Author: Taylor Kantor

I based my found poem on an article I found on the ASPCA website relating to dog fighting in America. I chose this article because I am an animal lover and animal cruelty is what makes me most angry. I will never understand how people do not realize that animals are living breathing organisms. They are constantly mistreated all over the world, especially when it comes to dog fighting. Even though dog fighting is a felony in all 50 states, it has been pushed underground and behind closed doors. It still occurs everywhere and it needs to be put to an end. I very much enjoyed writing this poem. I realized while making it that it was a great way to express my feelings about the topic in the way that I wanted to. Overall I really liked doing this assignment and look forward to hearing what my classmates thought about it as well. 

Before I even begin to explain what act one consists of, I must begin with the long but necessary introduction that gives us a starting idea of what this book will be about. First, in knowing some background knowledge about the author, Lorraine Hansberry, I was instantly aware of her background and history of her and her family being activists. She starts out with a poem called “A Dream Deferred”, written by Langston Hughes during the time of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s and 30’s. This poem is a perfect introduction to help the readers understand the racism and deprivation that African Americans faced during these intense time periods, and I could not imagine a better poem to weave us into the book. I believe that this poem, and the rest of Act I has a repetitive pattern of poverty and inequality for the lower class African Americans that were forced into these lifestyles due to judgement and harassment. We can see it through the little things like the quality of their living, or their need to constantly budget and ration as a family.

Act I begins with the describing of the setting, which is pictured as a run down unkempt house in the ghetto, with furniture that is most likely older than they are. Hansberry makes a point to go into extreme detail about their home to give us readers a better image of how this place must look. After the beginning description, she shows Ruth doing housewife chores, which then we assume that she is unemployed and is devoted to her job as a wife and a mother. This leaves Walter to be the main income, and since he was seen as a unequal black male, he does not make nearly enough as a chauffeur for the whole family to live comfortably. To start the story off, Walter comes in and the first thing he asks Ruth for is a check. Judging by her irritable response when she says “I hopes to God you ain’t going to get up here first thing this morning and start talking to me ’bout no money—’cause I ’bout don’t want to hear it.” it proves that this must be Walters main concern and he most likely has been mentioning it to her a lot. Then, later after when Travis is leaving for school, she tells him to just get money for carfare and milk, “and not a single penny for no caps!”. Hansberry obviously added Ruth saying this to show that they can not afford to treat themselves as the white middle and higher class can. 

From prior knowledge and education, we know that the ghetto was not the ideal place to live in during this time. Throughout the act, they talk about the check their supposed to be receiving constantly and why they need it; simply because they want to move to a cleaner, nicer, and safer area where they can have better opportunities. Also, with Ruth being pregnant, they are in dire need of a bigger living space that they can all be comfortable in. But, they are being denied this right because of the fact that they come from a lower status black family. Also, on the other hand Walter keeps mentioning his dream to open a liquor store with the money, when Ruth and most of the rest of the family know that they should be using or saving it for actual necessities. Walter’s dreams of starting his business and striving to live the typical “American Dream” has ultimately been one of the main factors of his absence as a husband and a father. Since “Mamas” dream was always to own her own house, it proves that Walter is just trying to open this liquor store for his own selfish needs. 

After we are introduced to Beneatha’s new boyfriend, George Murchison, the issue of money becomes the main topic. Since George is a wealthy man, the family believes that the only reason she wants to be with him is simply because he’s rich. Walter though thinks that her being with him is wonderful, obviously since he wants to be spoiled by his hopefully future son in law as well. Beneath is obviously offended, and goes into a rampage and uses the lords name in vain, leading to Ruth fainting and the end of scene. I believe this ending was a perfect way to prove my point because it ties together the whole act. They all have dreams, and all their dreams just involve money because they are poor. But, the saying says that money does not buy happiness, and I believe that this family is in for a rude awakening when they realize that because of their social status, these dreams will not be as easy to achieve as they may think. I definitely enjoyed reading act I, and I look forward to see how money will continue to play a role in the rest of the play. 

Questions for comments:

Why is the American Dream pictured as having money and social status rather than the hard work put in to achieve it?

Why does poverty and low social class make it more difficult to not see money as the root of all happiness?