Case Report Of Carlton Hotel Company Tourism Essay

Case Report Of Carlton Hotel Company Tourism Essay Introduction Executive Summary Ritz Carlton was founded by Mr. Cesar Ritz who initially worked in finest Hotels and restaurants in Paris. He owned grand Hotel Ritz and within one year he expanded wings in London and opened Hotel Carlton which became Ritz Carlton Hotel Company. He believed in excellent personalized services which satisfied the discerning guest. Ritz Carlton expanded to North America and ownership changed during 1983 to Johnson Company. During 1983 1987 Ritz Carlton expanded domestically and internationally under new ownership.  [i]   During 1997 Marriott International purchased Ritz Carlton and by 2000 it became primarily a management company operating 38 Hotels and resorts worldwide with minority stake in 10 properties and outright ownership of 3 hotels. The company used to obtain management contracts for new hotels and resorts around the world. Over the years hotel conglomerate won acclaimed for its services and had been awarded Best Hotel in Asia Pacific in the eight Business Traveler Asia / Pacific magazine Travel Awards Subscribe Survey and for two consecutive years Best Business Hotel in Malaysia. The Ritz Carlton Hotel Company for the first time now wants to open a hotel in historic Foggy Bottom district of Washington D C in Multi Use facility complex owned by Millennium Partners. The Hospitality Complex is 162 Luxury Condominiums, sports club, splash Spa, three restaurant, and 40,000 square feet of street -level restaurants and retail shops and 300-room hotel. Millennium partners founded in 1990 that set up high end luxury apartments and Lincoln square four building complex in New York was their first project and exhibited their future intensions. Millennium partners ended up in hotel business. In this case study Essence of Ritz-Carlton experience, the Ritz-Carlton selling, how the Ritz-Carlton creates Ladies and Gentlemen in only 7 days. Also McBride, Ritz-Carlton GM, to lengthen the amount of time spent on training hotel employees before hotel opening. McBride should consider a total overhaul of the hotel opening process. Products and Services Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company develops and Operates luxury hotels. Hotels are designed and identified to appeal to and suit the requirements of major customers including meeting event planners, Business travelers and leisure travelers. Ritz- Carlton set out to open any new hotel Ritz-Carlton including detailed analysis of site selection, new product and service development and feasibility study. The detailed analysis also includes target customers, their needs and expectations. The each hotel customized to meet local market demand. Innovation through make use of latest technology for enhancing customer satisfaction level Link restaurant services through internet KobaltExpress.com. It allows customers to decide menus ahead of time and also select the choice of table. Differential aesthetic look and best quality interior was few of the additional features. Core Values Business Model Following are the core values and Business model exist at Ritz Carlton: Core values: Trust, honesty, integrity and commitment. A great emphasizing on human resources, believes it important and biggest assets Foster work environment to fulfill individual aspirations Focus on Service but not sales Guest greets at Airport with mimosas and discount coupons on a silver tray Airport check in concierge Techno savvy to ensure customers needs satisfied Event Planners Ritz -Carlton managed properties for Millennium partners who were one of several hotel owners. Ritz Carlton charged management fees of 3% of total revenue besides wholly owned luxury hotels around the world. The customer segment was Independent travelers and Meeting Event planners. The key success indicators of hotel business were Average Daily Rate and Revenue per Available Room. Independent travelers were influenced through special services like providing discounting coupons at airports, created hotel room at airport and also introduced Technology Butler. The specialized services increased customer convenience and outpaced the competition. The nature of services is perishable and individual travelers are aiding in profitability. The event business / meeting business are growing and desirable for the sustainable profitability. The management contracts tend to meet needs of owners and operators. Quality at Ritz Carlton: Ritz Carlton has a great emphasizing on human resources. Robust HRM practices envisage right people for the right job and inducted to become perfect lady and gentleman. The total quality management philosophy began to permeate the organization. Company focused on new activities and measures including quality standards, continuous improvements for delivering better service quality. New programs designed to meet customer specific need and service quality indicators. The Quality policy believes in Exceeding Standards. Warm and sincere greeting, anticipation and compliances of guest needs and warm good bye are key service steps. HRM Practices at Ritz Carlton Human resources is critical element in the process for understanding of the service to be delivered and priorities in doing so, are aligned closely with customers expectations and marketing communications by the organization. For managers, the service climate needs to support and reward employees in their efforts to deliver the service product reliably at the promised standard. The value creation for customer If the customer perceives quality of the service to be higher than the cost incurred, the customer receives value. The greater the difference between the quality of service and the cost, greater will be the satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Ritz Carlton turnover rate was 20% compared to hotel industry average rate of 100%. This exhibits how Ritz Carlton cares about their employees and viewthem as one of the important and biggest asset and has passion for the people. Ritz Carlton nurtured and maximizes talent of each individual. Through the extensive formal and informal training employee were prepared to meet current obligations and also higher responsibilities in future. Employees were also trained to meet futuristic obligations and encouraged to cross train and learn about many different aspects. Performance was not only criteria but also managed by the employees themselves. Employees are monitoring their own performance and recognized for outstanding work, which ingrains a competitive advantage not seen not in the same industry but in many others too. Staffing To minimize failure in delivering services, key HRM practices like employee recruitment, selection and training focused and implemented. People having aptitude, talent and attitude to serve people, training schedule made sure to shape out staff for delivering exceptional services. The key of maintaining exceptional service standards was to keep high morale and motivation of each employee. Various tools were used to attract applicants for the various positions include visiting competitors restaurants, advertisement in news papers and visiting hospitality schools. Ritz Carlton job fair was organized for mass recruitment. Aspirants treated well including convenient reaching to destination of job fair, offering snacks and beverages, make them aware about organization. Value System and Service Oriented Approach of Ritz-Carlton The customer service oriented approach has three elements: For whom services and products created who will deliver and how will be delivered. Customer Value Customer relationships and customer loyalty Different communication and pricing strategies Assessment of customer satisfaction and complaints Making customer value more tangible People Role of employees in value creation Nature of competencies required to deliver services Empowerment of employees Reduction of stress Operations and Technology Designing processes to create value Design and location of facilities Role of technology Capacity management The Ritz Carlton having different value and philosophy in business which includes and they operate The Credo, The Motto, The Three Steps of Service, Service Values, the 6th Diamond the Employee Promise. The company is engage in the services oriented which have the unique characteristics for providing the services in order to meet the expectation of the customer. Some of the highlights have been captured depicted below:- Excellence in service not in Selling The Ritz-Carlton Philosophy states as they are not in the hotel business. The Ritz-Carlton is selling an experience, and experience that is based on excellence of service. As stated by Schulze, We are not in the hotel business. The hotel business is about selling rooms, selling food, selling the bar. We do those things incidentally, but our business is service. We charge for service. Our commitment to our customers is excellence in service. Their