English 252

Color and images are something that make up our day to day life. From aesthetically pleasing pictures to differentiation between the bright lights we see at an intersection. But why is it when it comes to skin color, people aren’t so nonchalant and appreciative of it? Why does seeing darker skin turn an automatic switch in some people to forget all their morals?

Claudia Rankine’s story called Citizen shines a light on the reoccurring themes of color, images, and visual perspectives. Including the personal pronoun “you” throughout her story, she invites the readers, no matter the skin color, to share the experience of a black woman. With her black and white book cover, she forces the reader to experience the color throughout the book between skin colors of the main character and the skin color of whoever they encounter. Rankine starts off the story with a narrative of a young black girl in school. Rankine illustrates that a young white classmate “tells you you smell good and have features more like a white person. You assume she thinks she is thanking you for letting her cheat and feels better cheating from an almost white person” which starts off on a low note that forces the audience to feel the same defeated emotions of the young black girl.

As Rankine puts the readers in her shoes, it evokes a level of discomfort because as a twelve year old, you too would be unaware of how to answer and feel as your heritage and skin color became invalidated from the opinion of a privileged classmate. Irritation and uneasiness is also prevalent through such gruesome imagery such as “The wrong words enter your day like a bad egg in your mouth and puke runs down your blouse,” which is exactly what Rankine and other black women in her position feel. Referring back to Sara Ahmed’s “Feminist Killjoys and Other Willful Subjects”, if any women were to be put into the situation of being oppressed, it would be an internal battle for a woman to stand up and subject to being a “killjoy” or sit back to remain the peace, even if it meant feeling badly.

Rankine quotes Zora Neale Hurston that says “I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background,” meaning that she feels the most out of place when surrounded in a white and privileged setting. Rankine utilizes Serena Williams and her “black body” to emphasize this theme of color the author so desparately wants the audience to understand through hardships. It’s easy, when reading this line, to envision a white and spotless room and suddenly a black splatter hits the wall. From there, all the human eye will continue to focus on is that splatter on the one wall instead of the other three. It stands out, but in the case of the splatter, it may feel uncomfortable and pressured.

To wrap up her continuance of color and imagery, on page 32 Rankine says, “Every look, every comment, every bad call blossoms out of history, through her, onto you” which whether purposefully or not, juxtaposes with the picture on page 33 of a dark figure, weighed down by blossoming flowers and this abundance of colors in their life, but none of which matches their own skin tone. It’s meant to express that everything said to them and burdened on them may seem like a favor but is really bringing that individual down instead of uplifting them.

Do you agree that recognizing privilege is better than ignoring the obvious discrimination minorities face? Would you say it’s easy to be outspoken about a comment that wasn’t meant to be oppressive but hurts one’s identity?

Since last February we celebrated Black History Month with some interesting seminars, I decided to attend one called “Cartographies of Historical Trauma: Hospitable Spaces in African American Literature” that took place on February the 27^thand was held by Paula Barba Guerrero, a visiting research fellow at the Department of English Studies of my home university, the University of Salamanca, where she is a member of Dr. Manzanas European research project “Erasmus+: Hospitality in European Film.” She is currently engaged in writing her PhD thesis and her research interests include space and border studies, vulnerability and memory, and what hospitality entails for so-called ‘ethnic subgroups’ in the US, particularly for Americans of African descent.

In the seminar she basically explained what her PhD is about, stating that literature has two main purposes: as entertainment and as cultural product, focusing on the fact that identity can be approached through literature and it can be a space to overcome trauma. More importantly, she focuses also on the importance of neo-slave literature, since its focus is not on racial differences (as it happens in slave literature) but on African-American identity and the inner struggle that goes hand in hand with the trauma people from different generations lived: 

1^stgeneration: escape the present (Home: Africa)

2^ndgeneration: try to forget the past, mimic the new culture (Home: America)

3^rdgeneration: remembering the past, sense of not belonging (Where is home?)

Literature is the way to revisit, to change, the way to make history and understand the way of facing and overcoming of trauma. 

I thought it was a good idea to share it with you, since the seminar was really organized and had a great approach, and, even though it was a hard and extensive topic to cover, she managed to make everything clear and interesting to the audience. Moreover, I would like to leave her e-mail here (paulabarbaguerrero@usal.es), just in case someone wants to reach her and ask her about her work, she is really hard-working and enthusiastic about her work, and would be willing to talk with any of you that are interested in the theme.

