We first studied the relationship in the opening of Act III between symbolism and stage directions focusing on the use of light. We discussed how the dingy light mirrors the Younger family's despair and how light continues to represent hope and nourishment. We then studied how Beneatha and Asagai act as foils. We analyzed the text to determine the characters' contrasting view of human progress and how Beneatha, as a medical student who craves tangible quick results ,lacks an appreciation of how political progress is infinite , intangible ,and often unseeable. We noted the geometric metaphor comparing human progress to an infinite line .
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We explored the relationship between dramatic conflict and character development in light of Act II's dramatic conclusion revealing that Walter has foolishly lost the family's money and hence impacted each character's aspirations. We discussed how the loss of the money impacts each character's dream and critically how each character's response to this critical event will reveal his or her character. We further examined Mama's comment that her fragile plant "expresses me!" Aiden discussed how Mama is a nurturing force in the play and how both the plant and Mama struggle with their environment- for the plant its "unnatural light deprived "environment" and for Mama her cultural environment.
Today, I provided instruction on symbolism and allusion in the concluding pages of Act II. We had previously noted how Mama's plant represents her nurturing traits , and hope. In Act II Mama declares that her plant "expresses her" as if it were a direct embodiment. To address this statement , I then explained the allusion to Miss Miniver who was a character in a 1942 movie. Miss Miniver raises roses in London even as the German blitz threatens her and her family. Tomorrow , we will explore how Mama and the Youngers face the blitz of racism as the neighborhood association pressures the Younger family not to move to their all white neighborhood. We also began reviewing some PSAT reading comprehension questions.
During the first segment, we analyzed the development of the main conflict in the play, racism, as Mr Lindner , the sole White character in play, tries to persuade the Youngers to abandon their plan to move into a White neighborhood. We discussed the use of verbal irony and how Walter ,now the head of the family, reacts to Lindner's attempts to disguise prejudice. During the second segment, I provided instruction on analyzing PSAT questions that test main idea, main purpose, and sentence function . We also addressed strategies for answering data questions. Aiden will work on some practice PSAT questions tonight which we will review in class tomorrow.
Because the play is approaching its dramatic climax, the Younger's move to an all white neighborhood, today I addressed the historical and cultural context of the Younger's bold decision. I first discussed the playwright's unorthodox life, an interracial and inter religious marriage, and her view on the role of women in society. I then provided instruction on housing segregation in the City of Chicago by viewing a PBS short video on the subject..We further discussed the enactment of the Fair Housing Act in 1968. By appreciating the context of the play, we are better able to understand the dramatic conflict and the values and traits of the characters .
Today's session addressed dramatic climax, symbols, and character development. We first explored the conflicts that arise in Act I and predicted which one (s) might lead to the main critical climax of the play. Aiden next did well in recognizing the play's inflection point and noting the symbolism within the dialogue about light in the new house. Last, we explored the significance of Mama recognizing her responsibility for Walter's malaise as evidence of character development.
I distributed my comments to Aiden's essay on conflicts in the Raisin in the Sun .We first worked on eliminating the "is when " construction, followed by an examination of how to combine sentences to avoid wordiness and duplication. After Aiden edited these items, we worked on how to develop and write a topic sentence. We discussed the absence of a topic sentence in one of his critical paragraphs and examined options for content and placement of a topic sentence. We further looked at spelling and subject-verb agreement issues.
We continued to study how Langston Hughes' poem metaphorically describes the characters in the play today focusing on Walter who describes his frustration with the world as a seething volcano. We further explored the conflict over assimilation embodied by George and Beneatha and the rising tension regarding race. . Last, we explored George's sarcasm in describing Walter as Prometheus. We explored why the playwright characterizes Walter as this mythic character and what Prometheus' punishment foreshadows for Walter.
On the board, we outlined the conflicts that arise in Act I and the characters who embody each conflicting idea. Aiden did very well in identifying conflicting views of: gender roles, the importance of money vs. the importance of family, whether God or Man is responsible for human achievement, and cultural heritage v assimilation. As we identified which characters represent each perspective, I pointed out passages in the play to support our analysis. By the end of the session, we had created a very detailed and analytical outline for an essay Aiden will prepare next week.
