Project 2 - Sounds and Images

Pictures taken from Time and Life Magazines from July-August 1954.

A 1954 Mercury car. One that Walter may drive as a chauffeur.






Theme Song to the Disneyland TV Show




Betty While Singing "Nevertheless (I'm In Love With You)" - 1954

Project 2 - Macro View

Doing some research, I have found that Colonel Robert R. McCormick (mentioned on page 14) died April 1, 1955. This leads me to believe that the play itself cannot take place anytime after that. However, the explicit line says, “Say Colonel McCormick is sick.” I have found that Robert McCormick had a fight with pneumonia the last three years of his life (contracted sometime in 1953). For the purpose of this research, I will look up information more so for the year 1954; particularly around September, or early winter, because there are lines referencing that it’s getting cold outside, et cetera.

General Facts
The population, as taken by the 1950 census, concluded that there are 150,697,361 resident people living in the continental US. In a land area (sq. mi.) of 2,974,726, which makes a population per square mile of 50.7. Census.

Average Cost of a New House: $10,250 ($82,176.95* today)

Average Monthly Rent: $85 ($681.47* today)

Yearly Inflation Rate: .32%

Average Cost of New Car: $1,700 ($13,629.35* today)

Cost of a Gallon of Gas: 22 cents (which equals $1.76* today)
The People History. * calculations provided by Inflation Calculator.

Brown v. Board of Education
On May 17, 1954 the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education repealed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 'separate but equal.' They declared that it was unconstitutional for children to be denied access to school based on the sole discrimination of race. The entire decision and aspects of this case can be found at National Center.

Jim Crow Laws
Statutes enacted by Southern states and municipalities, beginning in the 1880s, that legalized segregation between blacks and whites. The name is believed to be derived from a character in a popular minstrel song. The Supreme Court ruling in 1896 in Plessy v. Ferguson that separate facilities for whites and blacks were constitutional encouraged the passage of discriminatory laws that wiped out the gains made by blacks during Reconstruction. Railways and streetcars, public waiting rooms, restaurants, boardinghouses, theaters, and public parks were segregated; separate schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, generally of inferior quality, were designated for blacks. By World War I, even places of employment were segregated, and it was not until after World War II that an assault on Jim Crow in the South began to make headway. In 1950 the Supreme Court ruled that the Univ. of Texas must admit a black, Herman Sweatt, to the law school, on the grounds that the state did not provide equal education for him. This was followed (1954) by the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kans., declaring separate facilities by race to be unconstitutional. Blacks in the South used legal suits, mass sit-ins, and boycotts to hasten desegregation. A march on Washington by over 200,000 in 1963 dramatized the movement to end Jim Crow. Southern whites often responded with violence, and federal troops were needed to preserve order and protect blacks, notably at Little Rock, Ark. (1957), Oxford, Miss. (1962), and Selma, Ala. (1965). The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 finally ended the legal sanctions to Jim Crow. InfoPlease.

Project 1 - Casting Statement

When looking at A Raisin In The Sun we must take first the world of the play, and the story it tells. First of all, I cannot justify doing any non-traditional casting of race because this play is so based on the society of the time. The fight for dreams and reaching goals is certainly a universal idea, however, we undeniably see that the Younger family must be African American due to the set-up and many lines of the play. They reference their race a majority of the time, “-and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live…” (Hansberry 22). While the playwright doesn’t necessarily treat this family differently than anyone who has dreams and desires, she does expressly make them black because that was her struggle, and what she wanted to get across. Likewise, Karl Linder has to be white. The simplest definition and reason goes back to the basic idea of plot; the struggle of these people in this time. The reason Linder must be white is the references, as well as, again, the time. At the time, in the neighborhood, and most of America, people were still warming up and getting used to the idea of integration, therefore white people still ‘ruled’ most of the towns – especially in the urban and metropolitan areas.

Gender specificity is also very crucial in this piece; the cast must reflect the gender as written. Of course, Walter, Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha are undeniably gender locked, the role of Travis would be the only one possibly debatable. My answer to this is that at the end of the play, Walter ‘mans up’ and tells Karl that they are moving into the house. He would have no reason to do this if he had a daughter, at least not in this way. Through the play Mama compares Walter to his father and tells him that he needs to show Travis how to be a man, how to try and provide for his family and make decisions that will improve their standing.

