Mr. Perko’s Literary Analysis Process Final Draft Second Draft By the late 1950s, black people in the United States had experienced over 300 years of slavery, segregation, and/or discrimination. The demand for justice swelled in the hearts and minds of millions of the nation’s citizens leading up to the great Civil Rights Movement, including those of African American artists who sought to portray the devastating effects of racism. Some, like Langston Hughes, ask open­ended questions to convey a sense of frustration and uncertainty. Others specifically identify the dreams deferred by racism, and show how African Americans can rise above racism to fulfill those dreams in a realistic setting. The experience of the Youngers in ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
provides a quintessential example of this struggle in the period between WWII and the late 1950s. In the play, Lorraine Hansberry uses cockroaches as a motif to suggest dignity and pride will empower future generations of African Americans to overcome oppression. Cockroaches symbolize the oppressive forces that conspire to defer the dreams of the Youngers because they are African Americans. The pests enter the apartment through cracks in the walls, which are signs of decay reflecting the landlord’s neglect. Through the cracks in the walls, cockroaches invade the Youngers’ Southside apartment by “marching out of there like Napoleon” (55). By personifying cockroaches as Napoleon, who conquered parts of Africa, Hansberry establishes a figurative connection between the pests and white dominance. Further, the playwright locates the cockroaches near the family bureau, which is a piece of furniture often used to store valuables. The cockroaches, like racism, threaten what is important to the Youngers. The cockroaches are an affront to the Youngers’ dignity like racism is an offensive action against their ability to fulfill their dreams. The Younger women demonstrate the dignity and pride needed to overcome their family’s condition by repeatedly cleaning and fumigating. For example, Beneatha dawns a handkerchief around her face while fumigating the apartment like a doctor wears a mask while administering a cure. She later tells Asagai “we’ve all got acute ghetto­itis” (60). Hansberry presents a parallel between Beneatha’s effort to prepare the apartment for Asagai’s arrival and her dream to go to medical school. Both require dignity and pride in response to the literal and figurative meaning of the cockroaches. If the Younger women do not resist the cockroaches, they are subject to the indignity and oppression the pests represent. Beneatha cannot become a doctor without first defending her self­image and the respectability of her African American family. Beneatha’s fumigation of the apartment suggests the cure for oppression is to engage in a proud fight for dignity. The importance of rising above oppressed conditions through pride and dignity is a message meant to empower the next generation of African Americans. However, Hansberry suggests the message is not one that can be forced on African American youth. When Travis playfully slaps Beneatha as she kneels to apply the pesticide, she reacts by feigning to spray him for ignoring her struggle to resist what the cockroaches represent. Mama in turn admonishes, “little boys’ hides ain’t as tough as Southside roaches” (55). Mama’s line presents the absurdity of teaching pride and dignity through shame and humiliation. She expresses the same sentiment to Ruth, who repeatedly threatens to beat her son for acts of immaturity. In place of violence, Hansberry creates a dramatic choice that Travis must witness. Like the Younger women, Walter demonstrate pride and dignity to deliver an empowering unified message to Travis and the generation he represents. Walter ultimately demonstrates pride and dignity like the Younger women, and through his rejection of Lindner’s offer he completes the message of what is needed to overcome oppression. Of course, Hansberry does not offer false hope. The Youngers, like all black people in the United States at the time of the play’s production and publication, face ongoing discrimination and dreams deferred. Whether or not they say good­bye to the ugly face of misery that Ruth describes, the Youngers do walk out on its attempt to keep them oppressed in that Southside apartment. Revision Ideas 1. I need to hone my thesis. 2. I need to develop the description of Travis’s role. 3. I need to evaluate the purpose and strength of my supporting evidence. 4. I need more commentary on specific evidence to prove my point. Feedback ●