• Small group conferences are mandatory
• Homework – paste a link to the draft of your essay to our course website beforehand
  • Google Doc set to “Everyone with the link can comment”
• Bring a device for viewing/commenting on each other’s draft
• Arrive five minutes early – Old Main 115E
• We will focus on thesis statements and questions about the assignment
• The more writing you bring, the more feedback you can get
• Active, generous, kind, helpful engagement with your peers’ work is part of your participation grade

Conference schedule

Add a link to your rough draft here

Out of the Ordinary

Stuck in a divergent, twisted limbo
filled with a place of tradition and familiarity;
Mixed with an unknown language, peculiar people
and an identity that is 
lost in a tornado of unfamiliarity. 
Trapped behind a transparent barrier
between her own universe 
and their world.

useless.
different.
unwanted.

A strange new world,
one where language and skin color defines who you are.
Her identity is lost 
between who she is and who her sister wants her to be. 
No place to call home.
Confused with the way of life, here.
Desiring and begging to go back to where she once was.
No place to make her own.

distinct.
foreign.
outcast. 

Paranoid delusions fill her mind 
and prohibit her from staying sane.
Unable to belong to this new lifestyle,
her new home is an asylum.
People resonate with her,
understand her stories, and her madness.
She does not feel odd.
She is able to find peace among insanity.

United.

Similar to all the other chapters in “The Woman Warrior,” “In the Western Palace” continues presenting this major theme of contrasting cultures. In this story, there is a culture clash between the old lifestyle of Chinese culture represented by Moon Orchid and Brave Orchid and the new lifestyle represented by Moon Orchid’s nieces, nephews, and her doctor husband. Moon Orchid leaves her life of traditions and customs to enter a new life where she must learn to adopt and transition. However, she fails at completing simple tasks and conforming to American life. Along with being pushed behind a language barrier, her sister strongly pushes her to be this “woman warrior” that reclaims her husband and becomes the mother to the other wife’s children. Moon Orchid is unable to confidently succeed with this challenge and ultimately, loses her own identity due to the culture shock in America.

Moon Orchid is unable to develop meaningful relationships with her nieces and nephews due to the language barrier and lifestyle differences. In a way, she is foreign among her biological family. She wanders around the house with a mind filled with questions and pure curiosity. She observes everything that her family does to try and understand their lifestyle. However, the family becomes quickly annoyed and irritated by the presence of their aunt. In one moment she asks one of her youngest niece what she is doing and the niece replies “You’re breathing on me. Don’t breathe on me.” (Kingston, 132). The aunt was simply wondering what the girl was doing and in return, the niece is being extremely hostile. The niece does not want anything to do with her aunt and this is how most of the children begin to feel. It is extremely difficult for the aunt and the children to connect because they are in complete opposite lifestyles. Another moment in the story, the children claim that the aunt is “driving [them] nuts!” (Kingston, 141) and they say this to one another in English infront of their aunt. The children purposely speak in English because their aunt cannot understand them; It is as if the presence of the aunt is a burden among them. It is truly heartbreaking because the aunt is only trying to belong but she is constantly being suppressed. In the end, when she becomes mentally ill, the children state “Chinese people are very weird” (Kingston, 158). This shows how vastly different the children are compared to the aunt. The children base their judgement on their aunt to make a claim about people of their own. They are completely uneducated of their culture which is a problem that Brave Orchid deals with frequently in the story.

Brave Orchid is determined to have her sister reconnect with her husband based on a mythical story from China. However, Moon Orchid does not want to interrupt the lifestyle of her husband but her sister convinces her that she has no other option. Brave Orchid assumes that the traditions in China will fall over into the U.S which is not true due legality. Disregarding the rationality of the situation and Moon Orchid’s feelings, Brave Orchid truly believes that her sister will be able to storm into her husband’s house and become the mother of the other wife’s children. She claims “the children will go to their true mother—you” (Kingston, 125). This absurd mindset leads to an unfortunate situation that causes her sister to become mentally insane. Brave Orchid is misguided by her chinese culture which results in the loss of her sister.