When discussing age, we have to look at the generational differences in the family. You have three different generations, and a few different opportunities occurring. Age has to be present, however casting a younger woman to play Mama, for example, may not be a bad thing. The African America race, in general, tend to age well, even more for Mama. She has the grace, poise, and the look of someone who came from her generation. While the world has beaten her down, she has kept this vague happiness that she's still living. If someone were to cast a 'younger' woman to play this part and put some age make-up on her, it would not, by any means, degrade the intent or change the character. As for everyone else, age is important, however there is some play room with Walter, Ruth, and Beneatha. They are all around the same age, but they may not have all aged the same. Karl is a man that needs to look a little younger than Walter and Ruth especially, and maybe even Beneatha. This exhibits the ethnocentric view of the white people of the time. Having a young man talking to this family in this manner adds more to the action and overall view of the play.

When it comes to any sort of disability, I’m not sure that I can justify casting anyone who is physically incapable of doing basic things. Being slightly vision or hearing impaired may be okay. However, this family makes their living by cooking, driving, cleaning, baby sitting, et cetera; therefore, the persons of the household cannot be physically incapable of performing tasks such as these. It's hard for this family and this minority to get jobs, much less if they have a disability of some kind.

Project 1 - Exegesis

(RUTH points impatiently to the rolled up Tribune) - pg. 14

Daily newspaper published in Chicago. The Tribune is one of the leading U.S. newspapers and long has been the dominant voice of the Midwest. Founded in 1847, it was bought in 1855 by six partners, including Joseph Medill (1823 – 99), who made the paper successful and increased its stature while promulgating his generally liberal views. He bought a controlling interest in 1874 and was publisher until his death. During Robert McCormick's tenure (1914 – 55), the paper achieved the largest circulation among U.S. standard-sized newspapers and led the world in newspaper advertising revenue. The Tribune also reflected his nationalist-isolationist views, but its editorial positions moderated after his death. It subsequently became the flagship of the Tribune Company, which has holdings in broadcasting, cable TV, publishing, and other media. In December 2008 the Tribune Company filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Answers.

Walter: Say, Colonel McCormick is sick. - pg. 14

Robert Rutherford McCormick (July 30, 1880 – April 1, 1955) was an American newspaper baron, owner of the Chicago Tribune, and popularly known as "Colonel McCormick." He was born into the newspaper dynasty of Joseph Medill, and naturally took control, initially with his cousin Joseph Medill Patterson and later as the sole editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune company. Under his leadership the Chicago Tribune achieved the largest circulation among U.S. standard-sized newspapers.

A leading opponent of United States entry into World War II and of the increase in federal power brought about by the New Deal, McCormick continued to champion a right-wing, traditionalist course long after his positions had been eclipsed in the mainstream. His idiosyncratic editorials made him the leading example of conservative journalism of his era. Under his editorship, the paper was strongly isolationist and actively biased in its coverage of political news and social trends, calling itself "The American Paper for Americans." McCormick was highly successful in his day, developing the great newspaper empire begun by his grandfather and greatly affecting public opinion with his editorial power. However, the use of editorial power in this way can easily lead to abuses. The Chicago Tribune under his leadership was hardly a conveyor of the facts, but rather McCormick's view of them. Although he believed his views were best for his country, history showed him to be incorrect on many issues. New World Encylopedia.

(He hands the boy the coin) - pg. 19

The Franklin half dollar is a coin of the United States struck by the United States Mint ("Mint") from 1948 to 1963. The fifty-cent coin pictures Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on the obverse and the Liberty Bell on the reverse. A small eagle was placed to the right of the bell to fulfill legal requirements. Produced in 90 percent silver with a reeded edge, the coin was struck at the Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco mints. The coins were struck regularly until 1963; beginning in 1964 it was replaced by the Kennedy half dollar, issued in honor of the assassinated President, John F. Kennedy. Wikipedia.

Ruth: You mean graft? - pg. 21

In this context probably dishonesty, bribery, or peddling influence in public or political life. Slang-dictionary.

Mama: Why is you got to flit so... - pg. 35

To pass quickly or abruptly from one place or condition to another. To move in an erratic fluttering manner. Merriam-Webster.

Mama: Sing the 'No Ways Tired' ... - pg. 41

Written by Curtis Burrell
Recorded by Rev. James Cleveland


Chorus:
I don’t feel no ways tired,
I’ve come too far from where I started from.
Nobody told me that the road would be easy,
I don’t believe He brought me this far to leave me.