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Why does Travis not have a "dream differred", does his age/innocence have anything to do with it? Second Paragraph, Piece about "reminiscent of a guerrilla fighting on the front lines" could be a great element if it is explained as to why Why is travis being unaware to their financial situation ignorance? If not for Ruth making their child watch them, would the story have ended differently in the family accepting the money and either moving into a different house or even perhaps staying in the small south side apartment? In the Revised outline, you talk about the battle for dignity in regard to the front line guerrilla fighter, why leave that out of the essay? Paragraph 1 ● Paragraph. I’d like to see more of a focus for your first topic sentence ● The analysis could be deeper, Walter and Ruth’s relationship is very powerful in it’s significance ● Does a good job of giving reader a sense of what it to come in essay Paragraph 2 ● Topic sentence could be slightly more focused ● transition’s could be more fluid, Seems jumpy. ● introduction to the quote is done very well, deep and relevant ● not completely understanding of the “agreement” idea ● paragraph nicely flows ideas down, just misunderstood small part Paragraph 3 ● Idea of pests could be further developed ● the Idea of Travis and how Naive he is needs to be further developed, I believe it’s a key part to understanding why innocence and setting an example is such a key part of what hansberry is trying to say in the play Paragraph 4: ● summarizing the idea of freedom vs money could be better represented You could add another example to the part about pride and the family always cleaning the house and talk about how Walter felt the need to give his son the money even when he didn't have it. I believe your thesis is really strong and your​
last body paragraph is the strongest I think it needs a little work connecting all of the ideas together into one more cohesive analysis. I also think the fifth body paragraph needs a little work​
I am not entirely sure what you are getting at in the opening sentence when you say, "Walter demonstrates the Youngers’ pride to example how to overcome systematic oppression for the benefit of Travis and the generation he represents.” The part that doesn’t make sense is the example how part it just doesn’t flow right. The one critique I would have is looking at the ​
topic sentences of each body paragraph consecutively, and making sure they are all linked in some way​
, so the essay has a logical and coherent flow to it. I like how his paragraphs were able to go into a lot of detail about things not necessarily directly related to the thesis, without bringing the focus of the paragraphs off‐topic. The fourth topic sentence ("The resistance to pests represents the dignity and pride the Youngers require to overcome their condition") sounds vague I’m a junior in high school, what do I know?​
... Change quotation marks for single words to italics. First sentence of the last paragraph needs improvement. Why should it matter that Walter does not realize the conflicts do not originate in his family?... What evidence is there to compare Beneatha to a guerrilla fighter? “Explain” would be a better word choice than “suggest” for the second quotation of the second paragraph. Topic sentences should relate better to the thesis​
. The Clybourne Improvement Association is just one example of racism. Are you going to use more? There could be more analysis of the second piece of evidence in some paragraphs. ​
Good topic and concluding sentences​
. I like how your topic sentences relate to your thesis​
. It’s not a complete rough draft without an introduction and conclusion. The last body paragraph was confusing​
. In some areas the evidence was slightly lacking and the connection was unclear. Lack of analysis to link back to the main idea. All of the topic sentences for each body paragraph link back to the thesis. Need more commentary​
. What does ​
Travis​
symbolize in terms of his father? Explain the importance of their relationship better. Why do you want two literary devices instead of one?... ​
You do not get to read and comprehend the ways the author is describing the story like a book. You have to watch and interpret the situation as it unfolds, and draw description yourself​
. Too long. Good topic sentences, but ​
some lack of reflection on the evidence​
. After explanation of the evidence, it should be tied to the actual topic sentence. Paper gets weaker as it goes on. Explain (or identify) the setting and motif in your introductory paragraph. The thesis needs to have more to explain the story. Not enough evidence to prove your point, and ​
you need more analysis​
of the evidence you use. “For example” is not formal enough. Too many words in quotation marks. Uses evidence well. I do not see how the first body paragraph connects to the thesis. Lack of continuity between topic sentences and evidence​
. Reinsert pests in your thesis. First paragraph ends far from where it starts. Be more clear Mama bought the house. ​
In the 3rd paragraph, how do the first two sentences connect to each other? Need more analysis​