When Brave Orchid unwillingly forces Moon Orchid to see her husband, Brave Orchid does most of the talking. Moon Orchid rarely speaks up and when she does she whispers the question “what about me” (Kingston, 153). Her husband points out the fact that she will never be able to fit in America because she “can barely talk to [him]” (Kingston, 153). This further supports that she is completely trapped behind a language barrier that is interfering her way of life. After he explicitly rejects her, she becomes insane and loses herself completely. In a way, Moon Orchid’s attempt to regain her husband back is an act of holding on to chinese tradition. However, in America a husband cannot have two wives. This completely devastated her into a reality that she is completely lost in this new world. She begins to stop writing which had been her way of communication. Silence is again, a symbol of losing one’s self. The way of life in America is not anything remotely close to what she has was used to in China. When Moon Orchid is in the insane asylum, her last words to her sister are “we understand one another here. We speak the same language, the very same. They understand me, and I understand them” (Kingston, 160). They all speak the language of madness in the asylum which unites them together, in a way that she never felt with her family. For Moon Orchid, language is what caused her to break down. It is ironic that a different type of language made her feel whole again.  

The poem I wrote above is a retelling of Moon Orchid and her struggle to overcome language. It is interesting that she does not feel sane until she is insane. Do you think that Moon Orchid’s insanity is different from Brave Orchid’s strong belief in the chinese myth of the Empress of the East?

Kingston has presented two complex stories of her two aunts to us so far, How are Moon Orchid and the No Name Woman very much alike?

The idea of time is portrayed greatly throughout this chapter, through its generational differences among Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid. From the very beginning we see how different the actions among each of them are and how the sisters act in a sophisticated and old-fashioned ways yet also act in ways that shows their new world and old world differences.  For example, in today’s times we usually don’t refer to our mother’s as Mama anymore. However, at the beginning of the chapter Moon Orchid’s children revert to their mother’s only way she is known to be addressed and calls out Mama.

“She [Brave Orchid’s niece] called out, Mama! Mama!’ until the crack in the sliding doors became too small to let in her voice. Many people turned to see what adult was calling, ‘Mama!’ like a child” (117).

Through this quote we see how those that are acclimated to this generation in time, finds the fact that an adult who addresses one’s mother as Mama, is odd.  The simple action of strangers turning their heads in reaction to the children calling out “Mama” shows this generational gap. When Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid were young they were taught the ways of the traditional Chinese women, they were to refer to their mother in the most polite and respectful way and this was that they refer to her as “Mama”. And so this generational method carried on and they taught their children this as well.  Even though the children were now being raised in America, the respectful and traditional ways they were taught came back and were shown in the way they greeted their mother.

This generational gap also was shown when Brave Orchid insisted that Moon Orchid fight back for her husband and claim his children with his new partner as hers. Brave Orchid drills the notion into Moon Orchid’s mind that it is her right and duty to live with her husband no matter what wrong doings he has done. Such as moving to America, and completely cutting her off from communicating with him and not insisting that she move their as well.  

However, although Brave Orchid’s position on the situation between Moon Orchid and her husband shows this traditional way of life. In which, she insists that she chases after her husband despite what he has put her through. The fact that she says if she was in her sisters position, she would stand up for herself and fight for him, shows a more modern approach.  Brave Orchid shares how she would react if she was in her sister’s position,

“Walk right into his house with your suitcases and boxes. Move right into the bedroom. Throw her stuff out of the drawers and put yours in. Say, ‘I am the first wife, and she is our servant” (126).

After this quote by Brave Orchid, Moon Orchid quickly rebuttals and says,

“Oh, no, I can’t do that. I can’t do that at all. That’s terrible” (126).

By this short but powerful dialogue between the two sisters we see a difference in opinions and how different their takes on this situation is.  Brave Orchid shows the side of the future and how women are beginning to stand up for themselves rather than succumb to the man and cave in. And this is quite a change in character for her, all throughout the novel she is shown to depict the traditional women but compared to her isolated and conventional sister she shows characteristics of the new world.  Overall, this chapter really shows how the different environments and types of isolation really shaped each of the sisters and how their childhood combined with their new found experiences made them similar but also very different.

What significance do you think the specific names, Brave Orchid and Moon Orchid, have on each of them as characters? And what do they mean?

All throughout the first chapters of the book, the Brave Orchid (the mother) is fascinated by ghosts and references them non-stop. Even during the whole third chapter the main topic was the different types of ghosts and what they meant. Do you think Brave Orchid somehow “contaminated” Moon Orchid into going crazy and thinking Mexican “ghosts” were trying to kill her?