commitment to customers is excellence in service. Service is their profession. The total service oriented approach. The Credo The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is a place where the genuine care and comfort of guests is the highest mission. Pledge to provide the finest personal service and facilities for guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed, yet refined ambience. The Ritz-Carlton experience enlivens the senses, instills well-being, and fulfils even the unexpressed wishes and needs of guests. Motto At The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen. This motto exemplifies the anticipatory service provided by all staff members. Motto of the company, Employee commitment, The credo, employee promises and twenty basics are gold standards and success mantras. Gold standards reinforced on daily basis in order to build the habits of employees to deliver the highest level of services The three steps of service,- A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guests name. Anticipation and fulfillment of each guests needs Fond farewell give a warm good-bye and use the guests name. Service Values: Employees feel proud To Be Ritz-Carlton as they have opportunity to do following which gives them job satisfaction. The Ritz Carlton is known for service excellence and follow following principals to provide excellent service to their customers.= 1. Employee satisfaction. 2. Leadership involvement. 3. Determination, commitment, and accountability. 4. Attend to voice of the customers. 5. Two-way communication. 6. Freedom to act. 7. Employees as ambassadors. 8. Adapt service recovery model (L.A.S.T.: Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank You.) 9. Anticipate needs. 10. Scripting to convey the right message  [ii]   The 6th Diamond is Mystique, Emotional Engagement Functional , these all cared by Ritz- Carlton and known 6th Diamond. Employee Promises At The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen are the most important resource in service commitment to guests. By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment, they nurture and maximize talent to the benefit of each individual and the company. The Ritz-Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and The Ritz-Carlton Mystique is strengthened.  [iii]   Creating Service Oriented culture through orientation Servitisation approach means bundling goods services and makes a integrated package. This approach more focus on associated services than product Four steps in creating servitisation approach:- Knowing your customers Organizing service delivery systems Making sure employees have appropriate skills Employing technology A services discipline is defined by the following main features: The benefits it offers to customers The need to integrate, manage and deliver processes The importance of establishing and maintaining relationships The Ritz-Carlton As a premium hotel whose utmost mission is to provide genuine care and comfort to guests, The Ritz-Carlton pledges to provide the finest personal service and facilities to the guests who will always enjoy a warm, relaxed yet refined ambience.And this objective can only be fulfilled by satisfied and engaged employees. The three goals of Ritz are financial results, customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. These goals are not exclusive from each other. They are very closely interrelated. Without satisfied and engaged employees, there is no way to achieve excellent financial results and guest satisfaction. To ensure such high service standards, Management team look for people who will fit the existing culture and see the following qualities in the people. People who share the same values and purpose. People who care for and respect others. People who smile naturally. People who seek a long term relationship. People who have talent for the job Process of Ritz to create Ladies and Gentlemen in only 7 days The seven days countdown was formulated for hotel opening process which was refined during in the process of last several years , this was the new employees first encounter with hotel, which started exactly seven days before the grand opening of the hotel. The first two (2) days were devoted to orienting employees to the company culture and values. The next five days were devoted to more skills training and trial runs of service delivery. To ensure that employees are get aligned with organization mission and core values. Trainers from 23 nationalities The orientation process is slow and thorough, and ensures that the employees are aligned with the organizations mission and a great deal of focus is kept on the conveying the values of the organization. The trainers for the orientation program are gathered from 23 different countries, all considered the best of the best in their role within the organization. These trainers are responsible for ensuring that each employee is at the required level or standard in their specific job function at the hotel. Schulze addresses the new team by stating, You are not servants. We are not servants. Our profession is service. We are ladies and gentleman. We are ladies and gentleman and should be respected as such. He conveys a message of unity, a message of equality and team work during his address, and he again insists that We are ladies and gentleman serving ladies and gentleman, as per the Ritz Carlton motto. The Ritz-Carlton employed the Gold Standards to ensure this message was communicated effectively to all employees; the Gold Standard included The Credo, The Three Steps of Service, The Motto, The Employee Promise and the Twenty Basics to ensure employees were focused on the organizations values. Through continuous communication and brain storming session and directives from top to down level and intensive training, skill development and an aligned HRM strategy, within 7 days the Ritz-Carlton managed to create ladies and gentleman out of their employees. The steps for making Ladies and Gentleman Training and daily line-up: During the first two days employees were aware, trained and dipped into the culture and values of the organization and remaining five days devoted to specific skill training and trial runs of service delivery ensuring everything perfect and meeting service standards. The orientation process ensures aligns the worker with the mission of company and ensured service philosophy ingrained in all its employees, they ingrained the message that all employees are in the service business and not the hotel business. The executive team and Human Resources explain The Ritz-Carlton Credo, Employee Promise, and 12 Service Values. After that, they will receive 30 days of training from a certified trainer from the department. On Day 21, new employees are asked to give the management feedback on how they can improve their training program for future training and recertification. In addition, every employee gets a minimum of 130 hours of training every year, which spans training for his or her department, company culture, and language and computer skills. Day 365 is recognition of one year of loyal service and is an opportunity to reinforce the hotels culture. Every employee will also go through annual recertification after they pass written tests, role-play and interviews on culture and skill. Daily line-up is a daily briefing to reiterate the companys standard and convey important business messages. It takes place every morning in each department. While each department may conduct briefings differently, the message they convey is the same worldwide: they will talk about one of the 12 Service Values. Listening and communication: Communication is important and creates abundant opportunities to interact with employees beginning with the interview and continuing through monthly breakfast meetings and his daily rounds of the hotel: Human Resources also holds a monthly feedback session with randomly selected employees for 1 to 1.5 hours to discuss their concerns. Overall, every employee has one opportunity every year to speak with the General Manager or HR Director in private. In addition, the hotel conducts annual employee satisfaction surveys, and on an ongoing basis, collects opinions on employee issues and posts them in public areas identifying those responsible for solving them. The executive team then notes the number of issues solved and measures the satisfaction of the employees. Empowerment and continuous improvement: Employees are also encouraged to be innovative and creative when it comes to improving their jobs. Money is not the key motivator; employees are rewarded for improving the goals measured by guest satisfaction, financial performance and employee satisfaction at year-end. Employees are rewarded and recognized for their outstanding customer service.  [iv]   Information support: Through their numerous interactions with guests throughout their stay like check in, room service, and housekeeping, employees continuously record guest preferences and needs in Guest Preference Forms. Every night, such preferences and needs are entered into The Ritz-Carltons worldwide database Project Mystique, so whenever guests make a reservation at a Ritz-Carlton hotel, their needs and preferences are known and taken care of. Reward and recognition: At The Portman Ritz-Carlton, employees are recognized and rewarded both financially and non-financially. Mark DeCocinis believes if you want your people to be the best, you must pay them top market salaries. While money is not the key motivator, employees are rewarded for improving the goals measured by guest satisfaction, financial performance and employee satisfaction at year end. Employees are rewarded and recognized for their outstanding customer service. Every quarter, a Five-Star Employee Award is granted; with the winner receiving a five-night stay for two at a Ritz-Carlton anywhere in the world, along with round-trip tickets for two and US$500 allowance. At Ritz -Carlton human resources are very well planned they treat with hospitality. As per their President who says you are not servant. We are not servant. Our profession is service. We are ladies and gentleman, just as the guests are whom we respect as ladies and gentleman. If you impart such culture be sure you will create ladies and gentle to serve. Give the respect take the respect, which costs nothing only wins, the heart of the customer who is taking the service will have regards for the service provider. Employee orientation schedule Employee orientation is key part of the training and development process which introduces employees to the jobs, colleagues and organization. Researchers have found that formal orientation can achieve significant cost savings by reducing anxiety of new employees, fostering positive attitudes, job satisfaction and sense of commitment at the start of the employment relationship. The 7 day countdown was a Hallmark of Ritz Carltons well defined hotel opening process which synchronized all steps leading to the opening of a new hotel.  It was Ritz Carltons orientation process aimed at aligning the employee with the vision and mission of the organization. The 7 day orientation process was standardized and ensured that Ritz Carlton has the right employees to support its vision which was Excellent Personalized Service. The seven day countdown was a worldwide best practice for the organization but in our opinion McBride should lengthen the 7 day countdown because of the following reasons: Current difficulty faced in training new hires to meet the high expectation of Ritz Carltons standards in only 7 days. An increase in the training period would help employees understand their role in achieving the key success factors and creating the The Ritz Carlton Mystique. By lengthening the 7 day countdown the service could become flawless which in turn could help translate the 5% dissatisfied customers to satisfied customers. This would result in occupancy going up from 80% to 88% due to increase in satisfaction level translating to $300 million. Extending the 7 day countdown means investing in long standing excellence in areas such as employee orientation and customer oriented training resulting in increased customer engagement and satisfaction. Research on guest-spending patterns indicates that a four percent increase in customer engagement company-wide would generate an extra $40 million in incremental revenue. Employees morale is boosted as they are protected from feeling overwhelmed. A longer employee engagement would also mean further decrease in the annual turnover which stood at 18%. Adults by virtue of having lived longer accumulate greater volume, knowledge and mind-sets. It would help to have more time for the employees to o un-learn and learn new things. Continuous improvement was absolutely critical to keep the commitment to customer for excellence in service and extending the 7 day countdown would help the process. Would help thwart competition from The Four Seasons by offering flawless service which can be achieved by increasing the orientation period. Would help meet the expectations of the Millennium Partners about this hotel offering great great service which means it expected Service par excellence. Thus we believe that Ritz Carlton should therefore increase the length of the orientation to further ingrain service excellence in its new employees which will ensure higher productivity and foster competitiveness. An assessment of 7 days vs 14 days training program 50% occupancy revenue = $5,000,000 Cost of the 7 day training program = $10,00,000 (estimated) 80% occupancy revenue = $8,000,000 Cost of the 14 day training program = $20,00,000 (estimated) Benefit of the program = 3,000,000 Additional Cost = 1000,000 Return On Investment = 300% Every investment including investment for employee training associated with cost and benefit. The cost and benefit mean cost involved in training of employees, direct revenue benefit, intangible benefits. The increase / decrease training schedule also adversely / favorably impact. Ritz Carlton is well known name to the industry and known for service centric approach. Initial Occupancy may not affected by training period but message of customer care approach need to be ingrained. Local culture also affects the training schedule as behavior of individual employees need to framed up in line of the global approach. Change in hotel opening process Change is part of life. World scenario is becoming dynamic and industry is coming up with innovative products to lure customers. In order to stay ahead in competition, Ritz Carlton also need to think differently. The entire training module, customer expectancy needs overhaul of the hotel opening process. The defects need to eliminate within shortest time frame.. Additional training and development will increase the cost but it will build up confidence and set new industry bench mark. Ongoing operation is very different from the opening a new hotel. The opening hotel require two core competencies One is dealing with the development of the site. Human resource processes necessary to get the hotel up running. Ritz-Carlton regarded employees as the cornerstone of its exceptional service culture. The company understood that, as a service organization, the quality of its end product was only as good as the people providing it. Therefore it took care to see that it not only recruited the right kind of employees, but also provided them with the necessary inputs to enable them to provide exceptional service. Although Ritz-Carltons salaries were not significantly higher than those of other comparable organizations in the hospitality industry, the company was a preferred employer because of its organizational culture and the way it treated its employees. Ritz-Carltons organizational culture not only helped the company provide exemplary customer service, but also created an atmosphere where employees felt valued. It is difficult to train new hires to meet the high expectation of the Ritz Carlton service standards in only seven days, but it worked in Ritz Carlton. Training should not be longer which will not be cost effective in the short span of the time. The employees already working should be given chance to in the second opening millennium to avoid taking risk at the opening itself. Recruitment should be done for the Ritz Carlton not for the millennium because the employee can be transferred as per the requirement. The employees of the Millennium partners can be taken for the opening, as the partners employees will feel proud to work jointly as a team. This will give opportunity to the partners employee who knows the brand fame of the Ritz Carlton by giving the Ritz Carlton basics. Ritz-Carlton management takes the following four steps to ensure that employees maintain the companys high standards for quality and service Excellence, as articulated in the Gold Standards: (i) rigorous employee selection process, (ii) employee orientation, (iii) employee training certification, and (iv) continuous coaching. Conclusion The service industry is becoming more competitive. Global aspirations and technological innovations are challenges for the industry. Customers are loyal to the services rather than company. The services need to revisit and provide latest offers. Worlds best organizations believe in beating their own standards and developing innovating products to serve and win customer hearts. 100 % employee pride Joy, Zero customer difficulty and 100% customer loyalty are performance criteria of performance excellence set by Ritz Carlton Hotels. The road map created for performance excellence through strategic planning, leadership, Human resources, Processes Systems, customer focus, information analysis finally business results. Employees groomed and equipped to exceed (Not meet) customer requirements. Regular updating training needs, deliverance evaluation, PDCA (Plan, Do Check, Act) and Z- back approach; unlearning learning approach aided in meeting industry challenges.

