Dialectical Journals

 

1)      cited passage from text                               

 

“At left, a door leads to a bedroom

Which is shared by Mama and Beneatha.

At the right, Opposite a second room which

Serves as a bedroom for Walter and his wife Ruth” (24).

Questions and Comments

(E) From the quote, one can see that the Younger family doesn’t have a lot of money since Beneatha, who is in her twenties shares a bedroom with her mother. Also, Walter and his wife might have financial problems since they stay at Walter’s mom’s apartment and not somewhere of their own. (Q) What events have happened that gave the younger family money issues? (P) I predict that money will be an issue throughout the book/play as the story continues.

 

2) “seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams-but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile”(46).

Questions and comments

(E) From the quote said by Mama, the author is trying to say that African American men do not get as many privileges and rights as others (specifically white colored people). In the quote Mama says that African Americans are only given dreams but not the opportunity for the dreams to actually become a reality.(C) This connects to the title Raisin In The Sun because if dreams the men have don’t come true or are put on hold they will shrivel up and die like grapes do in the sun .However, in the quote Mama says that just because dreams don’t come true , doesn’t mean that one cannot be happy and filed with joy(in the quote she refers to children as that joy).

 

3.       “Mama: (She holds the check away from her, still looking at it. Slowly her face sobers into a mask of unhappiness) Ten thousand dollars. (She hand it to Ruth), Put it away somewhere, Ruth (she does not look at Ruth; her eyes seem to be seeing something somewhere very far off) Ten thousand dollars they give you. Ten thousand dollars” (69).

 

(E) Mama is upset about receiving the check for ten thousand dollars. (R) From first reading the quote from the passage one would think that Mama is overwhelmed by the amount of money. The check is for the death of her husband, “Big Walter”. She feels that the amount of money is not enough for losing her love.(C) Many people who have lost feel as though no money can amount to the pain and suffering they have endured.(R) People may see the money as what that deceased person was worth , when in their eyes those people were priceless to them. The money in reality isn’t what that person was worth but rather a way to help ease the suffering of the people who have lost (financial wise).

 

4.       “Beneatha looks at him and slowly, ceremoniously, lifts her hands and pulls off the headdress. Her hair is close-cropped and un straightened. George freezes mid-sentence and Ruth’s eyes all but fan out of her head” (80)…… “Because I hate assimilationist Negroes!”(81).

 

 

(E) From the quote, Beneatha will do anything so she is not categorized as being like everyone else. Beneatha wants to be different because she will maybe then find out who she is. (C) Many people in this world want to feel different from everyone else because it will make them special in their minds. However some people loose part of who they are in trying to be someone they aren’t. Like Beneatha, they will do drastic things either to their appearance or personality to “stand out Of the crowd”and be seen as unlike anyone else. (P) I predict that Beneatha will regret cutting off her hair in the name of trying to find out who she is. (Q) My question is why do we humans feel like we have to be different in order to feel special? Why is being special so important?

 

5.       “Bitterly, to hurt her as deeply as he knows is possible. So you butchered up a dream of mine –you- who always talking ‘bout your children’s dreams…” (95)

(E) The quote shows Walters character in how he is a very selfish person and only thinks of himself. As shown, Walter internally want to hurts his mother’s feelings and doesn’t really care if she feels bad about what he said to her. Walter is selfish because while he wants his dream to come true he neglects the fact that it will ruin Mama’s dream in having enough money to buy a house. He doesn’t seem to even consider this as he hurts her feeling in an act to get his dream to come true (P) I predict that the bad attitude he has about only caring about his dreams will come and bring him misfortune. If Walter gets his dream of the liquor store it will not turn out the way he wanted (Karma; what comes around goes around). (Q) Why did Walter feel he had to hurt his mother’s feelings in order to get his message across? Did it end up being effective?

 

6.       “What you ain’t never understood is that I aint got nothing that wasn’t for you. There aint nothing as precious to me ….. There  aint nothing worth holding on to, money ,dreams, nothing else-if it means – if it mean it’s going to destroy my boy”(106).

 

(E) The quote shows how Mama is a selfless person. She is willing to compromise and even give up her own dreams so that her son will have his dreams come true. (C) I think most parents are like Mama in the sense that they will do anything to make their children’s dreams come true. Parents like that put their children and their family before themselves. The parents feel like it is their job to give a better life for their children then the life they had. (R) being selfless isn’t easy to do. The people who are truly selfless don’t do it because feel they have to, they do it because they want to and don’t care about the consequences it puts on themselves.

 

7.       “Yess! All of it… it’s all gone (There is a total silence … Mama stops and looks at her son without recognition and then , quiet without thinking about it, starts to beat him senselessly in the face)”(129).

 

(E) The quote shows that with the loss of the money, Mama’s character changes. She realized that with the money gone, both of her children’s dreams are unable to come true. Mama wanted the best for her kids and the fact that she can’t give them the lives that they wanted makes her frustrated. In a moment of rage Mama goes out of her character and starts to beat her son Walter. (P) I think Mama started to hit Walter because she wanted to blame someone for the way she feels she has failed her children. (C) When people are faced with dramatic events, they will sometimes go out of their character in regards to their actions because they are overwhelmed of what to do. In that moment of being unsure, people will do actions that they may regret later when more aware. (R) Controlling ones character is not easy and everyone makes mistakes in life. However, when one makes a mistake it is their job to own up to it and strive to better the next time around.

 

8.       “Don’t you see that there will be young men and women-not British soldiers’ men but my own black countrymen- to step out of the shadows some evening and slit my then useless throat? Don’t you see they have always been there… that they always will be” (136).

 

(E) The quote said by Asagai is explaining that there will always be outside social forces trying to stop one’s dream from coming true. He explained that no matter what they will always be there but one mustn’t loose hope and give up their dreams so easily. (C) Some people don’t really realize this and when things get difficult for them in accomplishing their dreams they give up. People think that accomplishing a dream is easier than it seems. However the obstacles one faces to make their dreams come true, makes achieving the dream seem more worthwhile. (P) From what Asagai said to Beneatha, I predict that she will continue her dream in becoming a doctor and that his speech will help her not to give up so easily.

 

9.       “There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing … When do you think is time to love somebody the most? It’s when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in himself’ cause the world done whipped him so’” (145).

 

(E) The quote from Mama to Beneatha is explaining that when things get hard one should not abandoned their family. Family should be loyal to one another and stick be one another’s side. (R) A family is meant to give one support, hope, and a sense of safety. If members of the family don’t support one another than their family bond would be weak. (C) For example if one member in the family lost a dear friend and was depressed and in despair the support of their family would help that member feel better and maybe make them strong enough to move one. If the family didn’t give that member any support they would have a much harder time moving on, or they could go down a path that leads to many mistakes leading to a weak family bond.

10. “ Don’t you see there isn’t any real progress Asagai, there is only one large circle that we are marching in around and around , each of us with our own little pictures in front of us- our own little mirage that we think is the future”(134).

 

(E) The quote from Beneatha explains the realist’s views on life. Realist’s think that no matter what one accomplishes there will always be someone else to destroy it. The circle shows the never ending cycle of dreams being accomplished but then destroyed. Beneatha is explaining that there is no point in having dreams because they will ultimately be destroyed. (P) I predict that her brother ruining her dream of becoming a doctor will change her views on life. Instead of being an idealist she is going to become more of a realist. (Q) Since Beneatha seems to always get what she wants, will the dream of becoming a doctor be no more since it will be harder to reach? And if so does that show Beneatha’s character as being weak since she gave up?