A raisin in the sun coursework Essay Example for Free

A raisin in the sun coursework Essay In this essay I am going to analyse how Lorraine Hansberry presents the transformation of Walter in the play A raisin in the sun. The pages Im going to concentrate on are pages 1787 and 1788. A raisin in the sun portrays a few weeks in the life of the Youngers, an African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago in the 1950s. When the play opens, the Youngers are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the deceased Mr. Youngers life insurance policy. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money. The matriarch of the family, Mama, wants to buy a house to fulfil a dream she shared with her husband. Mamas son, Walter Lee, would rather use the money to invest in a liquor store with his friends. He believes that the investment will solve the familys financial problems forever. Walters wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walters sister and Mamas daughter, wants to use the money for her medical school tuition. She also wishes that her family members were not so interested in joining the white world. Beneatha instead tries to find her identity by looking back to the past and to Africa. Later on in the play, the Youngers fight over their competing dreams. Ruth finds out that she is pregnant and starts to worry about the financial problems that may happen if she keeps it. Mama puts $3,500 down payment on a house and gives $6,500 to Walter from which he has to give Beneatha some for her medical school tuition. Walter on the other hand doesnt give Beneatha her share of her money, instead gives it to Willy his friend who runs away with it. The house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighbourhood. When the Youngers future neighbours find out that the Youngers are moving in, they send Mr Lindner, from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, to offer the Youngers money in return for staying away. The Youngers refuse the deal. In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her suitor, George Murchison, whom she believes to be shallow and an assimulationist. Subsequently, she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph Assegai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him. The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the familys long-held dream. Their future seems uncertain and slightly dangerous, but they are optimistic and determined to live a better life. They believe that they can succeed if they stick together as a family and resolve to defer their dreams no longer. Various stage directions are used to show Walters feelings for example, when Ruth informs Walter that Mr Lindner is here a long minute passes and Walter slowly gets up from his room. This shows that Walter is not eager to meet Mr Lindner so he takes his time. When Walter slowly and awkwardly walks out of his room passing the back of his sleeve across his mouth from time to time makes him seem as if he is a small chid who is sloppy and awkward. This is how he behaves throughout the play and shows the childish side of him. When Walter looks down at his boys eyes he realises that Travis is the 6th generation in his family to live in America and should look to set an example for future generations. While Walter talks to Mr Lindner he looks around and shifts from one foot to the other and makes short pauses in his speech showing that he is unsure and frightened about speaking out aloud in front of his family. He tries to get the point across that they are very plain people. Walter again looks away from Mr Lindner and down at his shoes and then back up at him. This shows that he cant maintain eye contact with Mr Lindner. This makes Walter feel shy because he is speaking to someone who is higher classed and who he feels is superior to him. He again tries to get the point across that they are plain people by telling Mr Lindner their current situation such as how he has been a chauffer most of his life and how Ruth is a domestic worker in peoples kitchens. All this confuses Mr Lindner as he doesnt know what Walter is trying to get across instead he listens to him and see what he has got to say. Walter now starts to tell Mr Lindner how his father almost beat a man to death once because this man called him a bad name or something. Walter asks Mr Lindner if he knows what he is talking about, he replies no, Im afraid I dont this makes Walter feel as if he is the only one that understands what it feels like so he gains confidence in himself and straightens up. Walter tries to get another point across by saying that he came from people who had a lot of pride and now they dont have the same pride. Walter tries to make out that they are still very proud and how his sister is going to be a doctor. Walter contradicts himself as in the beginning when he was arguing with Beneatha he mentioned that being a doctor is more of a males role and she wouldnt be able to become one. Walter now starts to cry while facing Mr Lindner eye to eye this makes Walter feel bad about what he has done with the money. Walter now decided to tell Mr Lindner that they are moving into the house because his father had earned it. This shows that Walter has recognised his responsibility and best interest for his family at heart. Walters character has evolved from a young child into manhood making him a hero of the family. Walter now has all the confidence to look Mr Lindner absolutely in the eyes and tell him we dont want your money. Walter finishes with a very definite statement. Doing this makes Mr Lindner feel as he is an obstruction and so should leave. The family are all excited about the wise decision Walter has made. The audience feel that in the beginning of the play Walter is selfish and money hungry because he doesnt listen to any member of his family and only thinks about trying to get rich quickly. In the end Walter had realised what a fool he had been after losing the money his mother had trusted him with. Now he should listen to his families needs and do what he thinks is right. By making the wise decision of moving into the house he makes the audience feel as if he has become a true man and a hero to his family. Walter is virtually a new person now which people like more than what he was before. The character of Mr. Lindner makes the theme of racial discrimination prominent in the plot as an issue that the Youngers cannot avoid. The governing body of the Youngers new neighbourhood, the Clybourne Park Improvement Association, sends Mr. Lindner to persuade them not to move into the all-white neighbourhood. Mr. Lindner and the people he represents can only see the colour of the Younger familys skin, and his offer to bribe the Youngers to keep them from moving threatens to tear apart the Younger family and the values for which it stands. Ultimately, the Youngers respond to this discrimination with defiance and strength. The play powerfully demonstrates that the way to deal with discrimination is to stand up to it and reassert ones dignity in the face of it rather than allow it to pass unchecked. In my opinion I think Walter is like any other American- African in that time. He believes that money is the only thing he needs to solve all his problems but little does he know that he needs to listen to his family and not just himself. I also think that all the male roles such as Willy and his friends are bad influences on Walter as they persuaded him to give them his money which they ran off with. However the female roles such as mama and Ruth were a good influence as they all stuck together even when Walter was against them and helped Walter to see what he is throwing away. Lorraine Hansberry is trying to say that Black people in the 1950s experienced a life of discrimination in one way or another. They got here today by having defiance and strength in themselves. Even though they were not treated as equals by some white people, however they made a stand which gave them dignity and the power to be treated as equals. Though black people try to fit into a white neighbourhood they should still remember their roots and how they got here.

