-who's always taking 'bout [her] children's dreams" (Hansberry 95). While they both have a dream of providing for the family, they have different opinions on how to do so. Walter wants the opportunity to run a business, which would require Mama's money, while Mama simply just wants to use the money for her immediate purchase. While both want to live out their own American Dream, only one of them could see their personal dreams come true do to their financial situation.
1) "gone ahead and bought" and "mama's dream has just been" - too informal 2) "regardless of how it was obtained" - not accurate. What matters is that she attained it with her own money. 3) not "off-put" ~ put-off 4) You should consider why Walter's dream is risky - losing the money
Lorraine Hansberry in, "A Raisin in the Sun," develops a clear differentiation between Walter's and Mama's point of view on the American Dream. In this part of the play, it seems to be a emotional recovery period for the family. Earlier in the day, tempers ran high and situations became confrontational. Mama made the decision to spent the life insurance money on a house for the family. She made this decision with her family's wellbeing in mind. Mama was disturbed hearing the discussions earlier that day, explaining that "I-I just seen my family falling apart today... just falling to pieces in front of my eyes" (Hansberry 94). It's evident that getting rich is not Mama's goal. Her beliefs on the American Dream are focused around moral family values. Mama includes that the family "was going backwards instead of forwards- talking about killing babies and wishing each other was dead" (Hansberry 94). Despite her good intensions, Walter is not pleased. His beliefs on the American Dream are focused around succeeding financially, establishing himself and his family as productive and accomplished African Americans. He includes that the dream of his is "butchered" with Mama's decision to spend the life insurance money (Hansberry 95). One aspect of Walter's dream is that there is high risk with only the possibility of high reward. There is no one hundred percent guarantee the life insurance money would lead to more money coming from the liquor store business. The business could fail and the money will then be all lost. When speaking to Murchison, Walters says "invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big if you have to" (Hansberry 84). However Walter, like his mother, also thinks of his family when pursuing his dream. He just desires to live financially comfortable. It also seems that he is under an immense amount of self-created pressure to provide for his family since he believes he has done little in his life. Both Mama and Walter want the best for their family, but it is difficult for them to find common ground when pursuing the dream they have for themselves and the family as a whole.
Walter and his mother in "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorriane Hansberry share different opinions of the American Dream. Walter Lee was focused on money unlike his mother who was more concerned for her family. Walter spoke with George about how they should think big, "Invest big, gamble big, hell lose big if you have to" (Hansberry 84). Walter was not as concerned with the well being of his family because of the opportunity to make some money he thought he had. Mama noticed her son's head become clouded by his dream to make some money. She explained "Walter Lee-it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him" (Hansberry 92). Mama was concentrated on the well being of her family and tried to make Walter see that buying the house was better for them. Walter, in an attempt to hurt his mother, said "So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking 'bout your children's dreams" (Hansberry 93). Walter and his mother both wanted what was good the family but it seemed Walter thought the only way was through that business. Mama saw what was best and acted upon it.
Lorraine Hansberry in "A Raisin in the Sun," creates a clear difference between Walter's and Lena's point of view on the American Dream. While Walter still wants to invest the money in his business, his mother decides to buy a new house for the family. Mama saw her "family falling apart" which prompted her to buy the house to "do something different" and "bigger" (Hansberry 94). Mama's view of the American Dream is having a prosperous and stable family atmosphere. When she saw that the family couldn't survive any more in their current situation she tried to save her dream. Walter remains set on his dream of starting the business in order to improve his family's life through financial gain. He still believes that he is tied to "a race of people that don't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies" (Hansberry 87). Walters dream is family oriented much like his mother's, however, there is a huge risk of losing the money. Walter and Mama both want better for the family but have different views on how to best accomplish the task. Mama knows that her view is different from Walter's and tries to appeal to his nature by assuring him that "it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him" (Hansberry 92). Mama's comment is an attempt to convince Walter that through this new house he will be a more important person. Walter views Mama's transaction as the death of his dream. Their views of the American Dream are both connected to the family, but only one of their dreams could prevail in their current situation.
Walter Lee and his mother in, "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorriane Hansberry share very different opinions of the American Dream. Mama is with Walter after an argument has gone on in the house and after a short amount of time Mama looks at Walter and acclaims “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…” (Hansberry 94). Walter replies “You run our lives like you want to.” (Hansberry 95). What Mama doesn’t see is that for so long she has been trying to fulfill her children’s dreams, but after Mama decides what the check will be used for she is brought to attention from Walter that she has “butchered up a dream of mine-you who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams…” (Hansberry 95). Walter wanted the check to invest in his lifelong dream of opening up with his own business and now that Mama has decided to buy a new house for the family Walter’s dream has been crushed. Both Walter and Mama wanted the check in hope to reconnect the family, but only one dream prevailed in the end. Mama’s dream is to have a loving stable family and when she sees her family fall apart she ultimately prevails in her American Dream leaving Walter left in despair.