to support cockroaches equal white oppression. Explain how rats equal a distraction. The last paragraph is weak and does not connect to the thesis. Essay tries to do too much. Take more time to analyze each point. Some topic sentences, especially the first, are choppy. Make thesis more specific. The connection between what Walter does to Ruth and what the Youngers do to each other generally is not strong. More analysis of the evidence. Add something about Nigerian garb and how it relates to dreams. Rough Draft [Introduction to be written after first round of revision] In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, setting and motif suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external forces of systematic oppression that requires pride to overcome. With the exception of Travis, each member of the Younger family experiences a dream deferred that causes tension within the single setting of their Southside apartment. Mama once believed her stay in the apartment would be short, but works tirelessly to maintain the “tired” and cramped space in her old age. Ruth had similar expectations when she married Walter. Presently, though, “disappointment has already begun to hang in her face” (24). Beneatha resists this fate of becoming a “settled woman” by pursuing interests that seem capricious and improbable. Both Mama and Ruth laugh at her desire to “express” herself, and Walter berates her for it. Beneatha’s ambition to become a doctor poses a financial threat to his own aspirations. Walter’s dream is to be a successful man, and his concept of that “man” is imagined with material wealth. When Ruth dismisses his plan to achieve that success by telling him to eat his eggs, Walter rebukes her: “That is what is wrong with the colored women in this world… Don’t understand about building their men up and making ‘em feel like they somebody” (34). Walter does to Ruth what the Youngers do to each other generally. He misunderstands Ruth’s effort to sustain him through his disappointment, and erroneously projects the frustration of his unfulfilling life onto her. Walter does not realize that the conflicts of interest within his family do not originate in his family. Conflict develops inside the Youngers’ apartment as a result of forces outside their home. For example, Mama wants to use the life insurance money to provide a comfortable space for her family. Unfortunately, rates for mortgages in African American communities make home buying too expensive. Ruth has “never been ‘fraid of no crackers” (93), but even she joins Beneatha and Walter in questioning the sensibility of Mama’s decision. As the family knows, white resistance to integration has lead to the firebombing of some African American homes. Soon, the Clyborne Improvement Association presents itself to suggest “our Negro families are happier when they live in their ​
own​
communities” (118). While Lindner’s sentiment seems to mirror the Youngers’, his language is possessive. By referring to African Americans as “our,” he assumes their identity and the authority to direct the Youngers’ attention to what is right. He speaks as if to remind the Youngers of some agreement between whites and blacks. This same “agreement,” however, is what keeps Walter as a chauffeur who considers graft to enter the white dominated business world. Further, and more importantly, it is the “agreement” that compels Travis to imagine his future as a bus driver despite his ongoing education. Within the historical context of the play, the Youngers are not supposed to leave their subservient roles and the Southside apartment they afford. The external forces that intend to keep the Youngers in a state of internal conflict within their Southside apartment are symbolized by the motif of pests. Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha are repeatedly shown cleaning, which is dignified act. Mama is “upset,” as Beneatha tells Asagai, by the thought of anyone seeing their living conditions not well maintained (60). A major part of their regimen involves spraying for cockroaches, which invade the apartment through cracks in the walls and are described as “marching out of there like Napoleon” (55) around the bureau. Napoleon conquered parts of Africa, and a cockroach personified as him near a piece of furniture in which people generally store valuables signifies the presence and threat of white oppression. The same systematic racism that thwarts the Youngers’ individual dreams appears in their home to menace the dignity and pride representing their collective strength. The resistance to pests represents the dignity and pride the Youngers require to overcome their condition. Beneatha dawns a handkerchief around her face as she performs the fumigation, reminiscent of a guerrilla fighting on the front lines while Mama marshalls in the background. However, Travis is oblivious to the importance of the women’s struggle, and playfully slaps Beneatha as she kneels in a position of vulnerability to apply the pesticide. Beneatha reacts by feigning to spray him, and Mama admonishes, “little boys’ hides ain’t as tough as Southside roaches” (55). Mama again acknowledges Travis as supremely valuable, and the effort to maintain dignity and pride despite the offenses of white oppression are intended to protect him. He subsequently