Marijuana Legalization Essay -- Legal Illegal Marijuana Pot Law Weed

Marijuana Legalization As defined by The New American Webster Dictionary, marijuana is a hemp-like plant whose leaves are smoked in a cigarette as a narcotic. HOWEVER: Other than just an illict drug used for getting "high", Marijuana can also be viewed as: * A pain reliever * A stress reliever * A medicinal alternative to over-used processed drugs * An untapped source of income for the United States Government * A prohibited substance with many misconceptions Smoking marijuana has long been viewed as something that only produces negative outcomes. New studies are quickly changing these views. The following are some new results found on the true influence of marijuana ingestion. * "According to clinical trial data pulbished this past spring in the American Journal of Addictions, cannabis use- including heavy, long-term use of the drug- has, at most, only a negligible impact on cognition and memory" (Armentano, "Cannabis and"). * "Canadian researchers found that experiments on rats which were given a potent cannabinoid, showed the drug stimulates the growth of new brain cells. It appears that the drug caused neurons to regenerate in the hippocampus, an area that controls mood and emotions, after one month of treatment" ("Cannabis Boosts"). * "The Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, say that most drugs, including alcohol, heroin, cocaine and nicotine, have been shown to destroy nerve cells in the hippocampus. This study suggests that cannabinoids are the only illicit drug that can promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis following chronic administration" ("Cannabis Boosts"). * An analysis of previous experiments as pre... ...na>. McVay, D. (1991). Marijuana Legalization: The Time Is Now. SAGE Publications Inc. 22 Apr 2006. "Medical Marijuana." 2006. Drug Policy Alliance. 7 Mar 2006. "Medicinal Marijuana Posters." No Date. Online Image. Wo/Mens Alliance for Medical Marijuana. 1 Apr 2006. . "Medical Marijuana Reports." 6 Sep 2005. NORML Foundation. 7 Mar 2006. "Small Marijuana Leaf." No Date. Online Image. Alexabebe.com. 1 Apr 2006. . Stimeling, Gary. "Straight Dope: The Research on Marijuana Safety." 2005. Psychotropics Cornucopia Inc. 7 Mar 2006.