A Raisin in the Sun Essay

The significance of Lena Younger in the screenplay and movie A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, directed by Kenny Leon In the movie A Raisin in the Sun derived from the screenplay by Lorraine Hansberry, the character of Lena Younger is effectively portrayed to show the importance of the plant as a symbol of Lena being in possession of a garden to call her own. However, the theme of dreams, especially Lena’s, is not made prominent enough to show Lena as a symbol of African American’s in the 50’s owning a house and moving up in society. In the screenplay of A Raisin in the Sun, Lena Younger is a sensitive mother and grandmother to the Younger household. She is very religious, and demands of her kids to thank God for their lives. This is shown when Lena slaps Beneatha for challenging the idea of God in her life. Lena says, â€Å"Now you say after me, in my mothers house there is still God† (Hansberry 39). This scene is effectively remade in the movie. The actress that plays Lena makes her anger and shock in Beneatha’s comment very believable, which further emphasizes the fact that Lena’s values are portrayed just as effectively in the movie as they were in the written screenplay. Lena also stands up for herself, much like her daughter Beneatha. This is shown in the scene where Lena goes to the market to buy some apples that are in very bad condition. Lena says, â€Å"Got the nerve to be askin’ people thirty-five cents for them apples look like they was on the scene when Moses crossed over†¦ Wouldn’t be tryin’ to sell ’em over yonder where I work† (Hansberry 54). In this scene of the screenplay, Lena’s character seemed very headstrong. In the movie however, this quote was not included. Instead Lena told the clerk, in a sarcastic tone, â€Å"Am I being charged for the worms too? † (A Raisin in the Sun), which means that the quality of the apples was not good. Although the scene was different, the point Hansberry was trying to make came across both ways. Lena came across as a headstrong woman who only wants the best and nothing less, within her budget. In these ways Lena Youngers character was portrayed effectively, however, her character has more significance that just good acting. One of the most important symbols in the screenplay A Raisin in the Sun is the plant. Throughout the screenplay and the movie, no one else in the Younger household cares for the plant except for Lena, which is why the symbol directly links to her. In the screenplay, as soon as Lena enters her apartment she goes to open the window. â€Å"Lord, if this little plant don’t start getting more sun, it ain’t never going to see spring again†. (Hansberry 66). This shows that after a long day, she still cares for her feeble little plant, and its growth. In the movie this scene was not portrayed effectively, mostly because the apartment the director chose does not accurately fit the description in the screenplay, thus making the symbolism of the plant ineffective. Despite that, the true symbolism of the plant is that Lena was longing for her own garden, and that was shown effectively in the movie. The quote from the movie corresponding to this scene is â€Å"If that plant don’t get more sunlight than it’s been getting, it’s just gonna give up† (A Raisin in the Sun) which shows that Lena does care for the plant, but can’t do anything about its well-being. Later on in the screenplay Lena starts to get stressed and worried about her children. The only thing she turns to then is her plant, which shows that Lena is in control of at least one thing in her house. When Ruth brings up the fact that Beneatha is home later than usual Lena replies, â€Å"I don’t believe this plant’s had more than a speck of sunlight all day† (Hansberry 76). This could be to direct her worries elsewhere, which makes sense because in other emotional scenes, such as when Lena is hearing about Mr. Linder, the camera focuses in on Lena touching the plants soil with her hands. The reply could also be because she sees her dream in the plant – she sees it is in a weak state and that it is barely growing. Lena also sees that Beneatha and Walter, her children, are experiencing new things and are growing to become people of the new generation. Because of this, she may turn to the plant and hope the same for it – hope for it to blossom into something better and of that generation. Lena’s dream of owning a garden represents not only her dream, but the dream of all the lower class african americans of the 50’s. Although Lena tries to keep her run down apartment looking polished, she makes it clear that she dreams for bigger things. While conversing with Ruth about when her and Big Walter bought the house Lena said, â€Å"†¦ But Lord, child, you should have known all the dreams I had about buying me that house and then fixing it up and making me a little garden in the back† (Hansberry 69), which clearly shows Lena’s dream. Not only does she want a nice garden for herself, but she wants a house for her family, so they can all enjoy living. This scene was not effectively shown in the movie mostly because, as mentioned before, the apartment they were living in did not look run down as was described in the screenplay. Due to this, when the characters were talking about the â€Å"ratty-ness† of the apartment it did not make sense, because their dialogue did not fit the visual. The ultimate dream for african americans of the time was to live in a place full of life, and of course with less rent. The screenplay implies that the apartment is small and that â€Å"weariness has, in fact, won in this room† (Hansberry 23), which means that the room is in poor condition. The movie shows the living room as small but it does not show it as tattered, like the screenplay implied. At that time and now, this is considered poverty, however the movie displays the room as well kept and does not appear worn out, which is what Lena tries to make it seem like. After Mr. Lindner comes to the Younger household, Beneatha, Walter and Ruth explain what he wanted from them, which was to buy their house off of them. Lena does not completely understand at first why he would come, which shows that she does not comprehend that there will be complications with moving into a white neighborhood. â€Å"Father give us strength. (Knowingly and without fun:) Did he threaten us? †(Hansberry 169). This shows that although Lena feels threatened by Mr. Lindner, she does not realize that the new generation does not directly say what they feel. This creates the tone that, just like Beneatha and Walter have been telling Lena, she is not educated enough on the new generation. Since Lena represents the African Americans of the 50‘s expanding in society, it was ineffectively shown in the movie and the screenplay, because of he automatic assumption that they were threatened. All in all, the character of Lena is ineffectively portrayed in the movie to symbolize what the african american’s of the 1950’s should have been like. Taking a look at Lorraine Hansberry’s idea of having a character like Lena in the screenplay, one understands that she is a statement rather than just a character with a dream. Lena Younger is a statement to show that women in the 1950‘s can work all day to provide for their families and still be caring rather than miserable. The condition the Youngers were living in was one where Lena could easily have been sour to her family members rather than nurturing. This is what Hansberry wanted to show. Also the plant symbolizes Lena’s nurturing side, that she will do anything to make the people (or things) she cares for grow and succeed. Overall, the directors of the movie A Raisin in the Sun did a decent job in interpreting Lena’s role in the screenplay. A Raisin In The Sun Essay In my opinion, the most prevalent theme in, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is the real meaning of money because all of the family members have dreams that require money in order for them to be fulfilled. Walter is always trying to get money to open up a liquor store and believes that the only way he can be a successful man is if he reaches this goal. Throughout the book, Walter is envious of wealthy people and is somewhat embarrassed of his career of a chauffeur. He would like for his son to have a better life and wants him to have everything that he could ever want. While talking to Mama in the book, Walter states, â€Å"Mama, sometimes when I’m downtown and I pass by them cool, quiet-looking restaurants where them white boys are sitting back and talking bout things, turning deals worth millions of dollars, sometimes I see guys don’t look much older than me.† (page 73) Walter pays so much attention to these rich â€Å"white boys† and this causes him to not appreciate what he has, he just always wants more. Walter believes that if Mama gives him the money to invest in a liquor store then he will be successful. Mama doesn’t understand why Walter is s o focused on money and she asks him, â€Å"Son-how come you talk so much ‘bout money?† Walter replies, â€Å"Because it is life, Mama!