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'Selfless Sacrifice In Lorraine Hansberry's Shaving'

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“But now the window was full in the beam of the dying sunlight, and Barry stood there, illuminated in the golden warmth for a whole minute, knowing it would soon be gone”(116). This quotation comes from the short story “Shaving” written by Leslie Norris. It is describing Barry, who is struggling to fill the position of the man of the house, shaving his sickly father’s face. Barry sacrifices his time with friends to be able to do this deed for the one he loves. A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, portrays Walter Younger to be a selfish man who sacrifices the family’s insurance money for a down payment on a liquor store. The novel, A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens, shows the true meaning of selfless sacrifice when Sydney Carton, a low life drunk, sacrifices his life because he loves Lucy and wants her to be happy. Selfless sacrifice shows the true meaning of nobility.
Barry selflessly sacrifices his time with friends to go and take care of his sickly father in the short story “Shaving”. Barry sacrifices his time of being a …show more content…

Tho it is hard to see until the very end of the play, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry shows Walter Younger is a big dreamer and wants to be rich. Younger is a very selfish man and shows his selfishness through his sacrificing of the family money. When the Younger family inherits ten thousand dollars from the death of a family member, Walter goes crazy trying to get his hands on the money to invest in the liquor store downtown. His selfishness is shown when Mama gives him what is left of the life insurance and he is told to save a generous amount of money for Beneatha’s schooling and then he can keep the rest for saving up. Instead of doing what he is told to do, he invests in the liquor store with his two other friends. This shows Walter to be a very selfish family member by not using the money the way it is suppose to be used

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“Part of growing up is just taking what you learn from that and moving on and not taking it to heart.” ~ Beverley Mitchell. Walter Lee Younger changes drastically throughout the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry. Walter starts out as a person who whines and throws a fit when he does not get his way and turns into a responsible man who can care for himself and make important decisions. Three examples of this in the play is when Walter goes into a depression because Mama will not give him the money to open his shop.

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Claudia Arevalo English 1 Mr.Paul 3/22/23 In the play “Raisin in the Sun'' by Lorraine Hansberry, the author conveys the idea that people can become selfish when trying to achieve the American Dream. This is shown through multiple events throughout the play when the characters search for a better way of life. For example, when Walter made a misogynist comment and told his sister to settle on becoming a nurse like all women instead of a doctor.

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1010 Words | 5 Pages

They do not want to sacrifice their own dreams to please the others. Unwilling to make a sacrifice proves to bring more animosity in a family as shown in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry through conflict involving money and how the characters handle their actions. Walter’s dream is to use the money to open up his own business even if it goes against his family’s wishes. Walter argues, “.... he’s

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1517 Words | 7 Pages

De jure segregation in the United States started to decline with the Brown vs Board Of Education Supreme Court ruling in the 1950s, and continued to decline through the actions of Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and others who protested against the system in hopes of being heard. But even with the passing of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s, segregation is still a prevalent force in today’s society. De facto segregation is still felt today, with riots occurring within the past ten years in Ferguson and in Baltimore, predominantly due to police brutality and income inequality. These riots, coupled with actions such as the unjustified killing of Trayvon Martin and the murder of Eric Garner while in police custody, help to show that where we are today is no better than the racist times of de facto segregation and Jim Crow. When events like these occur in today’s

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700 Words | 3 Pages

These are all traits that would describe Walter Lee and his actions. Walter Lee is a character from the play A Raisin in the Sun in which a black family tries to get out of poverty and go against stereotypes by trying to start over with their Grandpa’s life insurance money. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry explores the concept that greed leads to being blinded by money and forgetting about one’s loved ones as shown by the climax of the play, the character of Walter Lee, and the effect that his actions have on the rest of his family. The Character of Walter Lee shows that greed blinding a person can cause him to forget about the ones he loves.

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587 Words | 3 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun is an inspirational book/play that tells the overcoming story of an African-American family Going through the terrible struggles of Chicago in the 1950’s. Greg Kincaid once said “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear.”. This explains Beneatha younger, a young woman who tries to find herself while dealing with others scrutinizing and being treated like a child in her family. In conclusion, Beneatha younger is an overpowering character that is shaping her life through independence, an education, and growing closer to her

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1130 Words | 5 Pages

In Lorraine Hansberry’s “Raisin in the Sun” Act 3 Walter has seized the hero role and he displays a lot of pride. Walter is starting to understand that he has to stand up for what he believes in and not everything is about money. “And we have decided to move into our house because my father-my father-he earned it for us brick by brick”(1933). Walter turns down the Clybourne Park Association 's offer only after he remembers the roots his family has in America, and the rights that they deserve. He wants to set a strong example for his son, Travis, just like his father did for him.