In Maxine Hong Kingston’s book “The Woman Warrior”, I was surprised that it opened with such a detailed anecdote of her fathers forgotten sister, who had been erased from time and history due to the shame she brought their family for conceiving a child behind her husbands back. However, as Kingston elaborates she clarifies that “The other man was not, after all, much different from her husband. They both gave orders: she followed. ‘If you tell your family, I’ll beat you. I’ll kill you. Be here again next week.'” (Kingston, 7). Kingston parallels her husband and the man she sleeps with as being in charge of her, in other words, as a woman her job was to obey any man that commands her to do their will. In this explanation, the adultery and the pregnancy are no longer entirely her fault as her mothers story suggested in the beginning, but they are the fault of a system in which her aunt is given absolutely no agency to have prevented the pregnancy to begin with. Kingston goes on to reveal that, more than likely, “She told the man, ‘I think I’m pregnant.’ He organized the raid against her” (Kingston, 7). As a man he feared his honor would be tarnished if word of his guilt in the adultery got out, and so he decided to be the organizer of the raid to cover his tracks. As a woman, her aunt could do nothing to prevent the raid, the same way she could not prevent her rape, and the same way she could not prevent the dishonor that would be brought upon her family.

Seeing as the book opens up with a tragic history of the forgotten woman, I can’t help but wonder if there is any form of agency that women have in this society. Kingston answers this question with a story about her mother plucking her eyebrows with thread, but when they complained she tells them, “It especially hurt at the temples, but my mother said we were lucky we didn’t have our feet bound when we were seven”(Kingston, 9). Their so called agency lies with their physical body and nothing more, and the way her mother rationalizes the unjust treatment of women and their lack of agency is by referring to history, in other words, things might seem bad to Kingston but for her mother, things had gotten better.

The question I have now is about the agency of women’s bodies versus the women themselves? For example, their hair, and their face and their virginity held so much power, enough power to change the village’s view of their entire family for years to come. That being said, how is it that women as people can lack agency, but women as physical property have enough agency to build or ruin a families reputation?

The No Name Woman is forced to keep silent from the very second that her baby is conceived. Knowing her status in China in 1924, the No Name Woman does not tell anyone about what happened to her and who did it. Whether it was rape or consensual, she is forced to be silent by the man who slept with her. On page 6 we read that she is kept a man’s “secret evil”. The man who partnered with the No Name Woman in the adultery is also keeping silent. He does not announce he is the one to impregnate her, leaving it a mystery. The narrator questions if the secret man is so silent that he chooses to hide behind a mask during the house raid. He participates in the punishment towards the No Name Woman, all while silently sharing a secret with her. On the bottom of page 13 we read that after the raid, “…the family broke their silence and cursed her”. She runs away from the house, far enough to no longer hear their cursing voices until she is in silence once again, and gives birth in the pigsty. Later that night, she chooses an eternal silence by committing suicide. The last image we get of the No Name Woman is that she is a weeping ghost, waiting silently by the water to pull down a substitute.

“You must not tell anyone what I am about to tell you”. From the very first line of the book the readers know that there is a secret that should be kept silent. The narrator is told a single story about her aunt and is directed to not share the story with anyone else. Not only is the narrator asked to keep quiet of the single story, but she also has to keep silent of any questions she has about the truth and falsehood of the story. We know that she’s told to not bring it up to her father, so no questions can be answered by him, but since the narrator doesn’t even know her aunts name, there is no opportunity for her to go outside of her home and ask questions about her aunt to others. Any questions she wants to ask about her aunt are immediately silenced and they’re forced to be kept to herself, since her aunt essentially has no name, and essentially never existed. While she is imagining what happened to her aunt, the narrator potentially could have touched on the truth of the aunt’s story, but she will never know. If that is the case, the truth and the No Name Woman’s story is silenced once again. The narrator says she has participated in the family’s punishment and the silence by not asking for details after hearing the story twenty years ago. The narrator believes she is being haunted by her aunt’s ghost because after fifty years of neglect, the silence is broken when she writes of her aunt.

Kingston’s writing shows that her aunt’s life story isn’t decided by something that she did or didn’t do, but rather it is decided by the way that her survivors have told her story. The power of the story of the No Name Woman is entirely in the hands of the storyteller. Perhaps this same story could be used to show the cruel and unethical treatment of women in China, but the way that the mother tells the story is a warning to her daughter, implying that the aunt was lustful and chose to commit adultery (whether this is the truth or not). Kingston hears that single story and finally questions the truth, offering the readers another interpretation of it. The story we read from Kingston blurs the lines between truth and falsehood, making it difficult to decipher accurate information about the No Name Woman.

