Characters are sometimes revealed through the things that they do (ACTIONS). Read the following passage from Act I, Scene 1, and then answer the question that follows. RUTH Just hush I said. (Travis jabs his spoon into his cereal bowl viciously, and rests his head in anger upon his fists) If you through eating, you can get over there and make up your bed. (The boy obeys stiffly and crosses the room, almost mechanically, to the bed and more or less folds the bedding into a heap, then angrily gets his books and cap). What do Travis’ actions reveal about his character?
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1 point
He is bright and helpful.
He is angry and resentful.
He pays careful attention to detail.
He is an obedient child.
Characters are sometimes revealed through the things that they do (ACTIONS). Read the following passage from Act I, Scene 1, and then answer the question that follows. RUTH hesitates, then exits. MAMA stands, at last alone in the living room, her plant on the table before her as the lights start to come down. She looks around at all the walls and ceilings and suddenly, despite herself, while the children call below, a great heaving thing rises in her and she puts her fist to her mouth to stifle it, takes a final desperate look, pulls her coat about her, pats her hat, and goes out. The lights dim down. The door opens and she comes back in, grabs her plant, and goes out for the last time. What do Mama’s actions reveal about her character?
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1 point
She is glad to leave this apartment and the bad memories made there.
She is a frugal woman who has spent her money wisely.
She regrets the decision she has made to buy a house and move.
She is making difficult sacrifices for the benefit of her family.
What is the theme of the play, “A Raisin in the Sun”?
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Deferring one’s dreams can help someone realize the bigger picture.
Money is the root of all evil.
Worry about yourself and don’t consider others’ desires.
Dreams are only valuable when you’re sleeping.
What evidence supports the theme of the play?
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1 point
WALTER (A beat. The tension hangs; then WALTER steps back from it) Yeah. Well—what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people. And that’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor—and we are very proud—
WALTER I mean—I have worked as a chauffeur most of my life—and my wife here, she does domestic work in people’s kitchens. So does my mother. I mean—we are plain people …
WALTER And we have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. (MAMA has her eyes closed and is rocking back and forth as though she were in church, with her head nodding the Amen yes)
WALTER (Straightening up from her and looking off) That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs.
Each of the characters in the play experience their own dreams. What piece of evidence supports Walter Younger’s dream?
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1 point
WALTER (Straightening up from her and looking off) That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs.
WALTER: Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ’bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s you don’t spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved”
WALTER I don’t want nothing but for you to stop acting holy ’round here. Me and Ruth done made some sacrifices for you—why can’t you do something for the family?
WALTER It ain’t that nobody expects you to get on your knees and say thank you, Brother; thank you, Ruth; thank you, Mama—and thank you, Travis, for wearing the same pair of shoes for two semesters—
The following quote from Act 1 I Scene I by Walter highlights what other theme of the play? WALTER: Yeah. You see, this little liquor store we got in mind cost seventy-five thousand and we figured the initial investment on the place be ’bout thirty thousand, see. That be ten thousand each. Course, there’s a couple of hundred you got to pay so’s you don’t spend your life just waiting for them clowns to let your license get approved”
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1 point
A man's calling is to support his family.
Differences in personal experiences lead to generational conflicts.
In some cases, women are moved to make major decisions without consulting a man.
The differences in socioeconomic role expectations can lead to conflict.
Each of the characters in the play experience his or her own dreams. What piece of evidence supports Lena (Mama) Younger’s dream?
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1 point
BENEATHA (Turning on him with a sharpness all her own) That money belongs to Mama, Walter, and it’s for her to decide how she wants to use it. I don’t care if she wants to buy a house or a rocket ship or just nail it up somewhere and look at it. It’s hers. Not ours—hers.
MAMA We ain’t no business people, Ruth. We just plain working folks.
MAMA Well—whether they drinks it or not ain’t none of my business. But whether I go into business selling it to ’em is, and I don’t want that on my ledger this late in life.
MAMA (Smiling) Lord, child, don’t you know what to do with yourself? How long it going to be before you get tired of this now—like you got tired of that little playacting group you joined last year?
How is the theme of “A Raisin in the Sun” similar to the theme in the poem, “Harlem”?
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Captionless Image
Characters in the play can be described as syrupy sweet
Characters in the play have a dream that dries up
Characters in the play have unrealized dreams
B and C
The playwright, Lorraine Hansberry, pulled her inspiration for her play from Hughes's poem, "Harlem." What do the lines, "Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?" symbolize for the characters in the play?
