Copy of Raisin in the Sun 9/13 (6/23/2025)
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Last updated 6 months ago
17 questions
Who are these characters?
1
The check has finally arrived. Prior to this moment, what was the common obstacle faced by all members of the Younger family?
The check has finally arrived. Prior to this moment, what was the common obstacle faced by all members of the Younger family?
Character Analysis
1
Choose a character: __________
1
Write down the first two things that come into your mind about this character (as if you were describing him or her to a friend).
Write down the first two things that come into your mind about this character (as if you were describing him or her to a friend).
1
What does this character want the most?
What does this character want the most?
1
Start by looking for a want or an obstacle then fill out the rest of the row. You will need a row for each pieve of evidence to focus on exactly how your character responds to each "want/obstacle" combination.
Start by looking for a want or an obstacle then fill out the rest of the row. You will need a row for each pieve of evidence to focus on exactly how your character responds to each "want/obstacle" combination.
1
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:
1. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, _______ is a character who _______ .
2. He/She wants to _______ but faces obstacles such as _______ .
3. This character tries to overcome these obstacles by taking actions such as _______ .
Homework
Required
3
In Act 1,Scene 2, beginning with Paragraph 206 WALTER: Did it Come?
This scene illustrates how the things that Mama wants may be in conflict with what Walter wants. Drag the statements about what Walter wants to indicate how each one is in opposition to something Mama wants in this scene.
Mama wants the family to be respectable and godly. _______________________________________
Mama wants Walter to listen to his wife. _________________________________________
Mama wants her family to appreciate what they have. ___________________________________________
Other Answer Choices:
Walter wants to own a liquor store
Walter wants people to listen to him
Walter wants to be rich and successful
Required
1
What is one role you predict each character will take in the future?
What is one role you predict each character will take in the future?
ACT 2, SCENE ONE (Pgs 76-90)
Time: Later the same day.
At rise: RUTH is ironing again. She has the radio going. Presently BENEATHA’S bedroom door opens and RUTH’S mouth falls and she puts down the iron in fascination.
RUTH What have we got on tonight!
BENEATHA (Emerging grandly from the doorway so that we can see her thoroughly robed in the costume Asagai brought) You are looking at what a well-dressed Nigerian woman wears—(She parades for RUTH, her hair completely hidden by the headdress; she is coquettishly fanning herself with an ornate oriental fan, mistakenly more like Butterfly than any Nigerian that ever was) Isn’t it beautiful? (She promenades to the radio and, with an arrogant flourish, turns off the good loud blues that is playing) Enough of this assimilationist junk! (RUTH follows her with her eyes as she goes to the phonograph and puts on a record and turns and waits ceremoniously for the music to come up. Then, with a shout—) OCOMOGOSIAY!
(RUTH jumps. The music comes up, a lovely Nigerian melody, BENEATHA listens, enraptured, her eyes far away—“back to the past.” She begins to dance. RUTH is dumbfounded)
RUTH What kind of dance is that?
BENEATHA A folk dance.
RUTH (Pearl Bailey) What kind of folks do that, honey?
BENEATHA It’s from Nigeria. It’s a dance of welcome.
RUTH Who you welcoming?
BENEATHA The men back to the village.
RUTH Where they been?
BENEATHA How should I know—out hunting or something. Anyway, they are coming back now …
RUTH Well, that’s good.
BENEATHA (With the record)
Alundi, alundi
Alundi alunya
Jop pu a jeepua
Ang gu soooooooooo
20 Ai yai yae …
Ayehaye—alundi …
(WALTER comes in during this performance; he has obviously been drinking. He leans against the door heavily and watches his sister, at first with distaste. Then his eyes look off—“back to the past”—as he lifts both his fists to the roof, screaming)
WALTER YEAH … AND ETHIOPIA STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS AGAIN! …
RUTH (Drily, looking at him) Yes—and Africa sure is claiming her own tonight. (She gives them both up and starts ironing again)
WALTER (All in a drunken, dramatic shout) Shut up! … I’m digging them drums … them drums move me! … (He makes his weaving way to his wife’s face and leans in close to her) In my heart of hearts—(He thumps his chest)—I am much warrior!
RUTH (Without even looking up) In your heart of hearts you are much drunkard.