Vamp:
I don’t believe He brought me this far
(repeat as desired)

I’ve been sick (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).
I’ve been in trouble (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).

I’ve been friendless (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).
I’ve been lonely (I don’t believe),
but God brought me (He brought me this far).

Please don’t leave me (I don’t believe),
don’t leave me Jesus (He brought me this far).
Don’t leave (I don’t believe),
don’t leave me Lord (He brought me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me
(would bring me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me
(would bring me this far).

I don’t believe (I don’t believe)
that God would bring me (would bring me this far just to leave me).
All Gospel Lyrics.

(BENEATHA in dungarees) - pg. 42

(... the colorful robes of a Nigerian woman) - pg. 48





(A Yoruba exclamation for admiration) - pg. 48

Location: Southwestern Nigeria, Bénin, Africa

Population: 10 million

Language: Yoruba (Kwa)

Neighboring Peoples: Fon, Igbo, Igala, Idoma

History: The oral history of the Yoruba describes an origin myth, which tells of God lowering a chain at Ile-Ife, down which came Oduduwa, the ancestor of all people, bringing with him a cock, some earth, and a palm kernel. The earth was thrown into the water, the cocked scratched it to become land, and the kernel grew into a tree with sixteen limbs, representing the original sixteen kingdoms. The empire of Oyo arose at the end of the 15th century aided by Portuguese guns. Expansion of the kingdom is associated with the acquisition of the horse. At the end of the 18th century civil war broke out at Oyo, the rebels called for assistance to the Fulani, but the latter ended up conquering all of Oyo by the 1830s. The Fulani invasion pushed many Yoruba to the south where the towns of Ibadan and Abeokuta were founded. In the late 1880s, with the help of a British mediator, a treaty was signed between the various warring factions. Yorubaland was officially colonized by the British in 1901, but a system of indirect rule was established that mimicked the structure of Yoruba governance.

Political Systems: The political and social systems vary greatly in different regions, and allegiance is uniformly paid to the large urban center in the area, rather than to a singular centralized authority. Each town has a leader (Oba), who may achieve his position in several different ways including inheritance, gaining the position through participation in title associations, or being personally selected by an Oba already in power. Every Oba, however, is considered to be a direct descendant of the founding Oba in each city. A council of chiefs usually assists the Oba in his decisions. Title associations, such as the ogboni, play an important role in assigning and balancing power within the cities.

Religion: The Yoruba claim that they have 401 deities; in truth, there are more than these. The complexity of their cosmology has led Western scholars to compare them to the Ancient Greeks and their impressive pantheon. Yoruba deities are known as orisha, and the high god is Olorun. No organized priesthoods or shrines exist in honor of Olorun, but his spirit is invoked to ask for blessings and to confer thanks. The Yoruba believe that when they die they enter the realm of the ancestors where they still have influence on earth. Annual homage is paid to the grave sites of ones' forbears, and lineage heads are responsible for honoring all deceased members of the lineage through a yearly sacrifice. Maskers (egungun) appear at funerals and are believed to embody the spirit of the deceased person. Other important orishas include Eshu, the trickster; Shango, the god of thunder; and Ogun, the god of iron and modern technology.
Gateway-Africa.

Asagai: Assimilationism is so popular in your country. - pg. 49

The practice of assimilation (in anthropology and sociology, the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society. The process of assimilating involves taking on the traits of the dominant culture to such a degree that the assimilating group becomes socially indistinguishable from other members of the society. As such, assimilation is the most extreme form of acculturation. Although assimilation may be compelled through force or undertaken voluntarily, it is rare for a minority group to replace its previous cultural practices completely; religion, food preferences, proxemics (e.g., the physical distance between people in a given social situation), and aesthetics are among the characteristics that tend to be most resistant to change. Assimilation does not denote “racial” or biological fusion, though such fusion may occur.) Encyclopedia Britannica.

