Intro to African American Literature

In “A Raisin in the Sun”, written by Lorraine Hansberry, we see how the relationship between characters change and develop through how each character handles adversity within the story. As we are introduced to the characters Beneatha, Lena (mama), and Travis, we learn what each of their dreams is to do with the life insurance money from Lena’s late husband. We learn that Travis is very driven around his dreams and wants a better life for him and his family. Travis’s ideas of creating a new life are bold and risky, which creates hesitancy for Lena. Lena says in Act 1 Scene 2, “No…something has changed. You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the north if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too…now here come you and Beneatha talking about things we ain’t never even thought about hardly, me and your daddy. You ain’t satisfied or proud of nothing we done…You my children-but how different we become” (74). Here, Walter’s dreams of opening a liquor store are causing rising tension between Lena and Walter. Lena already feels conflicted with having to listen to both Beneatha and Walter’s dreams with what to do with the check, but she is noticing that Walter is acting almost irrationally and ungrateful for what he already has, that she didn’t have. This also begins to explore the long-term issues of race and how far Lena had to come to be able to put a roof over her children’s heads in the early to mid 1900s.  Her perspective differs heavily from Walter’s due to the different ways they grew up, and Lena doesn’t want Walter to forget what is already in front of him. Walter and Beneatha are so focused on using the money so quickly and drastically, and Lena may just want them to take a step back and realize what a gift it is to have this money and to attempt to think of the family as a whole, rather than using the money for his own personal gain. We see Walter’s mind almost jumping the gun to big dreams, whereas Lena perceives Walter’s eagerness in a negative sense because he is forgetting so many things that they may want to focus on before opening the liquor store, like Travis having a bed, a better home to live in, keeping the family together and safe, etc. I am curious how Lena is going to handle her son’s passions and how it will affect their relationship as the play continues.

         Also in Act 1, we see that Ruth is left with a new challenge for not only herself, but the family as a whole. Ruth finds out that she is pregnant with her second son. Once Lena finds out, she immediately starts asking questions about the pregnancy, and can quickly tell that Ruth is not ecstatic over her announcement. Ruth knows that having another baby in the current situation they are in was not only not part of the plan but will most likely have consequences with her relationship with Walter. Walter as we know is passionate about his very big dreams, which are already quite the reach for the families economic standing. So as Walter is conflicting with Mama and Beneatha over what is the right thing to do for the family in terms of the insurance money, there is a whole other layer of conflict. Lena says, “It is my business- where is he going to live, on the roof?” (58). Mama quickly tells Ruth that she does think it’s wonderful, but Travis sleeps on the couch, so where would a new baby stay? They are already running around to try to make ends meet as time continues, so an addition to an already complicated household will be yet another challenge. Ruth, like many African American women during this time period, has to have a main focus of family. Hansberry writes, “When the world gets ugly enough- a woman will do anything for her family. The part that’s already living.” (75) She works a domestic job for a white family and must prioritize her kids as well as making ends meet; let alone think about herself for a while. finds herself in a tough situation. She knows that she is already putting a lot of financial strain on the family, but what affect her new baby may have in the future, especially with the possibility of risking an investment on the liquor store business.  Since Walter is so passionate and eager about the possibility of the liquor store investment, Ruth feels almost guilty that not only does she have to further let go of her dreams and aspirations for herself to take care of her family, but also feels guilty that because she is pregnant, she could be the reason that Walter is unable to live out his dreams and aspirations of the liquor store business. She knows that this investment idea was extremely risky to begin with, but now there is a new very large risk factor that they will have to think about.

Discussion Questions:

1. In “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, there is a primary focus on the importance of dreams. How might this relate to the themes of “Let America Be America Again” by Langston Hughes?
2. Throughout the play, we see characters challenged by traditional stereotypes, whether that be through gender, race, or class. What affects do these characters face because of these common stereotypes? (example: Beneatha wanting to be a doctor in 1950s America)

Works Cited:

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Random House, 1997.