WALTER (Coming away from her and starting to wander around the room, shouting) Me and Jomo … (Intently, in his sister’s face. She has stopped dancing to watch him in this unknown mood) That’s my man, Kenyatta. (Shouting and thumping his chest) FLAMING SPEAR! HOT DAMN! (He is suddenly in possession of an imaginary spear and actively spearing enemies all over the room) OCOMOGOSIAY …
BENEATHA (To encourage WALTER, thoroughly caught up with this side of him) OCOMOGOSIAY, FLAMING SPEAR!
WALTER THE LION IS WAKING … OWIMOWEH! (He pulls his shirt open and leaps up on the table and gestures with his spear)
BENEATHA OWIMOWEH!
WALTER (On the table, very far gone, his eyes pure glass sheets. 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) Listen, my black brothers—
BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY …
WALTER —Do you hear the waters rushing against the shores of the coastlands—
BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY …
WALTER —Do you hear the screeching of the cocks in yonder hills beyond where the chiefs meet in council for the coming of the mighty war—
BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY …
(And now the lighting shifts subtly to suggest the world of WALTER’S imagination, and the mood shifts from pure comedy. It is the inner WALTER speaking: the Southside chauffeur has assumed an unexpected majesty)
WALTER —Do you hear the beating of the wings of the birds flying low over the mountains and the low places of our land—
BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY …
WALTER —Do you hear the singing of the women, singing the war songs of our fathers to the babies in the great houses? Singing the sweet war songs! (The doorbell rings) OH, DO YOU HEAR, MY BLACK BROTHERS!
BENEATHA (Completely gone) We hear you, Flaming Spear—
(RUTH shuts off the phonograph and opens the door. GEORGE MURCHISON enters)
WALTER Telling us to prepare for the GREATNESS OF THE TIME! (Lights back to normal. He turns and sees GEORGE) Black Brother!
(He extends his hand for the fraternal clasp)
GEORGE Black Brother, hell!
RUTH (Having had enough, and embarrassed for the family) Beneatha, you got company—what’s the matter with you? Walter Lee Younger, get down off that table and stop acting like a fool …
(WALTER comes down off the table suddenly and makes a quick exit to the bathroom)
RUTH He’s had a little to drink … I don’t know what her excuse is.
GEORGE (To BENEATHA) Look honey, we’re going to the theatre—we’re not going to be in it … so go change, huh?
(BENEATHA looks at him and slowly, ceremoniously, lifts her hands and pulls off the headdress. Her hair is close-cropped and unstraightened. GEORGE freezes mid-sentence and RUTH’S eyes all but fan out of her head)
GEORGE What in the name of—
RUTH (Touching BENEATHA’S hair) Girl, you done lost your natural mind!? Look at your head!
GEORGE What have you done to your head—I mean your hair!
BENEATHA Nothing—except cut it off.
RUTH Now that’s the truth—it’s what ain’t been done to it! You expect this boy to go out with you with your head all nappy like that?
BENEATHA (Looking at GEORGE) That’s up to George. If he’s ashamed of his heritage—
GEORGE Oh, don’t be so proud of yourself, Bennie—just because you look eccentric.
BENEATHA How can something that’s natural be eccentric?
GEORGE That’s what being eccentric means—being natural. Get dressed.
60 BENEATHA I don’t like that, George.
RUTH Why must you and your brother make an argument out of everything people say?
BENEATHA Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!
RUTH Will somebody please tell me what assimila-who ever means!
GEORGE Oh, it’s just a college girl’s way of calling people Uncle Toms—but that isn’t what it means at all.
RUTH Well, what does it mean?
BENEATHA (Cutting GEORGE off and staring at him as she replies to RUTH) It means someone who is willing to give up his own culture and submerge himself completely in the dominant, and in this case oppressive culture!
GEORGE Oh, dear, dear, dear! Here we go! A lecture on the African past! On our Great West African Heritage! In one second we will hear all about the great Ashanti empires; the great Songhay civilizations; and the great sculpture of Bénin—and then some poetry in the Bantu—and the whole monologue will end with the word heritage! (Nastily) Let’s face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!
