Dreaming of a good life but living with a hated one, how do you cope? Being an African American in A Raisin in the Sun shows Walter having so many dreams but a life that he cannot get out of. Walter hated his life, he was very unhappy with how he had to live when white people were so well off. He tried so many ways to forget his problems but he just could not. Walter feels completely trapped in his life style but deals with it in ways that sometimes hurt the family. The problems in Walter’s life exceed the ways he can deal with them. Walter absolutely hates his job.
He thinks that being a driver for a white man is a horrible job. He complains about working and going to work all the time. As well as yell at others who had a better life than him. Like when he yelled at George for being a college boy that is taught to, “…talk proper and read books and wear them faggoty-looking white shoes…” (85). He does not like that George goes to college and comes out better than he is because of education. He also has troubles with his wife. They fight a lot mostly over his dreams. He believes that Ruth does not believe in any of his dreams.
Every time he wants to do something like his dream of opening a dry cleaner she would not let him. His new dream of opening a liquor store was turned down by Ruth right away. Ruth saying no made him mad and he complained, “That’s it. There you are. Man say to his woman: I got me a dream. His woman say: Eat your eggs” (33). He wants to show Ruth that he is upset that she does not believe in him and his dreams. There is also another problem with how they live. He is upset that his son cannot have a room of his own and has to sleep on the couch. Walter gets mad when Ruth tells Travis that he cannot have 50 cents for school.
Walter’s financial life makes him very upset, he has to work, he has to give up on his dreams because he cannot afford to invest in them, as well as his son sleeping on a couch and not a bed. Walter hates his life and feels trapped in a life style he does not like. There are multiple ways that Walter copes with his dreaded life. Unlike himself he gave money to Travis just because he wanted to. When Travis needed money for school Walter gave it to him plus more. He did not like telling Travis he could not have money. He became upset with Ruth when she said they did not have the money.
He then gave Travis, “…another fifty cents . . . Buy yourself some fruit today – or take a taxicab to school or something! ” (31). Walter also drinks to get over his problems. He drinks and when he drinks he becomes arrogant and yells a lot. He does not care when he is drunk. He starts fights with anybody who bothers him like George and Bobo. When Bobo says that his money is gone he yells and tells Bobo that, “THAT MONEY IS MADE OUT OF MY FATHER’S FLESH-” (128). Other ways he gets over his problems is he nags Ruth, Mama, or Beneatha. He complains and starts fights all because he is upset.
He is never happy when he is home. Walter even skips out on work to forget his problems. He takes a car and drives around. He told Ruth, “Well- Wednesday I borrowed Willy Harris’ car and I went for a drive… And Thursday – Thursday I borrowed the car again… Today I just walked” (105). He did not want to go to work because he hates his job. Walter did not care what would happen if he skipped three days of work. He was about to lose his job and it did not matter to him all he cared about was himself and how he felt. Walter is very unhappy with his life. He continually is reminded he is trapped.
He does not like how George is better off, or how white people are better off. He is not proud of who he is and his job. Walter feels like he is less of a man because the job he has is working for a white man. He hates that he cannot just spend money and be ok, and that his son has to find ways to get his own money for things he should have. The ways Walter deals with these problems are sometimes not the best way but he still deals with them. He tries to find ways to feel like he is not trapped. Even being trapped in a life that he does not like, he deals with it even if they are not the best ways.
IDEAS_____| Knowledge of or familiarity with the topic is evident-specific and relevant main points- central details relate to and support the main points- elaborating details | Knowledge of topic is adequate, but incomplete- central details are general and/or irrelevant – flow of ideas causes minor problems in picturing or understanding the message- elaborating details misplaced| Knowledge of topic is inadequate, revealing inconsistencies -central ideas are too general, creating gaps in understanding-elaborating details not included| ORGANIZATION_____| The order of the piece moves the reader purposefully through the text-appropriate title – hook and a clearly stated thesis-logical order-unified and coherent (main idea + details) -clear and effective transitions -central ideas, specific points, and author’s message are clear|
The order of the piece lacks one consistent organizational pattern – title is too broad/general or too specific/narrowStronger hook or thesis neededparagraphs may be out of order- lacking coherence -concluding paragraph(s) is unclarified or unsupported| There is no identifiable structure; ideas are disconnected -title is missing- weak hook or thesis – lacking unity/coherence- transitions are unclear or weak-no order of the paragraphs – the concluding paragraph(s) is missing/does not uniteideas, clarify central points or make message clear| VOICE_____| consistent for the mode of discourse chosen. concern for and connection to the audience is appropriate-appropriate viewpoint| Personality, emotional involvement, preferences and/or individuality fade in and out of writing-connection to the audience is inconsistent- some inconsistency- narrative viewpoint appropriate for mode of discourse, but it occasionally changes for no apparent reason| Personality, emotional involvement, preferences and/or individuality appear in writing-lacking a connection to the audience-inconsistent-inappropriate viewpoint for mode of discourse
| WORD CHOICE_____| words and phrases are precise and concise. words paint clear and strong picture in the reader’s mindavoids vague language – strong nouns and verbs -avoids clichés, redundancies, euphemisms, sexist language, jargon-appropriate level of formalitywords create appropriate tone and mood| Most of the words are functional. – nouns and verbs are common and/or pretentious-includes a few clichés, redundancies, euphemisms, sexist language, jargon, vague words/phrases and/or deadwood-level of formality inconsistent- a few words clash with tone | Many words are vague and imprecise. ouns and verbs are elementary or inappropriate- adjectives and adverbs create verbose style- includes many clichés, redundancies, euphemisms, sexist language, jargon, vague words/phrases-several words/phrases clash with tone and mood| SENTENCE FLUENCY_____|
Sentences are varied and coherent with solid transitions. varies sentence structuresmooth rhythm and flowflawless or nearly flawless (free of fragments, run-ons, awkward constructions, wordiness, shifts in tense or point of view)| Sentences are readable and contain errors but do not affect comprehension. -some short sentences could be combined and/or some long sentences could be separated. -inadequate transitions-several errors involving fragments, run-ons, awkward constructions, wordiness, -need more variety with sentence beginnings, length, or type| Sentence structure affects comprehension at times. -flow or rhythm of sentences deeply ffected-lacks sentence variety-transition between sentences affects readability of sentences- many errors involving fragments, run-ons, awkward constructions, wordiness-hardly any variety in beginnings, length, or types of sentences
| CONVENTIONS_____| Editing of standard written English conventions evident. -few, if any, errors in capitalization, punctuation, and/or spelling -none of the errors confuse or force rereading of ideas| Closer editing of standard written English needed. – noticeable errors in capitalization, punctuation and/or spelling-a few of the errors confuse or force rereading of ideas| Editing or knowledge of standard written English conventions not evident. -significant number of errors in capitalization, punctuation, and/or spelling-many errors lead to confusion or force rereading of idea|