† (page 74) Mama doesn’t see money as such a big necessity in life and believes more in family, love and faith. She tries to show Walter and Beneatha that not everything in life is about being wealthy and having money. For example, after Walter tells Mama that he thinks that money is life on page 74, she says, â€Å"Oh-So now it’s life. Money is life. Once upon a time freedom used to be life- now it’s money. I guess the world really do change†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is trying to teach Walter not to be so materialistic. She wants him to focus on other aspects of life that Walter just can’t seem to understand. Also, when Mama says how the world is changing, she is talking about how money has a negative influence on the people of that time and how sad it is that money  is such a necessity. During the conversation between Mama and Walter, Mama sys, â€Å"You something new, boy. In my time we was worried about not being lynched and getting to the North if we could and how to stay alive and still have a pinch of dignity too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (page 74) Mama is talking about how Walter should appreciate his freedom and how in her time, they had to fight for their freedom and could care less about money. Beneatha doesn’t seem to show as much interest in money until she realizes that all of her family’s money is one. In the beginning of the book, Beneatha is kind of the outcast of the family because she doesn’t seem too concerned about the money and has different views than the rest of the family. For example, Beneatha and Ruth had a conversation about why Beneatha won’t marry George and Beneatha says, â€Å"Oh, I just mean I couldn’t ever really be serious with George. He’s- he’s so shallow.† Ruth replies, â€Å"Shallow- what do you mean he’s shallow? He’s rich!† Beneatha then says, â€Å"I know he’s rich. He knows he’s rich too.† (page 48-49) Beneatha wants more from a man than money, she has more depth than that. She is an independent woman and refuses to marry someone just because they are wealthy. In the beginning, Beneatha isn’t too focused on money; however, she comes to the realization that in order to fulfill her dream of being a doctor, she needs money for medical school. When Walter lost all of the family’s money, ruining any chance of Beneatha becoming a doctor she tells Asagai, â€Å"Asagai, while I was sleeping in that bed there, people went out and took the future right out of my hands! And nobody asked me, nobody consulted me- they just went and changed my life!† (page 134) A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, was written perhaps with some personal experience. When Lorraine was younger, a mob surrounded her home in a white middle class neighborhood and threw a brick in her window (Literature and Language, 913). However, racial prejudice is just one of the themes discussed in the play. The play takes place during the Civil Rights Movement, and the obstacles overcome are obstacles we still face today. Racial prejudice, family strength, and a sell out are the several strong thematic elements in the play. When the Younger family is introduced, they are introduced together. Despite the hardships endured throughout the play, the family stays together even through quarrels. Mama is almost like a Buddha of the Younger family by acting as the backbone of the family; Mama is the strong one (A Raisin in the Sun, 854). When Walter explains to Mama how he wants to start a liquor store with the money she tells him she doesn’t want to go into the liquor business. She decides then to tell him he needs to sit down and talk to his wife, which is more important, because she’s family (A Raisin in the Sun, 869). Mama notices also how Walter and Ruth’s relationship is uncertain (A Raisin in the Sun, 855) which is why she wants him to talk to Ruth about her pregnancy (A Raisin in the, 869). If the baby isn’t kept, Ruth and Walter might separate and Travis will have to go back and forth, and Mama won’t have another grandchild. If that had happened, the family would be broken up, and it seems to be a constant fear in Mama that the family might someday divide. Another sign of family strength is when Beneatha denies Walter as her brother (A Raisin in the Sun, 907). When Mama hears Beneatha shun her brother, she reminds her that her brother is just the same as her when she says: † You feeling like you better than he is today? † They are both strong-willed, live in the same apartment, and have the same economic situation. Mama scolds her for acting like the rest of the world. Looking down on him as a colored man doing low pay jobs to support them, and no one wants to claim that they know that poor sod. Mama tells Bennie not to write his epitaph like the outside world because she doesn’t have the privilege, because she’s just like him. Mama isn’t trying to remind Bennie that she suffers the same ordeals, but perhaps if she was the man of the family she might do the same. Bennie herself would try to provide for them, and Walter’s actions were meant out of kindness, and the least Bennie could do is to be with him in his time of need. Maybe Bennie’s attempts at being a doctor were partly out of love for her family to help provide for them, not out of pity or personal honor, but for unity. It’s not the characters that make the family struggle but mostly the conditions their forced to endure. Socially, they are shunned for being Negroes. When Mr. Lindner bribes the family to move out, the idea threatens to tear the family apart. The idea is at first easily denied because of the money they have to support themselves (A Raisin in the Sun, 892). However, when Walter loses the money, Mr. Lindner’s offer appeals to him (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The family becomes shocked and tries to support him in his decision, but Walter realizes the importance of family and he turns Lindner away. However, the climactic theme of the story is Walter’s selling out point. A typical reader would want to hate Walter for using the money to start up a liquor store, but then it’s realized that he was only doing it for his family (A Raisin in the Sun, 896-897). When Walter gave the money away, he gave away the family’s future too. Beneatha wasn’t securely in school anymore, Travis would have to keep sleeping in the living room, and there isn’t money for Ruth’s baby. Not only did that affect their futures, but it hurt Mama as well. In a way, Walter gave away their memories and values. When Walter finds out the money is lost, he says that the money was made out of his fathers flesh, because it was his father who helped them to receive that money. Walter gave it away anyway though because he thought it would help the family (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). He gave away the family’s values by deceiving them into thinking that he did the responsible thing with the money, what the family wanted done with money. He fooled Mama into believing he was grown up and could become the head of the family. When the family learned of his mistake, the family became away of what he had done. Furthermore, it insulted them for how he had went about it. Bennie felt like low class, and didn’t feel she could be a doctor anymore (Raisin in the Sun, 901). Ruth felt insulted because she can’t believe her husband is going to take the bribe from Lindner (Raisin in the Sun, 905). Mama took it even harder because her husband’s blood, sweat, and tears went into it; and their dreams were lost because of it. They wanted their children to live out their dreams but instead Walter gave them away in a day (Raisin in the Sun, 856, 897). Perhaps the biggest struggle in the play is the racial prejudice the family endures together. Only because of their color, they end up working in a low pay job in a poorly attended apartment (A Raisin in the Sun, 897). Mr. Lindner is the main symbol in representing racial prejudice. Symbolically, Mr. Lindner could show that stereotypes even come in nice packages. On the outside, Mr.  Lindner was a polite man, but on the inside, he was racist and not accepting, like when he left their apartment the first time he visited and told Walter that you can’t change what’s in peoples hearts (A Raisin in the Sun, 891). Despite the simplicity of the message, it’s perhaps the most powerful of the themes. Although an entire neighborhood, an entire race, wants the Youngers to move out, they stand together and defend themselves and fight back, even when they feel like they have nothing left. However, Walter realizes that he does have something, which is family, and his pride, which he almost lost in taking the bribe (A Raisin in the Sun, 909). The Youngers, when standing together, show that with strength and defiance, they can pull through anything together. Together, the Youngers battled racism from a middle class white neighborhood. Together, the Youngers fought a loss of a dream when Walter sold out. Together the Youngers remained united by giving up their personal dreams for the one family dream of staying together. A Raisin in the Sun Essay In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry you go back in time to when segregation was still aloud. In this play you meet a cast of people with dreams of a better life. The American Dream, to be specific. This dream is portrayed differently for each character, all of which impact the play. Two of these character`s are Walter Lee Younger and Lena Younger. