of the Chicago Tribune newspaper; A RAISIN IN THE SUN By: Lorraine Hansberry ACT II SCENE ONE Time: Later the same day. Benin was the art produced in Africa 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. You can view our. George tells Beneatha that she is too much of an intellectual and that men don't like opinionated, liberated women. Still, her warning to the Youngers was a reality in 1959, when this play opened, and, unfortunately, in some communities, even today. accolades. for a group? A+ Student Essay: The Role of Money in the Play, Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun Background. It means that Asagai is proposing to Beneatha, Beneatha tells Walter Lee he is a prophet leading them out of the wilderness. George, in contrast, from his self-pride in his own familys success, sees a focus on African heritage as being juvenile. This also marks a change in Mama, brought about by the harm she sees that she has done to Walter. One way for them to escape this entrapment, though, seems to be through a reliance on each other. After the fall of the Songhai Empire, the days of the great black kingdoms of West Africa were over. Walters view of education seems to fall somewhere between Beneathas and Georges views. Purchasing Previous Free trial is available to new customers only. Ethiopia References to Ethiopia can be found in the Bible and in the writings of Herodotus and Homer. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Historical Context - information about the period, the place, and the events that. 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. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. Answers: 1. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. The Youngers are a family of dreamers who strongly desire upward mobility and improved life circumstances. In 1889, Sahaba Mariem rose to power in Ethiopia, ascended the throne, and changed his name to Menelik II, signifying blood ties to Menelik, Makeda's son. threw a revolt against the oppressive Georges admission that his interest in Beneatha is only skin-deepthat he likes her looks but doesn't care about her thoughtsflies in the face of Beneathas personal pride and sense of self. Packing crates, signifying the family's upcoming move, dot the room. Mama asks for their understandingit was the only house that they could afford. Beneatha uses her natural hair as a visible marker of her protest against assimilation, while George uses his social status in order to reap the benefits of membership in the mainstream of society. When Mrs. Johnson enters, she brings the Youngers a newspaper that tells of a bombing of a black family's home in an all-white neighborhood. Later that Saturday, dressed in her new Nigerian robes and headdress, Beneatha dances to African music while simultaneously giving Ruth an impromptu lesson in its significance. Walter explains that he has been wandering all day (often way into the country) and drinking all night (at a bar with a jazz duo that he loves). Georges reference to Prometheus, a Greek demigod who stole fire from Zeus, is intended to mock Walters grand business dreams and also to draw attention to Georges own knowledge (George is putting himself in the position of being the God). With this money, Mama says, Walter should becomeand should act like he has becomethe head of the family. How has the atmosphere in the Younger apartment changed since the first scene? Le petit Prince Chapitre 7 et 8 questions and answers, TeacherS Guide and Answer KEY for WheelockS Latin, I. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Walters boss calls, telling Ruth that Walter has not been to work in three days. Allusions/Essential Terms in A Raisin in the Sun. This scene emphasizes Beneatha's naivete about African culture, for although she is wearing the Nigerian robe and headdress, she is "fanning herself with an ornate oriental fan" and inadvertently appears more Asian than African. A Raisin In The Sun Allusion Analysis 652 Words | 3 Pages. intellectual point of view but that she does, lead lives of quiet desperation." Colonel McCormick: owner and publisher Though he attained great stature in the first half of the twentieth century, public opinion had turned against him by the late 1950s. The founding of the Organization of African Unity, under Haile Selassie, and the headquartering of the OAU in Addis Ababa attest to the respect that Selassie received from the people of Africa. Still others insisted that these works, found in Africa, had been the products of the European Renaissance. Looking at old photographs of Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, and other entertainers of that period, we see that they adopted this style. Queen Makeda was so impressed with the wisdom of King Solomon that she visited him in Jerusalem, adopted his religion of Judaism and, upon the birth of their first child, who was a male, she crowned this child King of Ethiopia, an act which united the two nations. A Raisin in the Sun. in Puccini's Italian opera And when Mrs. Johnson goes on to say that Washington "was one of our great men," Mama counters, almost angrily, with, "Who said so?" A+ Student Essay: The Role of Money in the Play, Lorraine Hansberry and A Raisin in the Sun Background. Morgan Park: black people, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, creating and saving your own notes as you read. Motivate students to complete assigned readings with A Raisin in the Sun quizzes. Scarlet OHara: The heroine of the book Also, Ruth reveals her lack of knowledge