Lorraine Hansberry in, “A Raisin in the Sun,” conveys Mama and Walter’s feelings on the American dream through their continual dispute over the money. Walter still wants to invest the money in a liquor store and somewhat discusses this with George when he claims he has, “some plans that could turn this city upside down” (Hansberry 84), which would require him to, “invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big it you have to” (Hansberry 84). Walter feels that the only thing that is going to help them out, or more importantly himself, would be to invest in the liquor stores. He predominantly desires to take part in this investment because if it succeeds then that would be the way he could prove himself to his family and people in general. Mama comes home that night and announces, “she bought [the family] a house” (Hansberry 91), because she saw that the, “family was falling apart today…just falling to pieces in front of [her] eyes” (Hansberry 94), and that they, “couldn’t of gone on like,” (Hansberry 94), that anymore. The Younger family was constantly fighting these days because everyone was disagreeing with the others’ ideas and feelings. Mama did what she felt was right to keep her family together and heading toward a happier place for all of them. Walter of course is at the least disappointed with Mama’s choice and expresses that when he says, “So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking about your children’s dreams” (Hansberry 95), when she asked him to, “say how deeply inside [him he thinks she did] the right thing” (Hansberry 94). Walter, not being able to see past his own wants, does not appreciate Mama’s gesture. Also Mama did go against her child’s dream which is hypocritical of her since she does focus on her children’s’ dreams a lot, but is not completely wrong because she is looking out for her children and grandchildren. Hansberry portrays how Mama and Walter differed with their actual dreams, but both had the same idea behind their dreams which was to better the family.
ReplyDelete1) Some revision to this post is needed: make sure the dominant focus of this analysis is both characters' view on the American Dream.
ReplyDelete2) While revising, do some editing - check grammatical structure of sentences.
3) Citations always go at the very end of the sentence.
Lorraine Hansberry in, “A Raisin in the Sun,” conveys Mama and Walter’s feelings on the American dream through their continual dispute over the money. Walter still wants to invest the money in a liquor store and somewhat discusses this with George when he claims he has, “some plans that could turn this city upside down,” which would require him to, “invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big it you have to” (Hansberry 84). Walter feels that the only way he can help them out would be to invest in the liquor stores. He predominantly desires to take part in this investment because if it succeeds then that would be the way he could prove himself to his family and people in general. Mama comes home that night and announces, “she bought [the family] a house,” because she saw that the, “family was falling apart today…just falling to pieces in front of [her] eyes,” and that they, “couldn’t of gone on like,” that anymore (Hansberry 91, 94). The Younger family was constantly fighting these days because everyone was disagreeing with the others’ ideas and feelings. Mama did what she felt was right to keep her family together and heading toward a happier place for all of them. Walter of course is at the least disappointed with Mama’s choice and expresses that when he says, “So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking about your children’s dreams,” when she asked him to, “say how deeply inside [him he thinks she did] the right thing” (Hansberry 94, 95). Walter, not being able to see past his own wants, does not appreciate Mama’s gesture. Also Mama did go against her child’s dream which is hypocritical of her since she does focus on her children’s’ dreams a lot, but is not completely wrong because she is looking out for the entire family. Hansberry portrays how Mama and Walter differed with their actual dreams, but both had the same idea behind their dreams which was to better the family.
DeleteBetter - thanks!
DeleteIn Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun", Walter and Mama continue to have differing opinions on their own "American Dream." In speaking with George about how his family is doing, Walter explains that he has "some plans that could turn this city upside down" (Hansberry 84). Walter still has desires of running his own liquor store as part of his dream; he feels that his American dream is becoming wildly successful to provide for his family and making a name of himself. He desires to work for his money and well being, and feels that he should be given an equal opportunity like others. On the other hand, Walter will be unable to reach this dream, as mama has gone ahead and bought a house in "Claybourne Park", an entirely white neighborhood (Hansberry 92). Mama's dream has just been to live in a home owned by her family, instead of their current residence. Mama just wants to have their own home regardless of how it was obtained, especially since the house was the cheapest in an all-white neighborhood. Walter is obviously off-put by this and disappointed, stating that mama has " butchered up a dream of [his]-[her]-who's always taking 'bout [her] children's dreams" (Hansberry 95). While they both have a dream of providing for the family, they have different opinions on how to do so. Walter wants the opportunity to run a business, which would require Mama's money, while Mama simply just wants to use the money for her immediate purchase. While both want to live out their own American Dream, only one of them could see their personal dreams come true do to their financial situation.
ReplyDelete1) "gone ahead and bought" and "mama's dream has just been" - too informal
ReplyDelete2) "regardless of how it was obtained" - not accurate. What matters is that she attained it with her own money.