BENEATHA GRASS HUTS! (RUTH crosses to her and forcibly pushes her toward the bedroom) See there … you are standing there in your splendid ignorance talking about people who were the first to smelt iron on the face of the earth! (RUTH is pushing her through the door) The Ashanti were performing surgical operations when the English—(RUTH pulls the door to, with BENEATHA on the other side, and smiles graciously at GEORGE. BENEATHA opens the door and shouts the end of the sentence defiantly at GEORGE)—were still tattooing themselves with blue dragons! (She goes back inside)
RUTH Have a seat, George (They both sit. RUTH folds her hands rather primly on her lap, determined to demonstrate the civilization of the family) Warm, ain’t it? I mean for September. (Pause) Just like they always say about Chicago weather: If it’s too hot or cold for you, just wait a minute and it’ll change. (She smiles happily at this cliché of clichés) Everybody say it’s got to do with them bombs and things they keep setting off. (Pause) Would you like a nice cold beer?
GEORGE No, thank you. I don’t care for beer. (He looks at his watch) I hope she hurries up.
RUTH What time is the show?
GEORGE It’s an eight-thirty curtain. That’s just Chicago, though. In New York standard curtain time is eight forty.
(He is rather proud of this knowledge)
Required
5
During class today, you described what you thought about your character based on how he or she acts when faced with an obstacle. Now, start from scratch:
Write what you think about your character based on how he or she has acted in response to an obstacle. Feel free to use ideas from today's class, but develop them more fully with details from the text. (APE- use 2 pieces of evidence)
During class today, you described what you thought about your character based on how he or she acts when faced with an obstacle. Now, start from scratch:
Write what you think about your character based on how he or she has acted in response to an obstacle. Feel free to use ideas from today's class, but develop them more fully with details from the text. (APE- use 2 pieces of evidence)
Required
8
Compare the motivations of Walter and Beneatha.- Choose the character you think the motivation belongs to.- If any motivations are shared by both characters, choose Both.
Compare the motivations of Walter and Beneatha.
- Choose the character you think the motivation belongs to.
- If any motivations are shared by both characters, choose Both.
Walter | Beneatha | Both | |
|---|---|---|---|
Wants the freedom to do what he/she wants | |||
Wants money to achieve his/her goals | |||
Wants to be a doctor | |||
Wants to go into business | |||
Wants to feel connected to his/her racial heritage | |||
Wants to impress or fit in with people who have more money | |||
Wants to be seen as a scholar | |||
Wants to be allowed to express his/her individual opinions and ideas |
Required
1
Eventually, Walter joins in with Beneatha's Dance. Which best describes how he seems to be feeling as he dances?
Eventually, Walter joins in with Beneatha's Dance. Which best describes how he seems to be feeling as he dances?
Required
1
During the dance, Walter and Beneatha seem to
During the dance, Walter and Beneatha seem to
Required
2
What does George think of Beneatha's costume? Drag two choices.
What does George think of Beneatha's costume? Drag two choices.
- kind of crazy
- beautiful
- not appropriate
- meaningful
- perfect for their date
- George thinks Beneatha's costume is...
Required
1
Part 1: What does Walter lie about when talking to George?
Part 1: What does Walter lie about when talking to George?
Required
1
Part 2: Why do you think Walter lies about this?
Part 2: Why do you think Walter lies about this?
Challenge Writing (Quiz Grade)
Mother to Son
By Langston Hughes
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps’
Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
1
Identify an obstacle face by the mother or son in the poem "Mother to Son" Describe how the character acts when faced with the obstacle. Use evidence from the text to support your response. (Use APE- should have 5-8 sentences)
Identify an obstacle face by the mother or son in the poem "Mother to Son" Describe how the character acts when faced with the obstacle. Use evidence from the text to support your response. (Use APE- should have 5-8 sentences)
1
Both the speaker in "Mother to Son" and Mama in A Raisin in the Sun offer advice to their children about facing challenges. Compare or contrast these characters' responses to obstacles. Use evidence from the texts to support your thinking. (Use APE- should have 5-8 sentences)
Both the speaker in "Mother to Son" and Mama in A Raisin in the Sun offer advice to their children about facing challenges. Compare or contrast these characters' responses to obstacles. Use evidence from the texts to support your thinking. (Use APE- should have 5-8 sentences)