A Raisin in the Sun Reading and Annotation ChartName______

For each of the following categories, findthree quotes, one from each act in the play, that reveal or illustrate dreams, conflicts, or identities. For each:

  • Copy the quote in the space, and include the page number(s).
  • Once you copy the quote and page number, write a brief note about the context (speaker, situation, action) of the quote (one sentence).
  • Then write multiple sentences to analyzethe quote's message about dreams, conflict, or identity in that act and/or in the play as a whole. Your analysis should focus on specific words and phrases—be specific.
  • Last, write a sentence or two in which you explain how the quotation is related to either the other quotes you have chosen for that act or the other quotes for the same category from other acts. You may also add connections to other sources within this unit or from the whole year in humanities.

You will download the word documentfrom the HW website, and word process the chart.

This chart will help you in the final essay that you will write about the major themes of the play. It will also serve as evidence of your careful work on reading and annotating.

ACT I / Dreams / Conflict / Identity
Quote and page number
Context
Analysis
Connection / QUOTE: "Crazy 'bout his children! God knows there was plenty wrong with Walter Younger—hard-headed, mean, kind of wild with women—plenty wrong with him. But he sure loved his children. Always wanted them to have something—be something. That's where brother gets all these notions, I reckon. Big Walter used to say, he'd get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, 'Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams—but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worth while'" (45-6).
CONTEXT: Mama says these words to Ruth in Act I, scene i, while the two are sharing a quiet moment together, just the two of them. Ruth has tentatively asked Mama what she plans on doing with the money; she has also just said that she always liked Mr. Younger. The conjunction of these two prompts leads Mama to think about the past, and her dead husband's dreams, in connection with her own hopes for the family's future.
ANALYSIS: This quote foreshadows the upcoming tension in the family over how they should use the insurance money—Mama says that children exist to help parents achieve their dreams, and her and Walter's dream upon initially moving into the apartment had always been to move to a house with a garden. The last line of the quote says that the only way Mama's dreams will be "worth while" is if her children make them a reality. This places a burden of responsibility upon Beneatha and especially upon Walter. Ruth in this moment may also be considering what her own dreams are and what part Travis will play in making them come true. The quote defines dreams for poor black people as being bigger than individuals—they are generational. Walter "gets all these notions" from his father—notions about respect and independence—because dreams get passed from generation to generation.
CONNECTION: This quote connects to the dream quote from Act III because in both quotes characters are talking about . . . . / QUOTE: " . . . he's an elaborate neurotic" (49).
Context: Beneatha says this quote about Walter in Act I.
Analysis: Beneatha is talking badly about Walter behind his back because she his mad at him. This is conflict.
Connection: This quote connects to the Act II conflict quote because in both people are mad at each other.
ACT II / Dreams / Conflict / Identity
Quote and page number
Context
Analysis
Connection
ACT III / Dreams / Conflict / Identity
Quote and page number
Context
Analysis
Connection