about things African as she questions Beneatha about the Nigerian outfit and dance. Continue to start your free trial. The act addresses themes of race, assimilation, dreams, gender, and money from the vantage points of the Youngers, an African American. However, after the death of Askia, the Songhai Empire weakened and was finally conquered by neighboring enemies. Mrs. Johnson's intent is clearly to belittle the importance of the Youngers' getting away from the horrid conditions of their cramped apartment. Walter cannot seem to stop, though, and the more he talks to Travis about his dream, the bigger the dream gets. The radical nature of the Youngers desire to participate in the American dream does bring along some hardship. Ruth finds Beneatha's pageantry silly and questions her about it. But Mama explains that a comparable house in a black neighborhood would cost twice as much. Within the small details of the play, the use of allusions deepen the contextual support of the text. 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). From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Mama's feeble plant represents her family's deferred dreams for a better future, which have struggled to survive under the strain of life in Chicago's South Side. Beneatha wants to pursue a degree in medical science. Ruth and Walters conversation reveals that they do have love left in their marriage and that they have both been oppressed by their circumstances. Last updated by Aslan on 9/14/2014 2:32 PM How to Read Literature Like a Professor Summarize Foster's argument in this chapter. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. 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." SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. Madame Butterfly: Beneatha is dressed in Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Complete your free account to request a guide. You'll also receive an email with the link. rights organization founded in 1909 to Because of what was defined as "self hatred" by psychologists who studied the phenomenon, oftentimes a group that believes itself to be oppressed will mimic the life-style and, sometimes, even mimic the appearance of the "dominant group." Because her uncle, Leo Hansberry, was a professor of African history at Howard University and, perhaps, because one of his students was Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana to independence, Hansberry's major geographical focus here appears to be on the history of Ghana, known prior to its independence as "The Gold Coast." He wants to be rich if being rich is the solution to his familys problems. This scene separates George and Asagai into completely different categories where George, as his common name suggests, represents a Black person assimilating into the white world, while Asagai, with his ethnically rich name, stands for the New Africanist culture that those who oppose assimilation pursue. dramatic, mysterious; George calls . He goes quickly to his bedroom, and Mama remains sitting and worrying. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! A Raisin in the Sun Analysis. It's also worth noting that he dreams of sending his son to college, though he mocks Beneatha's ambitions to get an education. A summary of Act II, Scene ii in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. 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.". Alludes to Greek mythology when Prometheus took fire from the gods and shared it with people. She predicts that the Youngers will also be scared out of the all-white neighborhood once they move in and insults much of the family by calling them a proud-acting bunch of colored folks. She then quotes Booker T. Washington, a famous Black thinker and assimilationist. If the salt loses its savor: Context- Beneathas statement that equates Mrs. Johnson and the KKK show the extent to which she believes assimilationist ideology is a scourge on the African-American community. Although she is dressed like a Nigerian woman, she begins to dramatically fan herself in order to accentuate her outfit, but she inadvertently loses the African look and appears more Asian, looking as though she's Madame Butterfly instead of African royalty. As Mama tells Ruth, Big Walter finally worked hisself to Ultra-conservative George surprises everyone with his praise of Beneatha's new look; however, his attitude is patronizing and condescending, as though she requires his approval. U. 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. Mama feels guilty for his unhappiness and tells him that she has never done anything to hurt her children. Black writers tend to side with W. E. B. But when the British stormed the city, they were so impressed by the Benin bronzes that they took them back with them, giving the British Museum an incomparable collection of rare treasures of African art. The doorbell rings suddenly, and George Murchison arrives for his theater date with Beneatha. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Later on the same Saturday, Beneatha emerges from her room cloaked in the Nigerian clothes that Asagai has brought her. Ace your assignments with our guide to A Raisin in the Sun! nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Pages 2. title character of the oscar winning 1942 film about a middle-class family's struggle to survive in wartorn Britain; Mama compared to this middle-class housewife who tends roses and represents strength and hope Sunlight vs. Darkness sunlight: goodness; nourishes and allows everything to grow and develop