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1 point
It symbolizes the dreams each character had and didn’t see come true
It symbolizes the way the characters feel towards each other
It symbolizes the setting of the play and how it’s not a great place to be
It doesn’t symbolize anything
In Act I, Scene 2, Travis describes what happened to the rat outside the tenement. He reports, “Gaaleee, the rat was really cuttin’ and Bubber caught him with his heel and the janitor, Mr. Barnett, got him with a stick - and then they got him in a corner and BAM! BAM! BAM! The capitalized portion of the passage could best be described as…
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Simile
Hyperbole
Portmanteau
Onomatopoeia
In Act I, Scene 1, Ruth states, “Well, Lord knows, we’ve put enough rent into this here rat trap to pay four houses by now…” When Ruth uses the expression “rat trap,” what type of figurative language is she using?
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1 point
Simile
Metaphor
Personification
Eponym
In Act I, Scene 1, Ruth states, “Well, Lord knows, we’ve put enough rent into this here rat trap to pay for four houses by now…” Based on her use of this figure of speech, what can you infer about Ruth’s attitude toward the apartment?
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1 point
She thinks it is full of rats,
She thinks it is not a fit place to live,
She thinks it is too expensive,
She thinks they should trade apartments with their neighbor.
In Act II, Scene 3, Mama (Lena) describes Big Walter, her deceased husband. She says, ”I seen him grow thin and old before he was forty… working and working and WORKING LIKE SOMEBODY'S OLD HORSE… …” Identify the capitalized figure of speech.
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1 point
Simile
Hyperbole
Portmanteau
Personification
In Act I, Scene 1, Ruth chides Travis, “‘Bout to march out of here with that head looking like the chickens just slept in it! I don’t know where you get your slubborn ways… And get your jacket, too. Looks chilly out this morning.” “Slubborn” is a combination of “sloppy” and “stubborn.” This type of figurative language is…
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1 point
Hyperbole
Idiom
Eponym
Portmanteau
In Act I, Scene 1, Ruth chides Travis, “‘Bout to march out of here with that head looking like the chickens just slept in it! I don’t know where you get your slubborn ways… And get your jacket, too. Looks chilly out this morning.” “Slubborn” is a combination of “sloppy” and “stubborn.” What does the use of this figurative language reveal about Ruth’s character?
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1 point
She lacks formal education and may not realize that “slubborn” is not a real word.
She is very creative, so she makes up words to show her personality.
She is bored, so she practices making new words to keep her mind occupied.
The use of this figure of speech does not reveal anything about this character.
Works of literature, including plays, often contain symbols or objects that represent more complex ideas in that work. The Younger apartment has only one small window that does not afford much light to the apartment. What does the small, solitary window in the Younger apartment symbolize?
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It symbolizes Walter’s frustrations with his marriage.
It symbolizes the lack of opportunity this family has to thrive and grow.
It symbolizes Mama’s steady faith and loyalty.
It symbolizes racism and discrimination in the Chicago housing projects.
WALTER (A beat. The tension hangs; then WALTER steps back from it) Yeah. Well—what I mean is that we come from people who had a lot of pride. I mean—we are very proud people. And that’s my sister over there and she’s going to be a doctor—and we are very proud—
WALTER I mean—I have worked as a chauffeur most of my life—and my wife here, she does domestic work in people’s kitchens. So does my mother. I mean—we are plain people …
WALTER And we have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. (MAMA has her eyes closed and is rocking back and forth as though she were in church, with her head nodding the Amen yes)
WALTER (Straightening up from her and looking off) That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs.
The evidence that supports the theme of the play, "A Raisin in the Sun," is the following quote by Walter: "That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs." This quote reveals Walter's dream and his desire to pursue it, despite the challenges and sacrifices he and his family have made. It supports the theme that individuals have their own dreams and ambitions, which may conflict with the desires and expectations of others.
Characters are sometimes revealed through the things that they do (ACTIONS). Read the following passage from Act I, Scene 1, and then answer the question that follows. RUTH Just hush I said. (Travis jabs his spoon into his cereal bowl viciously, and rests his head in anger upon his fists) If you through eating, you can get over there and make up your bed. (The boy obeys stiffly and crosses the room, almost mechanically, to the bed and more or less folds the bedding into a heap, then angrily gets his books and cap). What do Travis’ actions reveal about his character?
Travis’ actions -- jabbing his spoon into his cereal bowl viciously, resting his head angrily upon his fists, obeying stiffly, folding the bedding into a heap, and angrily getting his books and cap -- reveal that he is angry and resentful.