leaves for the street, though, where “the shouts of children rising” (56) draw the women from their work. From the window, Beneatha “looks out” like a guard to observe Travis chasing a rat. Ruth, who has just entered, “covers her face with hands and turns away” (58). She is mortified by what the rat symbolizes, which is the distractions of their condition. Whereas the cockroaches come to take by conquest, the rat appears to compel Travis to give himself to immoral and useless activity. Travis returns from the experience “excited and full of narrative” (59), but it is the narrative of “acute ghetto­itis” (60). In order to fill Travis with a new narrative and live to have a dream fulfilled, the Younger women need Walter to confront his own pests and lead the family away from what Ruth exclaims is the ugly face of misery. Walter demonstrates the Youngers’ pride to example how to overcome systematic oppression for the benefit of Travis and the generation he represents. Like Travis, Walter is tempted by external distractions from the struggle his mother, sister, and wife fight at home. He fantasizes about “offices” and debates the merits of black tires over whitewalls, and gives his father’s legacy to Willy Harris for what he knows to be an illegal path to the fulfillment of his dreams. When the plans explodes, Walter turns to another pest for salvation. Karl Lindner comes “to the table with efficiency” (146), invading like a cockroach and promising happiness like a rat. When Mama refuses to allow Travis to leave the sight of his father’s submission to the Clybourne Improvement Association, she also refuses to allow Walter to deny the critical importance of his decision. In the presence of his son, Walter tells Lindner, “We come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people” (148). In speech, Walter corrects himself. He shifts from what was to what is, and through this change in perspective he accepts the common struggle for dignity and asserts the value of freedom over money. [Conclusion to be written after first round of revision] Thesis In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses the motif of pests to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are driven, in part, by the external factors of systematic oppression. In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses the motif of pests to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external factors of systematic oppression. In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses the motif of pests to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are inherent to the African American experience in resistance to the external factors of systematic oppression. In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses the motif of pests to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are indicative of the African American struggle against the external factors of systematic oppression. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, the motif of pests suggests the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external factors of systematic oppression. In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses pests as a motif to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external factors of systematic oppression​
. Chunking A. The women struggle to maintain the dignity of the home, including Beneatha’s use of pesticides to prevent the invasion of cockroaches. ● (….Beneatha, in dungarees, with a handkerchief tied around her face, is spraying insecticide into the cracks in the walls (54) ● (….Beneatha on her knees spraying under sofa with behind raised….) (55) ● Travis: “Leave them poor little cockroaches alone, they ain’t bothering you none! (​
He runs as she swings the spray gun at him viciously and playfully​
) ● Mama: “Look out there girl, before you be spilling some of that stuff on that child! ● Beneatha: “I can’t imagine that it would hurt him—it has never hurt the roaches!” ● Mama: “Well, little boys’ hides ain’t as tough as Southside roaches. You better get over there behind the bureau. I seen one marching out of there like Napolean yesterday” ● Beneatha: “here’s really only one way to get rid of them, Mama—” ● Mama: “How?” ● Beneatha: Set fire to the building! Mama, where did Ruth go?” Beneatha wears a handkerchief tied around her face like a rebel or bandit. The cracks in the walls represent decay. ​
The cracks are entry points to the Youngers living space. The insects come through the cracks to invade the Younger’s personal space. Beneatha on her knees indicates she is vulnerable or in prayer. This subservience is an act or piety or respect. She is humbled before her act of dignity. Or she is vulnerable. Travis disrespects this act by disrupting it with humor. Humor is a distraction for Travis. Pulls him from his focus on supporting the dignity of the family and its intention to support his future. ​
He says to leave the cockroaches alone because he does not understand yet what they represent. He does not yet have his dreams challenged​
