Taking Notes
A Raisin in the Sun
Write down the headline, page number and
passage.
Write down the info in the slide.
Write down the questions and the analytic points
Write down the observations you make on the Q,
analytic point, and the passage.
Write down your own original points that occur
to you so you will have original information to use
for your essay.
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Miscommunication
Ruth fails to understand why Walter wants a
liquor store—page 33-34
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What does this suggest?
Why does Water curse his eggs? p34
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Beneatha Thinks for Herself
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P50-51—Beneatha says that she is “tired of
Him getting credit for all the human race
achieves through its own stubborn effort.”
ANALYTIC POINT: This suggests that she
wants to think for herself instead of simply
accepting the status quo, even if her attitude is
radical.
Mama reacts against this challenge instead of
discussing it.
Mama is comfortable in the
Status Quo
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P57—Mama confuses Nigeria and Liberia b/c
she knows nothing about Africa.
Analytic Point--When she asks, “Why should
I know anything about Africa?” she is
suggesting she only needs to know her
immediate surroundings.
Since she is a minority, she is accepting what
the white dominated society wants her to think,
which is not to care about her roots (Africa).
Beneatha’s hair is ‘mutilated’.
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P61-62—Asagai tells Beneatha that her hair is
mutilated.
Question: What does he mean by this?
Analytic Point: The way Beneatha wears her
hair suggests the indirect impact that racism
has had on her—that she should emulate a
white look.
Accusations of assimilation
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P63—Asagai suggests that Beneatha is an
assimilationist.
Question: What is an assimilationist, and why
does this upset her at first?
Analytic point: She never realized the indirect
impact racism has made on her person.
Walter’s frustrations
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Top of p72—Walter says “ain’t nothin’ the
matter with me.”
Bottom of p73—Walter says being a
chauffeur “ain’t no kind of job.”
Question: What is missing in Walter’s life?
Why is he discontent?
Analytic point: Walter wants to be selfsufficient and work for himself instead of
serving others. He wants empowerment.
The role of money
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P74—Walter says money “is life.”
Question: What does this mean?
Question: What does Mama not understand about
this?
Analytic point: Mama’s goal when she was creating
a life for herself was “not being lynched” and
“getting to the North.”
But things have evolved. She doesn’t understand
the next goal in the social evolution.
Beneatha cuts her hair
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P80-81—Beneatha announces that she hates
“assimilationist negroes.”
Mid p81—she explains that she hates such
people b/c they submerge themselves in the
dominant culture.
Marital discord
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P87—Ruth and Walter quarrel. He
complains that they are” tied up in a race of
people that don’t know how to do nothing
but moan, pray, and have babies!”
Question: What does he mean by this?
Analytic point: What does ruth simply not
grasp about Walter?
Beneatha doesn’t dig George
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P96-97—Why does Beneatha say that
“George is a fool—honest.”?
Mrs. Johnson is dangerous
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P101-104—Mrs. Johnson says about
Beneatha that “she act like ain’t got time to
pass the time of day with nobody ain’t been
to college…you know how some of our
young people gets when they get a little
education.” p102
She then says, “I always thinks like Booker
T. Washington said that time—‘Education
has spoiled many a good plow hand.’” p103
Mrs. Johnson is dangerous
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P104—Once Mrs.. Johnson leaves, Beneatha
says, “there are two things we, as a people, have
got to overcome, one is the Ku Klux Klan—and
the other is Mrs. Johnson.”
Question: What does this mean?
Analytic Point: Mrs. J. is dangerous b/c she
views the desire to move beyond the values of
the group as intimidating, thus holding the
group in place and preventing social progress.
Mama acknowledges Walter
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P106-107, bottom and top—Mama finally
begins to realize the soul crushing impact
that she and Ruth have had on Walter
This acknowledgment empowers him.
Beware of white men bearing gifts
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P114-119—Lindner visits the Younger
family, hoping to dissuade them from
moving into their new house.
P114-15—He is characterized as polite and
pleasant.
P116-17—He announces his racist agenda,
but he does so in manner in which he thinks
he is acting for the Younger’s good as well
as the neighborhood’s.
Beware of white men bearing gifts
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P118, top—He stupidly thinks that he is not
being a racist.
Analytic point: The racist power structure
manifests itself in seemingly insignificant
ways with individual attitudes that have
unimaginable impacts on people.
The money is gone
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P127-129—Bobo reports the theft of the
money.
Walter admits that he did not go to the bank
and that all the money is gone.
The takers and the tooken
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P141-42—Walter decides to accepts
Lindner’s money.
Analytic Point—He believes that selling his
dignity is the only way to get ahead.
P143, middle of page—Mama raises point
that they have always been proud people,
suggesting that taking the money would
make them “dead inside.”
Pride (in the name of righteousness)
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P148—When Lindner arrives, Walter
solidifies his pride by rejecting Lindner’s
money, and the family decides to move into
their new house despite the obstacles of a
racist neighborhood.