What are the dangers of the single story the mother tells, or should it remain the way it is (as a warning)?

Kingston says that her aunt’s ghost haunts her and doesn’t always mean her well because in Kingston’s writing, she is “telling on her”. Do you think it would have been better off for her mother to have kept the silence, and for there to be no story at all?

Walter is one of the most dynamic character’s because his character evolves throughout the play by changing from a caring, family man to a very selfish person, only looking out for himself, to then become a family man again at the end of the play. Walters fantasizes over living the “american dream” and thinks that money will solve all his problems. He hates his job as a chauffeur, which pushes him even more to want to make more money, and to have a more important job. Even though mama is extremely disappointed in Walter for losing all the money she still remains a supportive mother figure to him, which helps all the of the characters grow.

Mama: There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that then you ain’t learned nothing…. Its when he’s at his lowest and can’t believe in hisself’ cause the world done whipped him so!

This is said to Beneatha after she shows her dissapoint for losing all of the money, and basically ruining her future. Mama tells Beneatha that Walter needs her to be supportive, and that instead of constantly feeling sorry for herself, she should be crying for Walter.  She explains for Beneatha that Walter has also been through a lot, and his intention for the liquor store were right, since he was going to use the money to give is family a better life. This is a very important quote because it shows no matter what her kids do, and how badly they mess up she will always be there to support them. Just like her plants throughout the play, mama nurtures, and cares for them hoping to watch them grow to their full potential.

Towards the end of the play we see a huge change in character when Walter stands up for his family and refuses the buyout offer from Mr. Linder.

Walter: And we have decided to move into our house my father-my father, he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we got to say about that. We don’t want your money.

This is a huge step for Walter for becoming a more selfless person. Walter’s refusal to taking the money comes off a surprise to the family, since prior in the play he jeopardized Beneatha’s education, and mama’s insurance money because of his obsession with becoming rich. This scene shows a shift in his priorities as his focus is now on his family, and his family’s pride. The stage directions in this scene as Walter is standing up to Mr. Linder are also important… (Mama has her eyes closed and is rocking back and forth as though she was in church, with her head nodding the Amen yes). Mama has finally seen her son grow up, and become the family man that she has always wanted him to be, and is almost praying to God because of how happy she is to see this change.

Do you think Walter refused the buyout because his morals changed or because of pressure from his family? Which other characters have you seen evolve throughout the plan, and in what way?

Throughout the entire story, the themes of dreams, family, and love have been clearly relevant in A Raisin in the Sun. The audience can tell how much each idea means to the play and how much they contribute to the story. I believe that all of the characters have dreams and it is clear to see that, but in my opinion, Beneatha’s dreams are the most interesting and thought out, to me. All of these themes come to a head at the end of the play with the help of Beneatha’s storyline.

Beneatha has always dreamed of changing the label that has been put on her for being a woman of color that has goals and dreams. She is very intellectual, level-headed, and goes to college hoping she could further her career in being a doctor someday. She has always been the odd one out in her family. They always tease her about chasing her dreams, but that has never stopped her from trying to accomplish just that.

When her friend from Nigeria, Asagai, comes into the picture he encourages her to explore more of her culture and identity.

ASAGAI. Then isn’t there something wrong in a house – in a world – where all dreams, good or bad, must depend on the death of a man? I never thought to see you like this, Alaiyo. You! Your brother made a mistake and you are grateful to him so that now you can give up the ailing human race on account of it! You talk about what good is struggle, what good is anything! Where are all going and why are we bothering? (Act III, Page 135).

Asagai is, clearly and undeniably, in love with Beneatha, and although Beneatha is “dating” George, based on their body language alone, the audience can detect the love and chemistry they have with each other. After Walter gets rid of all of Beneatha’s money for school, she turns to Asagai. She was so distraught, and Asagai knew exactly what to say to her. For example, on page 136, Asagai helps and supports Beneatha, but also challenges Beneatha with a very important question:

ASAGAI. Good! Then stop moaning and groaning and tell me what you plan to do?

BENEATHA. Do?

ASAGAI. (Rather quietly for him) That when it is all over- that you come home with me-

BENEATHA. (Staring at him and and crossing away with exasperation) Oh- Asagai- at this moment you decide to be romantic!