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1064 Words | 5 Pages

I believe both pieces of literature portray this very special detail. Moral responsibility also plays a big role in each piece. In A Raisin in the Sun , Walter believes that it is his responsibility to ensure better opportunities and a better future for his future generations. He wants to own his liquor store so badly, he goes through extreme measures and ultimately ends up losing all the money given to him from his father’s death. Their new home is just the next best thing for him to hold on to.

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811 Words | 4 Pages

In the text “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, the author uses the writing strategy of conflict to develop the central idea of how oneself can become selfish when trying to achieve the American dream. The text shows that the central idea is selfishness because circumstances are presented where various characters fail to take into consideration others while seeking their dreams. For example, Walters says, “ Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor? If you so crazy ’bout messing round with sick people, then go be a nurse like other women-or just get married and be quiet…. ’’. This example of greed shows that the ambition to obtain a dream brings out the selfishness is true in the instance of Walter.

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600 Words | 3 Pages

The title of the play “A Raisin in the Sun” comes from the poem “Harlem” written by Langston Hughes. The poem is asking what happen to dreams that are not accomplished, What happens to a dream deferred?/ Does it dry up/ Like a raisin in the sun (Hughes) in the play many character have unaccomplished or deferred dreams. Mama dreams is moving her family out of their small apartment and into a house in a nice area with a yard for Travis and a garden for herself. She has had this dream for a long time but has never been able to accomplish it financially. After the death of her husband, the family receives a $10,000 life insurance check this money gives mama of the opportunity to buy the house she has always dreamed for her family.

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705 Words | 3 Pages

(114-115) By giving up the money, Walter is shown to be spontaneous and quick to trust. He made a quick decision about giving Willy the money, without even thinking about the consequences, which shows his spontaneity and trust issues. He also didn’t even think to put any money away for Beneatha and he just trusted Willy to get the license before actually getting to know him. The play A Raisin in the Sun, shows how Walter settles on a brisk choice to give his Mamas insurance money to the character Willy Harris so he could purchase an alcohol store. Thus, his choice accounts Willy Harris to steal the cash which causes an apathetic temperament in the story and makes lost expectation in the family.

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1500 Words | 6 Pages

In the play Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry takes place on the southside of Chicago where Walter and his family are racially profiled and show us how the survive throughout their struggles. The central struggles for the younger family in their search for the American dream is mostly poverty and being racially profiled against for their actions. Hansberry challenges the traditional gender roles and issues of dominance throughout the play when Mama gives Walter lee the rest of the money at the end of the play. He becomes all excited and was supposed to save some for himself and put the rest of the money to Beneatha 's education. Instead, he gave all that money to Willy another character in the play which later on that he stole from him.

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1208 Words | 5 Pages

In today's world many people can get caught up with viewing failure as a negative when it can actually create a learning experience. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter's learning experience that accompanies his financial failure helps him change from insecure and selfish to him slowly becoming confident and selfless teaching him the values that allow him to become the leader of his family by the end of the story. At the start of the play, Walter is insecure and selfish because of his financial failure. He shows how insecure he is when talking to his wife, Ruth about their current living situation.

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869 Words | 4 Pages

So hearing from her son that money is the answer to everything did not settle with her so well. Walter and Mama’s arguments are very similar to Linda and her husband plus her son’s conflicts. With Mama and her family being a different race, money has not come by easy. Mama grew up in a harsh time frame, when being free and having families together was all that mattered. But since times have changed, Walter has grown up by being “free”.

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466 Words | 2 Pages

In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Loraine Hansberry, both Walter and Mama have great dreams and encounter barriers on the path to achieving their dreams. Walter dreams of owning a liquor store and being able to better provide for his family, a dream that changes when he faces the barrier of his money being stolen by Willy Harris. Mama dreams of living in a real house with a garden and also encounters barrier of her money being stolen by Willy Harris. Walter dreams of owning a liquor store and being able to financially support his family. Walter’s dream is shown in act 1, scene 1 when he explains to Ruth how the liquor store he and his friends are buying will help their family have enough money to do more than just make ends meet (32,33).

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