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams conflict and impact the family through materialism and desire to be the ideal American family in society. Mama and Walter both desire to provide for their family. They both look at money as success. When the $10,000 insurance check comes along, Mama sees it as a chance for her family to finally live up and be more like the rest of the American society. She aspires to look after her family, by giving them a house, a car, and most of all- happiness. Walter on the other hand becomes obsessed with his dreams of business, which he believes will result in financial independence to provide for his family. He feels ashamed when he can’t give money to his son. When Travis asks for fifty cents and Ruth tells him they don’t have it, Walter gives him fifty cents anyway. â€Å"In fact, here’s another fifty cents†¦ Buy yourself some fruit today- or take a taxicab to school or something†(12) He yearns for his son Travis to look up to him. He adds another fifty to make this more real or true. This also shows how Walter looks at money as success. Walter believes this will be true if he has his dream of owning his own business or all in all- wealth. Success to both them means that they no longer have to struggle, and live up to what people perceive. Mama distinguishes herself from Walter when it comes to materialistic matters. The first thing mama does when she gets the insurance money is buy a house for her family. This shows how the capitalistic society is having a materialistic effect on Mama. Mama’s dream consists of a house and happy family. Mama’s plant is a perfect indication of her dream. It symbolizes her family in a way. When the family is down, the plant is down. Mama is constantly in protection of the plant, in hopes of holding on to her dream. Walter in comparison is always looking to be somebody and make it in life. Walter sees wealth as the only solution to this. He longs for financial support. He becomes corrupted by society -to find his identity through money. Walter tells his mother, â€Å"I want so many things†(60). This shows his greediness. All in all Mama and Walters dreams both involve money. Mama shows us her longing for the acceptance of society when she immediately buys a house in a white neighborhood, to provide for her family. Walter shows us his desperation to be a valuable human being when he steals money in hopes of starting his liquor business. Walter wants to be respected and live a happy lifestyle for this family. He longs to be the head of the household. Walter see’s himself with a liquor store as having power. It isn’t till the end until he rethinks the values of himself and his family’s future about how there is more to living than just having material riches. Mama only yearns for her family to be respected and live up to what society perceives. No matter what you perceive The American Dream to be, it is possible to attain it and be successful. The American Dream is whatever your dream of success perceives to be. Hansberry shows how hard it was for colored people to find their identities during segregated times. Walter and Mama learn that money doesn’t possess much when it comes by itself. In Raisin in the Sun Mama and Walter’s American dreams differentiate and impact the family through their wanting to be accepted in society and live in peace. Anyone in this country can undertake happiness and success if they work at it. A Raisin in the Sun Essay 1.When Asagai arrives at the apartment, how does his mood contract with Walter’s and Beneatha’s? He is very positive and is looking toward the future. Walter and Beneatha appear defeated. 2.How has the loss of the money changed Beneatha’s optimism? What does she tell Asagai? What is Asagai’s response? She has given up and admits defeat. She tells Asagai there is no hope and everything is over. Asagai is very critical of Beneatha’s feelings and tells her if she has dreams and wants a positive future, she needs to make it herself. He also asks her to go to Africa with him. 3.How does Asagai define idealists and realists? Which group does he prefer to be associated with? Idealists have dreams and go after them. Realists only see the circle of life and the things that are right in front of them. He would rather be an idealist. 4.What alternative view of the future does Asagai offer to put Beneatha’s depression in perspective? Go to Africa with him. 5.Asagai leaves and Walter comes into the living room. How does Beneatha attack Walter? What does Walter do? She attacks him by speaking down about who he is as a man. Walter ignores her and looks for something in the apartment. 6.How has Mama’s physical appearance changed? Why does Mama put her plant back on the windowsill? She is depressed and seems defeated. Mama puts her plant in the window because she feels as if she is going nowhere. 7.Who does Mama blame for the current situation, and how does she plan to deal with it? She blames herself for this because people have always accused her of dreaming too big. 8.Up until now, Ruth has been the practical one. How does she react to Mama’s new attitude? She tries to lift Lena’s spirits. She doesn’t know what to think or how to really handle Mama’s new attitude. 9.When Walter arrives back home, what does he say he has done? What does he plan to do? He has called Mr. Lindner, and the family is going to take the money that was offered to them. 10.Describe Walter’s new view of life as being divided between the â€Å"takers† and the â€Å"tooken.† He feels that life is full of takers and tooken. His family has been, he feels, has always been â€Å"tooken† From this point forward, they are going to be â€Å"takers.† 11.What does Mama mean when she tells Walter that if he takes Lindner’s money he will have nothing left inside? He will loose his dignity and pride of he takes the money. 12.Beneatha says Walter is no brother of hers. What lesson does Mama have to remind Beneatha about? Mama tells her she has no right to feel that way or say that about her brother. Regardless of what has happened, she has always taught Beneatha to love. 13.When Lindner arrives, why does Mama insist that Travis stay in the room? She wants him to learn from his father 14.What does Walter tell Lindner? Why? He talks to him about his father and how he worked all his life for others. He continues to tell Lindner that his family is not going to take his money because his father earned the house for the family. 15.Why does Lindner decide to appeal to Mama? What is her response? He appeals to her because he says she is older and wiser. He feels that she will bend to the demands of the neighborhood. 16.What is the importance of having Mama return to the empty apartment to grab her plant? That plant represents her dreams and the spirit of her family. Wherever she goes and the family goes, so does the plant. She isn’t one to walk out on her family or her dreams. A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry. html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay Lorraine Hansberry’s play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† was far ahead of its time in both depicting the everyday life of black people in a way that everyone can understand and discuss the oppression that black people still felt even though strides had been taken towards civil rights. According to NPR, Hansberry shared the aims for this play with her husband. â€Å"Hansberry told her husband she wanted to write a social drama about blacks that was good art. Instead of stereotyped characters that would bear no resemblance to actual people, she invented a situation that was sometimes painfully realistic. The plot revolves around what her characters do given the opportunity to escape their cramped surroundings† (NPR). Much of the material from this play is based on Hansberry’s own life experiences. They are real characters. The reader can feel Mama’s love for her family and her desire for them to better themselves. Travis should not have to sleep on the couch. Beneatha should be able to be a doctor, but she must be careful not to overspeak according to Mama. Beneatha’s frustration with the â€Å"outdated† ideas of her mother and her brother’s traditional marriage are felt. She is a dreamer and yet the reader wants to believe with her. Walter’s anger is perfectly justified although it gets him nowhere, and Ruth’s increasing frustration with her husband is also justified, especially as they are about to bring another child into the world. The reader hopes that Walter’s scheme will work even though he/she knows it never will. In the end, the family triumphs against daunting odds. They will have to work harder than they ever have to keep their house, and they will never fit into their neighborhood. They will likely face acts of discrimination even more pronounced, but they do not swallow their pride and submit to the demands of Lindner and their neighborhood. Her characters even speak in the dialect of a real Chicago neighborhood. She uses a non-standard dialect that would only be spoken in black communities. The use of the poem of Langston Hughes called â€Å"Dream Deferred† makes the subject and characters even more real. It asks the reader to think about what would happen if someone worked all their lives for a dream and was unable to achieve it. The poem then gives options that fit various people within the play. Anyone who reads the play can definitely see the struggles of African Americans. Hansberry was deeply committed to the fight for civil rights just as her parents had been. The struggles of the Younger family parallel the struggles of African Americans in a time where the discrimination was just beginning to be faced. According to Books and Writers, in 1959 Hansberry had said in a speech: â€Å"The unmistakable roots of the universal solidarity of the colored peoples of the world are no longer â€Å"predictable† as