PR theory Essay

The article Power Over, Power With, and Power to Relations: Critical Reflections on Public Relations, the Dominant Coalition, and Activism by Bruce K. Berger (2005) talks about the â€Å"Dominant Coalition† in the Public Relations (PR) world. It focuses on a theory that the dominant coalition is a major influence in making organisational decisions, but not much is known about the things that go on inside the dominant coalition’s tight and limited â€Å"inner circle† (Berger 2005: 6). With a total of 21 interviews from PR men and women, Berger (2005) got an insider’s point of view of the dominant coalition in the PR world, showing the intertwined relationships and problems encountered in it. Some of the problems prevent PR practitioners from doing the â€Å"right† thing despite knowing the right thing to do (Berger 2005: 6). The author argues that in order for PR to have a significant use for the population at large, those involved in the business have to accept that activism could be the best means to achieve this (Berger 2005). The main point of this article is the dominant coalition and its role in public relations. A public relations practitioner’s decision making is thought to be geared towards the right thing once he or she has become a member of the dominant. However, the author argues that the complex happenings inside the dominant coalition make it difficult for practitioners to really do the right thing even if they want to (Berger 2005: 6). Berger (2005) provides six propositions based on interviews with 21 public relations executives. To recapitulate his first section, the author provides a summary at the end. This is an important feature of every article. In the summary, Berger reiterates the role of the dominant coalition in PR theory and the reason why PR managers should be part of the dominant coalition. As managers, they should have an influence over what goes on in their organisation, and when or if they do get inside, it has always been thought that they always do the right thing for everyone concerned with the organisation. The rest of the paper is therefore an attempt to confirm whether this assumption is true or not, and more importantly, the article aims to draw a picture of the complex world of the dominant coalition (Berger 2005). In trying to open up the dominant coalition, Berger (2005) has come up with 6 Propositions based on interviews . Proposition 1 breaks the myth about the existence of one coalition per organisation. Berger’s (2005) interviews reveal that there is almost certainly more than one dominant coalition per company. Proposition 2 reveals that venues constantly change from formal to informal. Proposition 3 shows that the absence of the leader poses a lot of trouble. Proposition 4 answers whether decisions by the dominant coalition are always final—they are not. Proposition 5 suggests that the coalition may value the opinion of public relations but almost always demand some kind of press release. Lastly, Berger’s (2005) sixth proposition states that PR professionals are also subject to the pressures of organisational compliance. All of these propositions are of course relative to Berger’s interpretation of the interviews he has gathered. The author has merely expressed his answers and opinions regarding the dominant coalition in Public Relations. However, being an expert in the field of PR, he has every right to publish his work because the people he has interviewed are or were from the world of Public Relations. The article serves its intended purpose—to open the dominant coalition in PR theory to the readers. The author has provided six propositions that give a glimpse of what really goes on inside the closed doors of the dominant coalition. Sources are numerous and credible, which may be interpreted as overkill by some critics but nevertheless effective. List of Reference Berger, B. K. (2005) ‘Power Over, Power With, and Power to Relations: Critical Reflections on Public Relations, the Dominant Coalition, and Activism. ’ Journal of Public Relations Research [online] 17, (1) 5–28. Informaworld. [4 May 2009]

Informative Speech Animal Agriculture - 1628 Words

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It sounds crazy, but ever since the mid 60’s, agriculture associations have been spreading across the Americas and dominated the industry. The most destructive of all Ag corps are Livestock Corporation. These associations include IBP, Conagra, Perdue, Farmland National Beef, Cargill, etc †¦ Animal Agriculture is effecting every single person in this room because we all breathe in the same air, drink the same water, and eat the same (credibility). The buildup of Animal Agriculture is a great destruction to our planet and our species because it is creatingShow MoreRelatedInformat ive Speech : Animal Agriculture1076 Words   |  5 PagesTopic: How Animal Agriculture Waste Shapes the Environment Organization: Topically Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the ways animal agriculture shapes the environment. I. INTRODUCTION A. 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