Project 1 - The Fable and Plot Summary

The Fable

A black family, living in Chicago, with dreams of their own. They have had a recent tragedy – their patriarch died. His death left them with some hope, in the form of his life insurance check of $10,000. This inheritance ends up bringing a family a bit apart than allowing them to strive together to overcome the menacing shadow of society. See, while everyone wants the same thing for the family, everyone of them wants to do it in a different way. Walter Lee, for instance, wants to open a liquor store with Bobo, and Willy Harris. While no one else in the younger household sees this as a proper investment, Walter fights with all his might to make this a reality. However, is it just because he wants better for his family, or does he want to prove something to somebody that black people don’t have to become chauffer’s, maids, and cook just to make it in this world? Lena, the family matriarch, wants nothing more than what she has fought for her entire life, something better. Living in a dilapidated apartment on the impoverished side of town was never the extent of her dreams. She wants to move the family into a house, clean, and nice that they can call home – not just a place that’s falling apart that they sleep in. She wants somewhere where the family doesn’t have to share the bathroom with the rest of the floor. She doesn’t want them to have to scrounge to make things seem a lot better than they are, because she has a chance to make them better. Ruth, Walter’s wife, just wants the family to be a family. While we don’t see this that much, her deepest desire is to see everyone loving each other, she, however, knows that it won’t happen as long as she is forced to live in the shadow and trenches of the centuries-long war that has been waged against the races. Beneatha, Lena’s daughter and Walter’s brother, wants to find her identity. She wants to find where she has been and what she used to be. She doesn’t see that Lena knows the struggle and defiance of the past; Lena can tell her more than she ever wanted to know, but she doesn’t to save her. Lena also doesn’t exactly want to remember it, she just wants to look forward and what can be. Travis, the ten-year-old son of Ruth and Walter, see the family and wants what they want; freedom. Not just from the oppression of the time, but from the torment of living life on the helpless, hungry side of town. The whole family wants him to get an education. They’ve lived their lives, and they strive to try and make things different for him.

When the check arrives, the family split even more, having arguments and disputes about should and could be done with the money. However, the ultimate decision is to Lena (Mama). The money is hers, and she knows what she wants to do with it. When they find out that Ruth is pregnant, an planning an abortion, Mama struggles to convince her that it’s wrong, and that this money will help take care of another child. But, Ruth doesn’t listen, she has seen what this world that they live in does to children, and does not want to try and bring another one into it. However, the two fighting forces decide to go ahead with their ideas. Mama goes to look at a two story house, and Walter decides to invest in the liquor store. Walter gets taken for a ride, and his money is gone with Willy Harris. Mama lets the family know about the house – which she has put a down payment on. A white man, Karl Linder, comes to let them know that the neighborhood, while friendly, does not wish to integrate their family into the community. He tries to scare them,

Walter decides to take a holier-than-thou approach to this claim and calls him up to tell him that they will not be moving. But, when he shows up to have papers signed that they will not be moving in, Lena confronts Walter, and tells him to tell Karl why they won’t be moving into the house. Walter takes his time to man up. He tells Karl that the family wants nothing more than to move; to have a better life. They will be joining the neighborhood. He has seen how even men of the same race can screw you over. He has decided to believe in the work that they can do. Nothing comes free, and he has decided that he can work out their family and figure out how to succeed. Their new life will be full of dignity, and pride. Not like the one they have been living for the past umpteen years. A life of change, and dreams that are coming ever-closer to being fulfilled.

Plot Summary

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. Younger’s 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 fulfill a dream she shared with her husband. Mama’s 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 family’s financial problems forever. Walter’s wife, Ruth, agrees with Mama, however, and hopes that she and Walter can provide more space and opportunity for their son, Travis. Finally, Beneatha, Walter’s sister and Mama’s 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.

As the play progresses, the Youngers clash over their competing dreams. Ruth discovers that she is pregnant but fears that if she has the child, she will put more financial pressure on her family members. When Walter says nothing to Ruth’s admission that she is considering abortion, Mama puts a down payment on a house for the whole family. She believes that a bigger, brighter dwelling will help them all. This house is in Clybourne Park, an entirely white neighborhood. When the Youngers’ future neighbors 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, even after Walter loses the rest of the money ($6,500) to his friend Willy Harris, who persuades Walter to invest in the liquor store and then runs off with his cash.

In the meantime, Beneatha rejects her suitor, George Murchison, whom she believes to be shallow and blind to the problems of race. Subsequently, she receives a marriage proposal from her Nigerian boyfriend, Joseph Asagai, who wants Beneatha to get a medical degree and move to Africa with him (Beneatha does not make her choice before the end of the play). The Youngers eventually move out of the apartment, fulfilling the family’s 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. Spark Notes.

Project 1- Characters

Walter Lee Younger - The protagonist of the play. Walter is a dreamer. He wants to be rich and devises plans to acquire wealth with his friends, particularly Willy Harris. When the play opens, he wants to invest his father’s insurance money in a new liquor store venture. He spends the rest of the play endlessly preoccupied with discovering a quick solution to his family’s various problems.