3) not "off-put" ~ put-off
4) You should consider why Walter's dream is risky - losing the money
Lorraine Hansberry in, "A Raisin in the Sun," develops a clear differentiation between Walter's and Mama's point of view on the American Dream. In this part of the play, it seems to be a emotional recovery period for the family. Earlier in the day, tempers ran high and situations became confrontational. Mama made the decision to spent the life insurance money on a house for the family. She made this decision with her family's wellbeing in mind. Mama was disturbed hearing the discussions earlier that day, explaining that "I-I just seen my family falling apart today... just falling to pieces in front of my eyes" (Hansberry 94). It's evident that getting rich is not Mama's goal. Her beliefs on the American Dream are focused around moral family values. Mama includes that the family "was going backwards instead of forwards- talking about killing babies and wishing each other was dead" (Hansberry 94). Despite her good intensions, Walter is not pleased. His beliefs on the American Dream are focused around succeeding financially, establishing himself and his family as productive and accomplished African Americans. He includes that the dream of his is "butchered" with Mama's decision to spend the life insurance money (Hansberry 95). One aspect of Walter's dream is that there is high risk with only the possibility of high reward. There is no one hundred percent guarantee the life insurance money would lead to more money coming from the liquor store business. The business could fail and the money will then be all lost. When speaking to Murchison, Walters says "invest big, gamble big, hell, lose big if you have to" (Hansberry 84). However Walter, like his mother, also thinks of his family when pursuing his dream. He just desires to live financially comfortable. It also seems that he is under an immense amount of self-created pressure to provide for his family since he believes he has done little in his life. Both Mama and Walter want the best for their family, but it is difficult for them to find common ground when pursuing the dream they have for themselves and the family as a whole.
ReplyDelete1) Good
ReplyDelete2) Don't use contractions in formal posts.
Walter and his mother in "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorriane Hansberry share different opinions of the American Dream. Walter Lee was focused on money unlike his mother who was more concerned for her family. Walter spoke with George about how they should think big, "Invest big, gamble big, hell lose big if you have to" (Hansberry 84). Walter was not as concerned with the well being of his family because of the opportunity to make some money he thought he had. Mama noticed her son's head become clouded by his dream to make some money. She explained "Walter Lee-it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him" (Hansberry 92). Mama was concentrated on the well being of her family and tried to make Walter see that buying the house was better for them. Walter, in an attempt to hurt his mother, said "So you butchered up a dream of mine-you-who always talking 'bout your children's dreams" (Hansberry 93). Walter and his mother both wanted what was good the family but it seemed Walter thought the only way was through that business. Mama saw what was best and acted upon it.
ReplyDeleteLorraine Hansberry in "A Raisin in the Sun," creates a clear difference between Walter's and Lena's point of view on the American Dream. While Walter still wants to invest the money in his business, his mother decides to buy a new house for the family. Mama saw her "family falling apart" which prompted her to buy the house to "do something different" and "bigger" (Hansberry 94). Mama's view of the American Dream is having a prosperous and stable family atmosphere. When she saw that the family couldn't survive any more in their current situation she tried to save her dream. Walter remains set on his dream of starting the business in order to improve his family's life through financial gain. He still believes that he is tied to "a race of people that don't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies" (Hansberry 87). Walters dream is family oriented much like his mother's, however, there is a huge risk of losing the money. Walter and Mama both want better for the family but have different views on how to best accomplish the task. Mama knows that her view is different from Walter's and tries to appeal to his nature by assuring him that "it makes a difference in a man when he can walk on floors that belong to him" (Hansberry 92). Mama's comment is an attempt to convince Walter that through this new house he will be a more important person. Walter views Mama's transaction as the death of his dream. Their views of the American Dream are both connected to the family, but only one of their dreams could prevail in their current situation.
ReplyDeleteWalter Lee and his mother in, "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorriane Hansberry share very different opinions of the American Dream. Mama is with Walter after an argument has gone on in the house and after a short amount of time Mama looks at Walter and acclaims “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…” (Hansberry 94). Walter replies “You run our lives like you want to.” (Hansberry 95). What Mama doesn’t see is that for so long she has been trying to fulfill her children’s dreams, but after Mama decides what the check will be used for she is brought to attention from Walter that she has “butchered up a dream of mine-you who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams…” (Hansberry 95). Walter wanted the check to invest in his lifelong dream of opening up with his own business and now that Mama has decided to buy a new house for the family Walter’s dream has been crushed. Both Walter and Mama wanted the check in hope to reconnect the family, but only one dream prevailed in the end. Mama’s dream is to have a loving stable family and when she sees her family fall apart she ultimately prevails in her American Dream leaving Walter left in despair.
ReplyDelete1) No contractions
ReplyDelete2) "gone on" - informal
3) Analysis works
yo whats up my brothers,?
ReplyDelete