Dreams
Quotes
Symbolism/ Themes
Time Period
Plot
100

What was Beneatha's dream?

To become a doctor.

100

Who says this quote? "It [Life] was always about money, Mama."

Walter

100
How is the theme, the need to fight racial discrimination shown in the novel?
When Mr. Linder bribes them to keep from moving it threatened to tear apart the Younger family and the values it stood for. Ultimately, Mr. Younger responded with strength and defiance. This demonstrates that the way to deal with discrimination is to stand up to it and reassert one’s dignity in the face of it rather than allow it to pass unchecked.
100
Who was the first African American cabinet member?
Robert Weaver. He became the first African American Cabinet member when President Lyndon Johnson appoints him Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
100
Where are the Younger's looking to move and why do people not want them to move there?
Clybourne Park. People do not want them to move there because they would be the first black family in the neighborhood and many racist people did not want them "ruining" the neighborhood.
200

What was Ruth's dream?

To have a happy family.

200

Who says this quote? "You never say anything new.  I listen to you every morning, every night, but you never say anything new."

Ruth

200
What does Beneatha's new haircut symbolize about her?
Her new haircut represents the embracing of her heritage. Beneatha’s cutting of her hair is a very powerful social statement, as she symbolically declares that natural is beautiful, ultimately saying that black is beautiful. Rather than force her hair to conform to the style society dictates, Beneatha goes for a style that enables her to more easily shows her identity and her culture.
200
Why was jazz considered the most important music of the Civil Rights Movement?
Jazz has been symbolically linked to the civil rights movement. The music, which appealed to whites and blacks alike, provided a culture in which the collective and the individual were inextricable, and in which one was judged by his ability alone, and not by race or any other irrelevant factors. “Jazz,” Stanley Crouch writes, “predicted the civil rights movement more than any other art in America.
200
How does Mr. Linder make the theme of racial discrimination prominent in the plot?
Mr. Linder and the people he represents can only see the color of the Younger family's skin, and offers to bribe the Youngers to keep them from moving to an all-white Clybourne Park neighborhood.
300

What was Mama's dream?

Her dream was to move out of their apartment and buy a house with a garden.

300

What does this quote mean? "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.'"

This quote is saying that even though it seems like that your dreams are not coming true, your children will make them come true.

300
When Ruth tells Walter to "Eat your eggs" multiple times, what does this symbolize?
Ruth said this to quiet Walter while he was talking about his dream. Being quiet and eating one’s eggs represents an acceptance of the adversity that Walter and the rest of the Youngers face in life.
300
Name two African-American musician during the Civil Rights Movement.
What is Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman,Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong
300
How does Walter change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
In the beginning, Walter believed that money would solve all of their problems and often fought with Ruth, Mama, and Beneatha. He was not a good listener and did not seem to understand that he must pay attention to his family members' concerns in order to help them. As the book goes on Walter realizes that he cannot raise the family up from poverty alone and begins to listen to Mama and Ruth. He finally became a man when he stood up to Mr. Lindner.
400

What was Walter's dream?

His dream was to run a business of his own, in this case, a liquor store.

400
Who says this quote? What does it mean? "We have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we got to say about that. We don’t want your money."
Walter says this at the end of the play when he is telling Mr. Lindner that they will move into the neighborhood despite the fact that the neighborhood does not want them to move there. He does this because he is standing up for his family and that they earned it and his father earned it "brick by brick".
400

What does Mama's plant represent in the novel?

Her plant represents her care and her dream for the family. She says that her plant never gets enough light but has pride for it because it flourishes under her care. This is similar to her family because she has unconditional love and care for her family despite the poor environment.

400
What year did Martin Luther King Jr. give his "I have a dream speech?
Aug. 28, 1963
400
Why is the title of this novel "A Raisin in the Sun?"
This novel is named after a reference from Langston Hughes poem he wrote about. He wrote whether those dreams would shrivel up "like a raisin in the sun."
500

What does this play say about dreams in general?

It says that, even though dreams are hard to get, these dreams have value and purpose in an individual's life.

500

Who says this quote?  And what does it MEAN?  "I'm waiting to hear you say something....."

Mama wants Walter to speak up after he hears that his wife is going to get rid of the baby.

500
How is the importance of family a theme that is emphasized in the novel?
The Younger's struggled as a family but ended up uniting to realize their dream of buying a house. When they begin to put the family and the family’s wishes before their own, they merge their individual dreams with the family’s main dream.
500
What was the civil rights movement and who was involved in it?
A national effort made by African-Americans and their supporters between 1955 and 1968 to eliminate segregation and racial discrimination and gain equal rights and suffrage. This period is marked by famous events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, the Freedom Rides and the Birmingham campaign in Alabama. Famous figures involved include Martin Luther King, Jr., James L. Farmer, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X.
500
Why do the Younger's still move into the house after being offered money not to?
They want to fulfill their dream of living there and keep their pride not letting someone decide for them.
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