Beneatha Younger (“Bennie”) - Mama’s daughter and Walter’s sister. Beneatha is an intellectual. Twenty years old, she attends college and is better educated than the rest of the Younger family. Some of her personal beliefs and views have distanced her from conservative Mama. She dreams of being a doctor and struggles to determine her identity as a well-educated black woman.

Lena Younger (“Mama”) - Walter and Beneatha’s mother. The matriarch of the family, Mama is religious, moral, and maternal. She wants to use her husband’s insurance money as a down payment on a house with a backyard to fulfill her dream for her family to move up in the world.

Ruth Younger - Walter’s wife and Travis’s mother. Ruth takes care of the Youngers’ small apartment. Her marriage to Walter has problems, but she hopes to rekindle their love. She is about thirty, but her weariness makes her seem older. Constantly fighting poverty and domestic troubles, she continues to be an emotionally strong woman. Her almost pessimistic pragmatism helps her to survive.

Travis Younger - Walter and Ruth’s sheltered young son. Travis earns some money by carrying grocery bags and likes to play outside with other neighborhood children, but he has no bedroom and sleeps on the living-room sofa.

Joseph Asagai - A Nigerian student in love with Beneatha. Asagai, as he is often called, is very proud of his African heritage, and Beneatha hopes to learn about her African heritage from him. He eventually proposes marriage to Beneatha and hopes she will return to Nigeria with him.

George Murchison - A wealthy, African-American man who courts Beneatha. The Youngers approve of George, but Beneatha dislikes his willingness to submit to white culture and forget his African heritage. He challenges the thoughts and feelings of other black people through his arrogance and flair for intellectual competition.

Mr. Karl Lindner - The only white character in the play. Mr. Lindner arrives at the Youngers’ apartment from the Clybourne Park Improvement Association. He offers the Youngers a deal to reconsider moving into his (all-white) neighborhood.

Bobo - One of Walter’s partners in the liquor store plan. Bobo appears to be as mentally slow as his name indicates.

Willy Harris - A friend of Walter and coordinator of the liquor store plan. Willy never appears onstage, which helps keep the focus of the story on the dynamics of the Younger family.

Mrs. Johnson - The Youngers’ neighbor. Mrs. Johnson takes advantage of the Youngers’ hospitality and warns them about moving into a predominately white neighborhood.

Character descriptions from SparkNotes.

Project 1 - Basic Facts

Lorraine Hansberry's dramatic play, A Raisin In The Sun, was first performed on March 11, 1959. It was written, originally, in English (American).


3 Acts - Act 1, two scenes
Act 2, three scenes
Act 3, one scene


The cast consists of six older black men (in their thirties), three older black women (one in her sixties, one about thirty, and one about twenty), one middle-aged white man, and a young black boy of about ten or eleven.


3 hours, including 15-minute intermission.
http://www.curtainup.com/raisininthesunny.html

Lorraine Hansberry
(born May 19, 1930, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died Jan. 12, 1965, New York, N.Y.) American playwright whose A Raisin in the Sun (1959) was the first drama by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway.

Hansberry was interested in writing from an early age and while in high school was drawn especially to the theatre. She attended the University of Wisconsin in 1948–50 and then briefly the school of the Art Institute of Chicago and Roosevelt University (Chicago). After moving to New York City, she held various minor jobs and studied at the New School for Social Research while refining her writing skills. In 1958 she raised funds to produce her play A Raisin in the Sun, which opened in March 1959 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, meeting with great success.

A penetrating psychological study of the personalities and emotional conflicts within a working-class black family in Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun was directed by actor Lloyd Richards, the first African American to direct a play on Broadway since 1907. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, and the film version of 1961 received a special award at the Cannes Festival. Hansberry's next play, The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window, a drama of political questioning and affirmation set in Greenwich Village, New York City, where she had long made her home, had only a modest run on Broadway in 1964. Her promising career was cut short by her early death.

In 1969 a selection of her writings, adapted by Robert Nemiroff (to whom Hansberry was married from 1953 to 1964), was produced on Broadway as To Be Young, Gifted, and Black and was published in book form in 1970.

Biography from Biography.com

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The version of A Raisin In the Sun that I will be using for this project comes from the publisher Signet:
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin In The Sun. New York: New American Library - A Signet Book, 1966.

Performance rights can be purchased from Samuel French Publishing for $100 per performance. Samuel French.