            In “A Raisin In The Sun”, Hansberry uses the check as symbolism for each family member’s value on hope and how they all see each of their dreams coming true with the money given to them. After reading act one, I quickly noted the importance of the check Mama is receiving after losing her late husband. The family shows clear signs of financial struggles from the beginning of act one. Hansberry writes, “TRAVIS: (Eating) This is the morning we supposed to bring the fifty cents to school. RUTH: Well, I ain’t got no fifty cents this morning,” (28). These lines show how important the check is to them because the check could help them with their finances. The importance of the check is shown throughout the story when Hansberry repeats the same type of phrase between Walter and Travis when talking to Ruth. “WALTER: …(Stopping and thinking) Check coming today? RUTH: They said Saturday and this is just Friday and I hopes to God you ain’t going to get up here first thing this morning and start talking to me ’bout no money…,” (26). And then later on the son asks a similar question, “TRAVIS: Mama, this is Friday. (Gleefully) Check coming tomorrow, huh? RUTH: You get your mind off money and eat your breakfast,” (28). These two quotes show the family needing the money off of this check. After coming to this conclusion, I realized that the check is symbolizing their dreams for their own futures and how they imagine this check helping them each. With this being said, I want to focus on two main characters and their feelings towards the check, Walter and Beneatha. 

           In the story Walter has a very different viewpoint than his sister, Beneatha, has on the check and what it could mean for their family. Walter, from the very beginning, has this idea of the money being used as an investment through the liquor store. “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,” (33). Walter talks about wanting to invest all of the money in the store and the good things that could come from investing it all over spending it all. I think this mindset of investing the check comes from a few different standpoints. It definitely plays into him wanting to invest so that the money grows and he can have a way to provide for his family and finally be the head of the household. I think that the check symbolizes for Walter how his life can improve. “WALTER: (Quietly) Sometimes it’s like I can see the future stretched out in front of me—just plain as day. The future, Mama. Hanging over there at the edge of my days. Just waiting for me—a big, looming blank space—full of nothing. Just waiting for me. But it don’t have to be,” (73-74). Walter is growing tired of the same old job, he wants to branch out and explore the different possibilities that could be given to him like they are given to white people. His dreams of moving forward in life are shown clearly as his main reason for wanting the check. 

              Beneatha on the other hand, chooses to trust her mother to do whatever she wants with the check. Although she could ask her mother for some parts of it for her medical school so she can become a doctor, like Walter suggests she will do, she is assertive in wanting her mother to choose how she spends the money. “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,” (36-37). She is telling Walter that she wants their mother to choose for herself, which further proves her femininst side. Beneatha’s entire character is about being a feminist, and her wanting her mother to choose what to do with the money, something she never would have had the choice to do if her husband was alive, is Beneatha’s way of letting her mother take back some of her power and control. I think what the check symbolizes for Beneatha is about allowing her mother to pave her own path, something women were not allowed to do in this time. By letting her mother make her own decisions and become more of a feminist, her dream of being accepted by her own family is more likely to happen. “WALTER: (Defensively) I’m interested in you. Something wrong with that? Ain’t many girls who decide—WALTER and BENEATHA: (In unison) —“to be a doctor”,” (36). As of right now, no one accepts her wanting to become a doctor, so maybe if Beneatha’s mother taps into her womanhood, she will understand where Beneatha is coming from and support her more. The future Beneatha see’s for herself will be easier to achieve with somebody on her side, especially her mother. 

            One specific theme of “A Raisin In The Sun” that I think ties into the conflict of the check, and what should be done, is the endless struggles against human oppression for individual fulfillment, recognition and liberation. I think this theme connects well with the message the check achieves throughout the story because it is clear that the family is struggling mainly because of the oppression they are being faced with. They could only get jobs helping out white people, or chauffeuring them around, except for Beneatha who is struggling to achieve what everyone thinks is impossible. This theme is important to the symbolization of the check because without the oppression they faced, they would have been better off financially and individually. Walter wouldn’t have been so focused on investing, for individual fulfillment in looking for something more meaningful. Beneatha wouldn’t have been suffering and looking for recognition in what she was trying to do, and how hard she was working at attempting to achieve it. And Mama wouldn’t have wanted her own control over her own home, because without being oppressed they would have left the apartment they had been living in forever and she would have liberation in her own life. The impact of the check and oppression ties together through the characters actions and feelings. 

And with that being said, there are two questions left to discuss…

• How does the check affect the family in different ways? 
• How does money affect people & how can that be related to the story?

Work Cited:

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Random House, 1997.

