For some reason, this question reminded me of the ripple of events in A Raisin in the Sun that result in catastrophe by the end of Act II. Presumably, the parts about "social order" and "thirsty aspiration" are most easily identified, as the play circulates around its characters' passionate dreams and the post World War II racial tensions embedded into the Youngers' lives. The family is trapped in a restricted situation with no hope of relief. Then, they recieve a chance of rescue. Mama (Lena Younger) obtains a check of ten thousand dollars and is now desperate to both fufill her family's dreams and relocate to a better community. So she buys a house in a white neighborhood. This single act disrupts the "delicate balance" and drops family morale from high to low. Similarly, when Walter entrusts all his money to his friend, the money disappears and Walter loses what little power he had. These instances from Lorraine Hansberry's play correlate to Mr. Wright's unfathomable question by demanding us to think over our actions carefully, so as to avoid detrimental consequences. After all, the smallest mistake could result in well-structured beliefs, motivation, and spirits toppling down, into oblivion.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Toppling
Richard Wright, an American novelist of the realist school, asks a famous question in his novel Native Son. " "Who knows when some slight shock, " he inquires, "disturbing the delicate balance between social order and thirsty aspiration, shall send the skyscrapers in our cities toppling?"
For some reason, this question reminded me of the ripple of events in A Raisin in the Sun that result in catastrophe by the end of Act II. Presumably, the parts about "social order" and "thirsty aspiration" are most easily identified, as the play circulates around its characters' passionate dreams and the post World War II racial tensions embedded into the Youngers' lives. The family is trapped in a restricted situation with no hope of relief. Then, they recieve a chance of rescue. Mama (Lena Younger) obtains a check of ten thousand dollars and is now desperate to both fufill her family's dreams and relocate to a better community. So she buys a house in a white neighborhood. This single act disrupts the "delicate balance" and drops family morale from high to low. Similarly, when Walter entrusts all his money to his friend, the money disappears and Walter loses what little power he had. These instances from Lorraine Hansberry's play correlate to Mr. Wright's unfathomable question by demanding us to think over our actions carefully, so as to avoid detrimental consequences. After all, the smallest mistake could result in well-structured beliefs, motivation, and spirits toppling down, into oblivion.
For some reason, this question reminded me of the ripple of events in A Raisin in the Sun that result in catastrophe by the end of Act II. Presumably, the parts about "social order" and "thirsty aspiration" are most easily identified, as the play circulates around its characters' passionate dreams and the post World War II racial tensions embedded into the Youngers' lives. The family is trapped in a restricted situation with no hope of relief. Then, they recieve a chance of rescue. Mama (Lena Younger) obtains a check of ten thousand dollars and is now desperate to both fufill her family's dreams and relocate to a better community. So she buys a house in a white neighborhood. This single act disrupts the "delicate balance" and drops family morale from high to low. Similarly, when Walter entrusts all his money to his friend, the money disappears and Walter loses what little power he had. These instances from Lorraine Hansberry's play correlate to Mr. Wright's unfathomable question by demanding us to think over our actions carefully, so as to avoid detrimental consequences. After all, the smallest mistake could result in well-structured beliefs, motivation, and spirits toppling down, into oblivion.
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I like your connection to Native Son! The play revolves around social order and how this balance is disrupted and then righted time and time again. This could also be related to "A Dream Deferred" where Hughes asks "Or does it explode?" Maybe we should think about our actions, or maybe we should provide that spark that leads to racial equality (like how the Youngers break norms by living in a white neighborhood).
ReplyDeleteI agree that people need to be mindful of their actions. I feel that the old sang, "Actions are louder than words," plays in very nicely here, because actions can result in so much destruction as seen in the play A Raisin in the Sun. As you stated, "beliefs, motivation, and spirits toppled down, into oblivion."
ReplyDeleteI like your insight on Wright's quote. Your examples from Raisin In the Sun support it well. When there are conflicts in such frail areas as race and societal norms, people can never know how much weight something can support before it all crumbles into chaos. I also like your conclusion; your last statement was powerfully worded. Nice post!! :)
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