. His goals are much simpler than his family has planned for him. He tells walter that he wants to be a bus driver, but Walter expects that he will be much more. The pesticide is not enough to thwart the roaches. If the effort to be dignified does not stop oppressive acts, is Hansberry saying that dignity is not enough to inspire the younger generation? But Mama corrects and says that the boys or children of South Chicago are not yet a match for the roaches or the oppression. What is the connection between Beneatha’s attempt or play to spray him and preparation for Travis’ future? Why does Mama direct Beneatha to spray by the bureau? What does a bureau represent? A chest of drawers, sometimes includes a desk. A plays to store important papers. Insects near important papers. Insects consume things. Insects trying to eat the Youngers’ important papers. Oppression trying to keep the Youngers and African Americans from owning and storing that mortgage note. Napolean is a white conqueror. Marching is organized and efficient. Napolean once said something about being able to whip any man into shape and serve like a dog. Beneatha says the only way to get rid of pests is to burn the building down. This would destroy their home, their community. Is she referring to violence, destruction and rioting as a means to achieve freedom? B. Travis and the rat. [The rat represents the temptation of violence that distracts and threatens to destroy the hope for the future Travis represents] ● Beneatha says “You don’t think—” realizing Ruth might be pregnant and Joseph Asagai calls (56) ● Beneatha: (​
There is a sudden commotion from the street and she goes to the window to look out​
)… (…​
the shouts of children rising up from the street​
…) TRAVIS! TRAVIS… WHAT ARE YOU DOING DOWN THERE?… Oh Lord, they’re chasing a rat!” (​
Ruth covers her face with hands and turns away​
) (58) ● Beneatha tells Travis to get upstairs and inquires about the doctor appointment. Ruth: (​
Far away​
) “Yes—she says everything is going to be fine…” (59) Mama is suspicious because of “she” ● Travis: (​
Excited and full of narrative, coming directly to his mother​
) “Mama, you should have seen the rat… there’s rat blood all over the street—“ (59) ● Mama tells Travis to hush with the “terrible stuff” and Beneatha tells him to go outside and play, but not with any rats. Mama inquires if Ruth is okay and stage directions state: (​
Ruth has her fists clenched on her thighs and is fighting hard to suppress a scream that seems to be rising in her​
) (59) ● Asagai arrives and asks if Beneatha is okay. Beneatha: “Yes… we’ve all got acute ghetto­itis” (60) Ruth’s potential pregnancy introduced before we meet Asagai​
. Connection between the birth of a child and the role of Africa in the play and the United States. Ruth is pregnant with the next generation of African Americans. Role of Africa and role of life in the United States from slavery on at play. This is the unborn child’s legacy. There is a commotion on the street. Agitation. Street justice. The street as a place of learning and expression, as opposed to the classroom. ​
The shouts of children rising up not only on the street, but across America​
. Beneatha goes to the window to look out, and the author does not say look down, which would be the proper perspective. Looking out is to be on guard. This is an instance where diction impacts meaning, gives an alternative meaning. Oh Lord, Beneatha calls out. Impulse recalls God and the role of God in African American experience and heritage. Ruth turns away in shame and/or horror. Later she will become angry, which leads me to believe she is ashamed. ​
She hates the sight and thought of the African American experience in the “ghetto”.​
It makes her angry. We next lead to Beneatha’s question about how Ruth is doing, and Ruth lets it slip that the doctor she saw was a woman. Mama is suspicious, because doctors are not women. Ruth is considering an abortion, and the world that she is raising Travis in is a reason why. She does not see him becoming what she wants him to become. She complains to Mama that Mama should not baby the boy. Travis comes in and directed and is full of narrative. C. Walter must drive out the pests to lead his household toward pride and prosperity. ● Mama delivers the news that she bought the house in Clybourne Park. Ruth: “Well—well!—All I can say is—if this is my time in life—​
MY​