        After reading “Let America Be America Again”, it is observed that Langston Hughes vividly paints images of contrast between the perspective of America held by minority groups and white Americans. Langston Hughes was raised to believe that his coming to America would be filled with endless opportunity for prosperity. That is what everyone believed America would be upon entering. The word ‘America’ sparked a passion within anyone and everyone who had a desire for freedom and distance from the British monarchy, or any other form of government that gave the majority of its population the least amount of power. Hughes wrote in the second full stanza that America was a place “where never kings connive, nor tyrants scheme, that any man be crushed by one above.” Originally America was discovered and covered by people who desired to escape British rule, but slowly became a beacon of hope for all who felt oppressed by abusive authorities above them.

            As the poem progresses, an overwhelming sense of discomfort begins to surround the reader. Especially for readers living in America today knowing what this country is built on and what it has gone through. In between the first, second, third, and fourth stanzas, Hughes interrupts the proud sounds of the American dream (to the white Americans) with the harsh reality of what America really meant to anyone in minority to the white American population. As Hughes states, “there’s never been equality for me, nor freedom in this ‘homeland of the free’.” From the first footsteps onto American soil, African Americans and so many others have felt immediate displacement and abuse, tarnishing any minorities hopes and ideas of the so-called ‘American Dream’ for years to come. Even those Native Americans who inhabited the land before our founding fathers for many years were instantly pushed to the wayside for abuse and labor. “I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars. I am the red man driven from the land, I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek— and finding only the same old stupid plan, of dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.” In this poem, Langston Hughes is able to recognize the perspectives of not only African Americans, but those of all races, minority groups, etc. These comparisons take no time to diminish the hopeful image of America that was once intended to be advertised. There was never a free America to those who were not white.

            In reference to the desire of people to escape forms of hierarchy, the America that had been created was ironically the exact same. Many years later democracy was brought into the picture being a government that was ‘for the people, by the people’. However there was still a form of hierarchy plaguing the nation, only it was held over those mainly with a darker complexion. The European servile nature of the African Americans was brought right to America; “I am the Negro, servant to you all.” “I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.” These are statements that should make readers ears ring with anger. America was a place for change, and even when there was a recognized need for change within the nation itself, it was not addressed for many many years. One of Hughes most powerful lines representative of this: “I am the young man, full of strength and hope, tangled in that ancient endless chain, of profit, power, gain, of grab the land! Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need! Of work the men! Of take the pay! Of owning everything for one’s own greed!” This entire sixth stanza encapsulates the ‘greed of the white man’, and how one man’s unsatisfiable greed for prosperity is another man’s death sentence.

            The third stanza is quite representative of what America was always intended to be. It reads off all of the false advertisements given to the name ‘America’; “O, let my land be a land where Liberty is crowned with no false patriotic wreath, but opportunity is real, and life is free, equality is in the air we breathe.” And to contradict this perspective of America, Hughes not only has lines in between these stanzas as interruption, but also includes an interesting line towards the middle of the poem, “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart.” This, to me at least, was a perfect contrast to the strong, powerful image of the predominant white Americans. As men rose to power in the nation and began to take control, even the white population was segregated and put into feud through job classes, political parties, and hatred. America was never fully what is was intended to be.

So with that, I leave two questions to think about:

• Why do you think racism and oppression has continued in our society, even today, despite all of the evidence of its unforgivable nature?
• How does the repetition within the structure of the poem develop the overall disposition of “Let America Be America Again”?

Works Cited:

Hughes, Langston. “Let America Be America Again.” Poets.Org, Academy of American Poets, 3 Feb. 2021, poets.org/poem/let-america-be-america-again.

 

In reading Langston Hughes’ 1935 poem, “Let America Be America Again,” I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in his sentiments to those of Frederick Douglass in his 1852 Independence Day speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Both authors fervently describe the inequalities they see in America, the exclusion they feel from the idea of “America,” and critique the country’s hypocrisy. What I found most fascinating was that both pieces convey a sense of hope for America’s future. This poem and speech, written 78 years apart, describe such similar aspects of American culture, which I find true even to this day, nearly 90 years since Hughes’ poem was published. This caused me to wonder, is there any hope in America at all? Can these conditions ever change? What can we learn from these pieces today? 

