Journal #3 Revised (A Raisin in the Sun)

“Standing out in the Crowd”

By: Bridget Robinson

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            "A Raisin in the Sun" is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry that takes place in the Southside of Chicago during the 1950's and is about a lower-class African American family and the struggles that they face in making an important decision. The main characters in this story include; Mama, Walter, Beneatha, Travis, and Ruth. After the father figure passed away, the family is informed that they are in line to receive a $10,000 insurance check in regards to net worth. The family becomes excited but is then faced with a very difficult decision which is how they should spend the money. Each member in the family has their own aspirations and ideas about how to spend the money. Mama, had dreams with her husband to buy a house and thrive in comfortable living and with this said, Ruth agrees with Mama. Walter had his own unique thoughts and longed to open up his own liquor store with his friends. The reason behind this is Walter believes it will help to end the family's financial instability and bring an economic constant into their lives. However, Beneatha is studying to become a doctor and can use all the financial support she can get, arguing that the money should go towards her education - she also wishes her family would not be so set on joining the "white world". As the play progresses, Ruth discovers she is pregnant but is worried about telling her family because of the financial strain she fears will occur and considers having an abortion. Mama ends up placing a down payment on the home and many people in the neighborhood become skeptical about living with those of the African American race. This results in the Clybourne Park Improvement Association sending in a man, Mr. Linder, to their home in hopes of buying them out of the property so they will no longer move into the neighborhood. After refusing the money from Mr. Linder, Walter also loses the rest of the money to Willy Harris who runs off with the money after convincing Walter to invest in a liquor store. This does not go over well with the family and, after a few internal conflicts with the family regarding Walter and his wife, they proceed to move-in anyways. Beneatha is proposed to by her Nigerian boyfriend and the family moves out of their apartment and fulfill their dreams regardless the racism in the neighborhood, reoccurring finical struggles, and having to be successful on their own.

            Overall, I believe this play shows the true colors of this time period and shows when integrity really meant something to one's self and others. An underlying message that is shown throughout this play is to stick with your gut and stay true to who you are even when times become hard. This play exemplifies the difficulties of living in colored communities and how discrimination was so common for African Americans and why it was so shocking when families, such as the Youngers, decided to go their own way and create a new and bright future for themselves. Fear should not stop anyone from following their dreams and pursing what is best for themselves and others. When I was growing up, one of my friends was African American and her dad used to tell us stories about how when we was growing up, he would face racial challenges. For instance, in school the kids would sometimes try to bribe him out of clubs being that segregation was still slightly highlighted in the communities he grew up in. This play represented the future for African Americans and their exploration of their newly founded rights.

Journal #2 Revised (Lincoln)

“A Defining Moment in History”

By: Bridget Robinson

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            In the film, "Lincoln", directed by Steven Spielberg, the great journey that President Lincoln went through to either abolish slavery through the thirteenth amendment or end the civil war was portrayed. This film depicts all the major conflicts he faced when trying to abolish slavery and showed the audience the course of events that occurred during his second term of presidency. One might think that beyond the major plot line this film is about dedication and standing your ground on what you think is right when the world around you seems to think differently. 

            I did not particularly care for this film because there was too much dialogue for my liking and the audio for speaking in the film was not very clear and concise. I did like how historically accurate the film was and how in the beginning of the film when President Lincoln was having a conference with major political leaders and military men, Spielberg emphasized the great passion everyone in the room held with the subject at hand - which was the passing of the thirteenth amendment. I greatly liked how they portrayed Lincoln to be an honorable man and kept his relationship with the people around him real - being he had problems with his wife and respected those around him. 

            Prior to this film, I had a great amount of knowledge about slavery but did not know much about the thirteenth amendment and the many difficulties and obstacles our former leaders had to overcome to get our nation to where it is today. I did not know that so many government officials were against passing the thirteenth amendment. I learned the different reasons people were opposed to this amendment, whether it be fear or the major loss in free labor, and that the Civil War was also going on at this time. It was interesting to watch the opening scene when all the soldiers were fighting on the battle field and yet once they were in the presence of President Lincoln, they showed great respect and even recited his most famous speech, the Inaugural Address. 

Journal #1 Revised (Selma)

“A Movement Towards a Brighter Future”

By: Bridget Robinson

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            In the film, "Selma", the audience is shown events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1950's. This movie goes into detail to depict the struggles of the movements leader, Martin Luther King Jr., as well as showing his accomplishments. I was surprised to learn how gruesome and violent some of the events that occurred were. Beyond the major themes throughout this movie, it reminds the audience that our freedom comes at a cost and to not take our rights and safety for granted. This film also creates a tribute to those who have given their lives to get America to the equal social standard it is at today and not have these heroes be forgotten. This film is about reminding the audience that all are created equally and the kind of effort so many individuals gave to support this movement.

            I do really like this film because of it's historical accuracy and how it tugs at the heart strings of the audience in an effort to prevent this kind of unfortunate event from happening again. Some parts of the movie seemed to drag on and there was more dialogue than I prefer at some parts but the scene at the Montgomery bridge was beautifully acted out and put together. Having actual footage of this event at the bridge recaptured my attention and made-up for the less exciting parts of the film. Another scene from the movie that really sparked my interest was in the very beginning when the children were bombed in the church. The was the first time the audience was shown a dramatic, horrific scene that gave them an idea of what this movie's theme and tone would encompass. The threatening phone calls Mrs. King received gave a more realistic and personal appeal to the movie and added suspense to the overall feel of that moment.

            Having grown up with my best friend being African American, this film really hit home for me. It made me ponder the thought of how my life might have turned out differently had I grown up during this time period and if I ever would have met my best friend. My prior knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement before this film was quite extensive, being that I took in-depth history courses in high school, so the accuracy of this film was very easy for me to tell and did help me to shape my evaluation of this film.