TIME—to say good­bye—(And she builds with momentum as she starts to circle the room with an exuberant, almost tearfully happy release)—to these goddamn cracking walls!—(She pounds the walls)—and these marching roaches!—… Then I say it loud and good, HALLELUJAH! AND GOOD­BYE MISERY… I DON’T NEVER WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY FACE AGAIN! (93­94) ● Lindner sits down with his hat and briefcase on his knees and Walter: (Pointing) “Why don’t you sit your things on the floor?” (114) ● Lindner: “Oh—yes. Thank you. (He slides the briefcase and hat under the chair) And as I was saying—I am from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association and we have had it brought to our attention at the last meeting that you people—or at least your mother—has bought a piece of residential property at—(He digs for the slip of paper again)—four o six Clybourne Street” (114) ● Lindner: (Coming to the table with efficiency, putting his briefcase on the table…) Ruth tells Travis to go downstairs, but Mama commands Travis to stay and watch. (146­147) ● Walter: “…what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people….” (148) Mama has been the head of the household. Ruth shares her dream of having a house, though her interest seems to be more about herself than Travis. ​
Mama wants the house for Travis​
. The circle. Does this relate to Asagai’s circle of realism and line of idealism. The parallel could suggest that it is not, in fact, Ruth’s time. She will benefit from the money or the house, but it is Walter’s time. He is the one who must set the example for Travis. The cracking walls appear again, and Ruth seems to think they will be free of the point of invasion from pests. Pest represent outside influence over the Youngers as an African American family. The cracks are from neglect to the property, likely by white owners. Decay is something that is thrust upon the community, the Youngers. The marching roaches are the organized effort to keep the Youngers inside the decaying apartment. Ugly face of oppression. The apartment personified as the oppressor. Lindner sits down with his stuff on his knees, does not want it to touch the floor. Floor cleaned by family. They clean to maintain dignity despite decay and worn furniture. Lindner does not want to touch their dignity. ​
Does not recognize their dignity​
. Walter points for him to set his things down. This foreshadows his final message to Lindner, that the Youngers and African Americans are proud people. That pride will help them overcome systematic oppression, and we are left with the Youngers moving forward with their entry into the American Dream. And if that dream is not defined by any one culture, it at least has a common foundation in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Revised Outline 1 In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses the motif of pests to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external factors of systematic oppression. A. Pests are an indignity threatening the proud existence of the Younger family. Establish the pests as symbols for oppression, the cracks in the walls being entry points to the very home and existence of African Americans. B. Beneatha is in a vulnerable position as she decides which path to follow. ● (….Beneatha, in dungarees, with a handkerchief tied around her face, is spraying insecticide into the cracks in the walls (54) Beneatha is key to the resistance, and the handkerchief gives her the appearance of a guerrilla. She is at the front line of the battle for dignity. ● (….Beneatha on her knees spraying under sofa with behind raised….) (55) Yet she is vulnerable. She swings the spray gun at Travis in play, neglecting her duty or losing her focus. Mama shouts and admonishes that she should not spill “some of that stuff on the child” C. Travis does not seem to be bothered by the pests because he does not yet realize the world in which he lives. He wants to be a bus driver, though that is not a big step up from what his father does. He looks at Linder’s papers curiously, unaware of what they signify. In his innocence, Travis is caught between Mama’s attempts to provide the American Dream and Ruth’s attempts to prepare him to claim something for himself. D. Ruth’s fear is that Travis will become a creature of the street, and she turns away ashamed by instances of that occurrence and considers an abortion. E. In order for the Youngers to overcome, Walter must drive out the pests. 1. Conflict of maintaining dignity 2. Beneatha’s choice to assimilate through education or educate through Afrocentrism 3. Providing for Travis’s future 4. Ruth’s decision to key or abort the baby 5. Walter becoming a man and provider for his family Revised Outline 2 In the play, ​
A Raisin in the Sun​
, Lorraine Hansberry uses ​
setting​
and motif to suggest the internal conflicts faced by the Youngers are a struggle against the external ​
forces​
of systematic oppression ​
that requires pride to overcome​
. A. With the exception of Travis, each member of the Younger family experiences a dream deferred that causes tension within the single setting of their Southside apartment. B. Conflict develops inside the Younger’s apartment as a result of forces outside their domicile. C. Pests are a motif symbolizing the external forces that intend to keep the Youngers in a state of internal conflict within their Southside apartment. D. The resistance to pests represents the dignity and pride the Youngers have despite their circumstances. E. Walter must demonstrate the Younger’s pride to disrupt Travis’s ignorance of the struggle and thereby example how to overcome systematic oppression.