In “Let America Be America Again,” Langston Hughes opens the poem by describing his hope for the American Dream to come to fruition as it was once meant to be. He writes “Let America be the dream the dreamers dream / Let it be that great strong land of love” (lines 6-7). He quickly introduces the idea that he, as a black American, has never been a part of this dream of liberty for all, by following the first stanza with the stand-alone statement, “(America was never America to me)” (line 5). Douglass speaks about this in his 4th of July address, describing that the concepts the holiday celebrates have no application to him or any other Black American. Douglass writes, “This Fourth [of] July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn” (386). Douglass’ speech seems to be intended for a white audience and specifically describes that white citizens get to benefit from American society, while black citizens suffer. Hughes doesn’t really highlight those who benefit from society, but rather focuses on the vast oppression that he sees, that so many different Americans experience. Hughes writes, “O, let America be America again – / The land that never has been yet — / And yet must be – the land where every man is free. The land that’s mine – the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME– / Who made America” (lines 61-66).  

Both authors critique the country’s sense of pride in their national values of liberty and justice for all. Hughes writes, “O, let my land be a land where Liberty / is crowned with no false patriotic wreath / But opportunity is real, and life is free” (lines 11-13), describing his desire to see America be truly where liberty is not a lie. Along this same theme, Douglass writes, “In the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America!” (386). 

Despite their clear expression that America is not what it should be, and many are suffering at the hands of oppression, they both include in their writing, their hopes for the future of America and faith that the American Dream can be achieved. At the end of Frederick Douglass’ speech, he writes, “I, therefore, leave off where I began, with hope. While drawing encouragement from the Declaration of Independence, the great principles it contains, and the genius of American Institutions, my spirit is also cheered by the obvious tendencies of the age” (390). Douglass clearly believes in the idea of the American Dream and that it can be achieved. Hughes mirrors this sentiment. Towards the end of his poem he writes, “I say it plain, America was never America to me / And yet I swear this oath– / America will be!” (lines 76-79).

This brings us back to the question I posed at the beginning – 166 years after Douglass’ speech, and 88 years after Hughes’ poem, should we, like them, continue to have faith in the American Dream, the achievement of liberty and justice for all? We live in a society that continues to shift and change, but at the root of it, has America really changed? 

In Douglass’ time, oppression for black Americans existed in the form of slavery, and in Hughes’ time, it existed in the form of Jim Crowe laws/ segregation. Now, we still see the oppression of black Americans through systemic racism that keeps black and brown folks in poverty, through police brutality and unequal treatment of black and brown bodies in the criminal justice system, stereotypes in media, the continued existence of racially motivated crime, and so much more. Sure, our country has evolved and oppression is perhaps less blatant, but I would argue it’s just better hidden.

I can’t help but wonder if Langston Hughes or Frederick Douglass lived today, would they still believe in the vision of America? Would they be pleased or disappointed with how the country has evolved? I would like to end my post with the following quote from Douglass’ speech, which I still believe rings so true today: “Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting” (386).

Discussion questions:

 Do you think if Douglass / Hughes were alive today, they would still have faith in the future of America/ the American Dream? 

Do you believe there is hope in the American Dream or “liberty and justice for all”? Do you think it ever has been/ ever will be achieved? 

Works Cited  

Douglass, Frederick, “What to The Slave Is the Fourth of July?” The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Edited by Louis Gates Jr. and Valerie Smith, 3rd ed., Norton, 2014, pgs. 379-391. 

Hughes, Langston. “Let America Be America Again.” Poets.Org, Academy of American Poets, 3 Feb. 2021, poets.org/poem/let-america-be-america-again. 

 

Hi everyone my name is Jaylin I’m from Clifton Park near Albany. I am a former soccer player here at Cortland and in my free time, I like to kickbox and lift weights and found a new interest in arm wrestling and other strength sports.

How’s it going everyone my name is Jack Falvo and I’m from Hartford, CT. I’m a transfer student at Cortland and i’m looking forward to this upcoming semester.  In my free time I enjoy going to gym and hanging out with friends.

Hello, my name is Alexander, but you can call me Alex if you want.  I am from Long Island. My major is political science.  A show that I am currently watching is That 70’s show.

Hi, my name is Conor and I’m from Somers, NY. I’m a sports management major. I also just transferred here to Cortland from St. Bonaventure. One thing I’m very passionate about is sports, more specifically basketball.

Hi! I’m April and I’m from Long Island! I am a second semester freshman and my major is Adolescent ed in English and I currently work at Neubig dining hall. Some of my favorite hobbies are reading and writing, but I also love listening to music and working out.

Hi! My name is Ava and I’m a freshman in my second semester of college. I just transferred from UAlbany, and I am an English major and a Professional Writing minor. The study of literature has always been a big passion of mine so I’m excited for this class. I love sports, mostly basketball, and I like to read and write in my free time.