Asagai literally and figuratively proposes to Beneatha by asking her to come back to Africa with him, to not only marry him, but to also live out her dreams and practice medicine in Africa. Beneatha realizes what she wants and by the end of the novel, she makes the decisions to go to Africa with Asagai, and pursue her dreams to help cure people and to be with the one she loves.

While her family (especially Walter), was very hesitant at first, they all knew that going to Africa was the best thing for her. Walter’s main focus in life is money, so I was not shocked why he was questioning Beneatha’s choices because he would have wanted her to marry George since he has money and could provide for her. This made me dislike Walter even more than I already did because he seemed like he was being selfish towards Beneatha and had no regard for her own dreams and plans.

Although, the Younger family has their issues, Beneatha knew it would be a tough decision to leave her family. They mean everything to her no matter how much they bicker and argue, and she knows they always want the best for her. Even at the very end when Beneatha and Walter are bickering, Mama and Ruth know how much they care for each other. I think that scene is so important because even after how much they fought over the money and the choices Walter made, they can come back together, even if they do start playfully bickering again, as siblings do.

In my opinion, Beneatha’s dream, love life, and family life are key points during Act III of the play. They are all important ideas in everyday life and are shown throughout the play. The idea of the sibling bond that Beneatha and Walter have is something that is so relevant and sometimes, these kind of arguments over money and our own personal relationships can get in between a family. Although, Beneatha has overcome struggles and everyone has their own opinions about the situation, she has prevailed through all of them. Personally for me, I like how she ended it because not every story is going to be this “Happily Ever After” scenario and it seemed very realistic to me, like not everything is going to be perfect. The questions I want to leave you guys with is what do you think of Beneatha becoming independent and stepping out on her own (with the help of Asagai) to further her career and relationship? And lastly, what are your overall thoughts on how the play ended and why do you think Lorraine Hansberry decided to end the play the way she did?

Throughout the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry the Younger family is no stranger to racism.  In Act II, Scene III there is a reference of the covertly racist society in which the Youngers are a part of.  Karl Lindner, Chairman of the New Neighbors Orientation Committee, stops by for a visit.  From the stage directions the reader/audience can tell he is noticeably nervous about what he is going to say yet continues on with a friendly disposition. While in the Younger’s household, Lindner attempts to buy out the family from moving into their new home because it happens to be in a white neighborhood where the residents don’t like the thought of a black family residing amongst them. Before he even gets to tell the family his offer, Walter tells him to get out of his house. 

Not only does this man not realize the impact of his actions towards this family, but he is also blinded by the systematic racism that he feels he is doing the family a favor by stopping in to talk. While taking Adichie’s, “The Danger of a Single Story” into consideration, Lindner is very ignorant to the fact that his single story of the Youngers being an African American family encourages racism. On page 119, Lindner says, “People can get awful worked up when they feel that their whole way of life and everything they’ve worked for is threatened.” This statement, for many reasons, is extremely ironic. 

It is ironic because Lindner is completely unaware of who the Youngers are as individuals. He isn’t aware that Walter spends his days as a chauffeur for a stuck up white man just to put food on the table for his family. He doesn’t know Beneatha personally, which makes him oblivious to the fact that she is a hardworking student with the dream of becoming an esteemed doctor. He doesn’t know Mama, who works her tail off trying to improve living standards for her loving family after the loss of her husband. All he knows is their skin color. He sees that they are black and sees this as a threat to his community. The irony of what Lindner says is that he, with that single statement, justifies the Youngers to get enraged by his offer. Walter, Beneatha, and Ruth could have given Lindner an earful about who they were, or how hard they have worked for the success of their family. They have worked endlessly in an attempt to make their lives a little more convenient and comfortable, then this man comes in trying to take all away. Their hard earned money, and right to a better living standard is being threatened by their soon to be “community”. 

The thing that catches my eye the most is Lindner’s final line on page 119. “You just cant force people to change their hearts, son”. By Lindner saying this, it means he is well aware that what he is doing is wrong; he is allowing racism to overrule his character and moral judgement. Lindner is excusing the white community by saying you can’t change people for what they think. This is still relevant in our own society today. Many people justify racism with the fact that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, or that some people are just racist and theres nothing to be done about them; this mentality only hinders society from progression.

I feel that the Younger family should be proud of themselves for looking racism in the eye and fighting back in the simplest of ways. In this time frame it was difficult enough for African Americans, so for them to encounter racism and not budge on their beliefs is very notable. 

How do you think the Younger family feels after their encounter with Mr. Lindner?  Do you think the family should have considered the money offer for the house?