they were in my father’s time – they are here. And I for one, as a black woman in the United States in the mid-Twentieth Century, feel that I am more typical of the present temperament of my people than not, when I say that I cannot allow the devious purposes of white supremacy to lead me to any conclusion other than what may be to most robust and important one of our time: that the ultimate destiny and aspirations of the African peoples and twenty million American Negroes are inextricably and magnificently bound up together forever. † (Books and Writers). This sums up Hansberry’s ideas about the race and shows us how the play deals with the supremacy of whites. It is clear that the white characters like Karl Lindner and Walter’s boss are better off. Even the blacks who sell out in one way or another like George Murchison or Willy Harris are in better places than the Youngers. This family finds it almost impossible to get ahead as the whole social structure is opposed to them. And while this is a play about the American Negro, it is also one with a universal theme. It is also about the failure of the American Dream, which anyone in any time period can relate to. Writing in Commentary, Gerald Weales pointed out that â€Å"Walter Lee’s difficulty †¦ is that he has accepted the American myth of success at its face value, that he is trapped, as Willy Loman [in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman] was trapped by a false dream. In planting so indigenous an image at the center of her play, Miss Hansberry has come as close as possible to what she intended–a play about Negroes which is not simply a Negro play. † (Gale Research). In other words, she has succeeded in discussing an American Negro family, and yet, making it understandable and relatable to everyone of every race. This was no easy task. This is reiterated by Critic Harold Clurman, in the Nation, noted that â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is authentic: it is a portrait of the aspirations, anxieties, ambitions, and contradictory pressures affecting humble Negro fold in an American big city. † (Gale Research). Much of the historical information in this play comes from Lorraine Hansberry’s own life. She grew up on the South Side of Chicago, just like in the play. Hansberry’s parents were activists as well as intellectuals and her father was a real estate agent. He violated a covenant law and moved into a white neighborhood. Their white neighbors tried to evict them. Hansberry’s father actually won an antisegregation case that he fought with the aid of the NAACP with the Illinois Supreme Court. These events are the events on which A Raisin in the Sun was loosely based. When Lorraine was eight, her parents bought a house in a white neighborhood, where they were welcomed one night by a racist mob. Their experience of discrimination there led to a civil rights case. Her father won the case; the Supreme Court declared that the discrimination was unconstitutional. However, nothing really happened in reality as a result of winning this case. Hansberry’s family also learned about the results of fighting the system as they faced many prejudices and acts of discrimination because of their fight, such as a brick being thrown through their window. . Hansberry also worked for Freedom, a progressive black newspaper from 1950 to 1953, which is seen in the play’s emphasis on civil rights (PAL). Also according to PAL, â€Å"In 1963 Lorraine Hansberry became very active in the civil rights movement in the South. She was a field organizer for CORE† (PAL). Again, her emphasis on civil rights in the play comes out of her own beliefs and actions. In the play the topic is covered very thoroughly as the Younger family buys a house in a white neighborhood. Houses in black neighborhoods were double the price, and their dream is to get out of the run-down apartment. In discussing this, Hansberry outlines the discrimination built into housing in Chicago and other urban areas. So, they bought the house in the white neighborhood and are elated, but their elation is short-lived because Mr. Lindner shows up. The family fights back as he tries to talk them out of moving by saying things like, â€Å"I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities† (Hansberry 2. 3. 65). He ends with a statement about Linder hoping the family knows what they are getting themselves into. In the end, even after Walter loses the money, the family decides to move anyway. They will take extra jobs to make sure that their children have a better life. Hansberry’s interest in Africa began at an early age. According to Books and Writers, in an unfinished, partly autobiographical novel Hansberry wrote: â€Å"In her emotions she was sprung from the Southern Zulu and the Central Pygmy, the Eastern Watusi and the treacherous slave-trading Western Ashanti themselves. She was Kikuyu and Masai, ancient cousins of hers had made the exquisite forged sculpture at Benin, while surely even more ancient relatives sat upon the throne at Abu Simbel watching over the Nile†¦ † (Book and Writers). This love of and interest in Africa is shown through both Asagai and Beneatha. Beneatha and Asagai show this interest in African pride in a time in America that was well before Africans began taking interest in their roots or going back to Africa. Asagai is from Africa and has great pride in it; Beneatha is interested in her roots even though she does things like straighten her hair, which Asagai says is assimilationist. Asagai even woos her with his pride in his country. For example, â€Å"I will show you our mountains and our stars; and give you cool drinks from gourds, and teach you the old songs and the ways of our people† (Hansberry 3. 1. 55). While Walter makes fun of all the African conversation, that is also historically accurate ahead of its time. Many Africans were interested in their past and wanted to learn about their terrible past. Some, such as Malcolm X, even went so far as to change their name to reflect their former slave status. Others thought the interest was dumb, a part of their past, not their future. Lorraine Hansberry also puts Beneatha forth as a feminist long before women began demanding their rights. The National Organization for Women was not formed until the late 1960s. Yet Beneatha is a feminist. When Asagai makes the statement, â€Å"For a woman it should be enough†, Beneatha replies, â€Å"I know—because that’s what it says in all the novels that men write. But it isn’t. Go ahead and laugh—but I’m not interested in being someone’s little episode in America† (Hansberry 1. 2. 114). She wants to be a doctor, and her conviction is so strong that the reader believes her. Hansberry was also a feminist ahead of her time to put these ideas into writing. Even though Beneatha seems to â€Å"flit† from one thing to another, she is in the process of finding her identity. Exploring options and experiencing life is the way that she will find herself as well as having diverse friends like Joseph Asagai. Even her name implies that she believes everything is beneath her. Sometimes irritating, Beneatha is a true feminist before her time. Feminist as anything else is a progression in coming into womanhood. For example, Mama speaks matter-of-factly of her husband’s womanizing ways. She does not condemn him, but seems to accept that womanizing is what men do. Ruth would not put up with that from Walter although she does defer to him on a number of occasions. She also has a more gentle way of getting him to come around. Beneatha represents the â€Å"new woman† or feminist in that she would not put up with any of this. She wants to forge her own identity independent of a man. She believes that people must accept her as she is and refused to â€Å"be nice† as Mama tells her. This play also shows the change in black arts and intellectualism. According to Schmoop, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun is part of broader shift in black art towards depicting working-class, ordinary African-Africans. Previously, black intellectuals did not use literature, art, or the stage to portray working-class African-Americans for fear they would perpetuate undesirable stereotypes. † (Schmoop). Lorraine Hansberry and Langston Hughes both thought this idea ridiculous. They, in fact, felt the opposite. They felt that they could challenge these stereotypes by writing about them. Also according to Schmoop, â€Å"By focusing on the dreams and aspirations of one particular working-class black family, moreover, Hansberry was able to show audiences the universality of black aspirations while also demonstrating that their race posed a significant barrier to achieving those goals† (Schmoop). That is precisely what Hansberry did. She showed the trials and struggles of one family. The family is black, and some of the themes only those of color could relate to but others are universal—family love, sibling rivalry, wanting the best for children, wanting to make money and have more, etc. A Raisin in the Sun is a masterful play. While some see it overly simplistic, Hansberry gives us the gamut of African American response to the oppression that was still occurring. Walter is just angry. Mama and Ruth are more concerned with just getting by and providing better opportunities for the next generation. Willy Harris steals from his own to get ahead, and George Murchison rejects his own upbringing. Asagai also rejects American ways, but he is African. Beneatha most represents Lorraine Hansberry as she tries to fight the system, fight society’s expectations of her as a black woman, and forge her own identity. All emotions are represented in this play. Works Cited Books and Writers. http://www. kirjasto. sci. fi/corhans. htm http://www. shmoop. com/intro/literature/lorraine-hansberry/a-raisin-in-the-sun. html Colas, Brandon. Lorraine Hansberry. A Raisin in the Sun. The Ghetto Trap. Retrieved November 28, 2008 at http://www. literature-study-online. com/essays/hansberry.html Corley, Cheryl. A Raisin in the Sun. March 11. 2002. NPR. Retrieved November 26, 2008 at http://www. npr. org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/ Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. â€Å"Lorraine Hansberry. † Authors and Artists for Young Adults. Vol. 25. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich. : Thomson Gale. 2007. http://www. edupaperback. org/showauth. cfm? authid=93 Reuben, Paul. PAL: Perspectives in American Literature. Retrieved November 27, 2008 at http://www. csustan. edu/English/reuben/pal/chap8/hansberry. html A Raisin in the Sun Essay A Raisin in the Sun is a story of the Younger Family dealing with racial problems in Chicago slums. Ten thousand dollars arrives in the mail and Lena has to decide what to do with it. Bennie wants it for tuition money, Walter wants it for down payment for the liqueur store and Ruth just wants everyone to be happy. So there is three major events happening: (1) Lena decides to buy a house in a white neighborhood, (2) Lena entrusts the rest of the money to Walter telling him to save a good amount for Beneatha’s schooling and (3)Walter loses all the money in the liquor store scam. In all these dilemmas Lena has a plant that she talks and takes care of it through out the story. Mama’s plant symbolizes hope for the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å" Lord, if this little old plant don’t get more sun than it’s been getting it ain’t never going to see spring again.( Hansberry, 40)† In the beginning that the plants needs sun because its in a room with a little window and Mama worries that it will not spring so it shows that even thought it does not have enough sun and it is still surviving so it wants to holding because it knows it will be in a better place and become stronger in the future. In act one scene one Mama says â€Å"They spirited all right, my children. Got to admit they got spirit- Bennie and Walter.. Like this little old plant that ain’t never had enough sunshine or nothing – and look at it†¦(Hansberry,52)† Mama Knows that Bennie and Walter are strong and do not just give up like that plant which shows hope for the future for both them to hold out for that soil and that house even thought it has racism they can get through it like the plant without the sun. Beneath: â€Å"Mama, what are you doing?† Mama:â€Å" Fixing my plant so it won’t get hurt none on the way†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Beneatha: Mama, you going to take that to the new house?(Hansberry,121)† Mama: †un-huh-† Beneatha: â€Å" that raggedy-looking old thing?† Mama: It EXPRESSES ME!† Even thought Beneath tells Mama how the plant is old and worthless she knows that expresses her. Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because all she talks about is getting the garden since all she has is one plant so she says the houses in her neighborhood have their garden. â€Å"well, I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home. This plant is close as I ever got to having one.(Hansberry,53)† Lena just wanted to have a garden since she could not have one when she was little because she was a slave. So that plant is the  closest thing she ever had to a garden. Although some may be able to argue that Mama’s plant does not symbolizes anything because she only wants a garden with her house. She wants a garden and that plant is the only thing she can have but it does mean the plant symbolizes hope because sh e treats the plant like one of her children she nurtures it and wants to take it to a new house to live. Mama’s plant is hope for the future because it thrived or lived through not having a lot of light through that small window in the apartment just like the family went through racism.

Henry Lee Lucas Essay

Henry Lee Lucas On July 11th 1983, a drifter named Henry Lee Lucas was arrested for illegal possession of a fire arm by a felon. Lucas was not at all happy about being locked up, because they were supposedly depriving him of cigarettes and coffee. After being locked up for 4 days, he admitted to one of the jailers that he had â€Å"done some bad things†. He told that he had killed for the last 10 years. He was already a suspect in 2 murders, and the offices were sure that they would soon have enough information to close these 2 cases. Lucas admitted that he had killed Kate Rich and Becky Powell. While in court for these murders, he admitted that he’d had sex with the body, cut it into pieces and burned it in a wood stove. He also said that he had killed at least a hundred more. Police started questioning Lucas about other unsolved murders all over the country. He would admit to them and tell them some details about the crime that would link him to it. Over a period of time, he started offering more information about murders that he had not even been questioned about. He said that he usually picked up hitchhikers then he would quickly kill them and have sex with the body because he preferred sexual contact with a corpse. He generally used a knife or strangulation, but said that he liked to try different methods so that he didn’t leave a pattern for the police to follow. Lucas also later confessed to killing his mother. He said that she was an alcoholic and was mean to him. Some claims say that she supported the family by bootlegging and prostitution. Lucas claimed that his mother made him watch her entertain her clients. He claims that after walking out of the room one time because he was disgusted with her actions, she found him and hit him in the head with a wooden board. He said that after that, he had dizzy spells and headaches. On January 11, 1960, Lucas and his mother got into an argument and Lucas grabbed a knife and plunged it into her neck. He was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to 20 years. He served 10. Another claim that he made was that of one of his mother’s clients. He said that this man turned him on to bestiality by showing him how to have sex with the corpse of a dog or sheep. He said that he first killed someone just before he turned 15. He said that the reason was so that he could see what it felt like to have sex with a human. Lucas had a traveling companion/lover named Odis Toole. Toole supposedly assisted Lucas in these heinous crimes. Toole’s niece, Becky Powell, began to travel with them. Lucas began to fall in love with her. He decided to take Becky for himself, so he and Becky left Toole and went to TX. Toole was not happy about them leaving. He had lost his longtime lover and his niece. He supposedly killed several people over a 6 month period of time. He also confessed to kidnapping and killing a small boy named, Adam Walsh. Adam’s father was inspired after the killing of his son, to start the popular show, America’s Most Wanted. After living in TX for a while, Becky wanted to come home. Lucas resisted, but later told her to gather her things. They began to hitchhike. He continued trying to get her to change her mind. She did not. At one point, they got into an argument and she slapped him. He took his knife and stabbed her in the heart. He drug her off over and embankment and had sex with her corpse. He cut her up into 9 pieces and spread them over a field. He later returned and gathered the pieces and buried them under a tree. He then returned to where they were living in TX, and to a lady named Kate Rich. He wanted to kill again. He asked Kate if she wanted to help him look for Becky (knowing that she was dead). She agreed and went with him. He drove to the end of a dirt road and stabbed Kate in the side, puncturing her heart. He was immediately aroused. He dragged her from the car and had sex with her body. He cut her up, also, and took her back to where they were living in TX and put her in a stove to burn her remains. After much investigation, and examination of the times and places that some of the murders took place that Lucas had admitted to , police began to question whether or not he was telling the truth. They later figured out that he was lying about several of the instances, because some of them were even committed when he was locked up for other crimes that he had committed. It was also found that he was known to be in a different place when he claimed to have killed in another state many miles away. Lucas claimed to have committed over 360 murders. It was eventually claimed that the police were so interested in closing some of their open murder cases that they would show Lucas the case files to â€Å"refresh his memory†. He in turn used it to his benefit by tying himself to the murders by telling evidence that was never released to the public. The police actually cleared around 213 cases through Lucas’ confessions. He was convicted of only 11 homicides; although some criminologist say that he was responsible for between 40-50 murders. In 1998, Gov. George W. Bush of TX commuted the death penalty that Lucas was handed, to a sentence of life.

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