Monday, April 28, 2008

Act III Discussion

How is the American Dream expressed in each member of the Younger family? (Walter, Ruth, Beneatha, and Mama)

24 comments:

Catalina said...

The American Dream is viewed differently by all the members of the family. Walter expresses the American Dream as being rich and living the life of the people he now works for. He believes that by having money everything will work out. His wife, Ruth, views it much differently. She just wants her family to be happy and her husband to love her like he used to. Her American Dream would be for Walter to finally be happy and for Travis to grow up having his own bed instead of sleeping on the couch. All Ruth wants is to be loved and respected as a good mother. Mama's American Dream is owning a house or a "home". She wants her family to be happy and live in a place they can call home instead of a cramped apartment. This is why the first thing she spends her money on is buying a house. She wants to see her children happy and her grandson to one day take the house as his own. Benethea expresses her American Dream as being a doctor. She dreams big because their are very few woman doctors. She wants to be sucessful and respected in life. Benethea is not as concerned with money as Walter is. She is more concerned with school. She is a much more independent woman and does not want to be a house wife in a big fancy house that is sometimes the life of women living the traditional American Dream.

LaRue29 said...

Each member of the younger family has a different view on the American Dream. Mama's dream is to have her own home and to grow a garden. A happy loving family is also a part of her American Dream. Ruth's dream is similar to Mama's in that she would like to have a home but a happy family with a caring and understanding husband is the most important part of her dream. Beneatha is a very confused character and is unsure about her true desires therefore she doesn't know her ideas of The AMerican Dream. Walter believes the American dream is working in an office and having a nice home. His dream is based on having plenty of money and being able to spend it however he likes. Another component of Walter's American Dream is being able to take care of his family without needing his wife to work.

Chewbacca said...

Walter expresses the American Dream most noticibly. He wants to be someone. He wants to make money and live with the upper-class. He sees this as a possible by starting a liquer store using the 10 grand inheritance. Beneathat wants to live the American Dream by becoming a respected doctor and becoming equal with white folks. Mama also wants to be seen as an equal to whites. She thinks that moving into a white neighborhood will make her equal. Her American Dream is to live in a white community. Ruth doesent realy seem to seek the American Dream. She is more of a realist and even a suppressor to Walter. Lets just say she makes Walter eat his eggs. ;)

lil db said...

All of the members of the Younger family share a common interest in the American Dream. Walter's view of the American Dream is to make lots of money and live the life of a rich man. Beneatha wants to live the American Dream by becoming a doctor and nothing less. Wanting to be a doctor is fulfilling the American Dream because that is all that is the best thing that she can think of to do. Mama wants to accomplish the American Dream by being equal to white people. Finally, Ruth's version of the American Dream is to have a good family in a house that she owns.

PB&J09 said...

The American Dream is being able to achieve your goals by hard work. You are not held back by class or race. The Youngers all have a different view of the American Dream. Mama wants her children to be successful. She wants Beneatha to have a good education and career. Beneatha feels that the American Dream is taking advantage of your circumstances. Pursuing her dream of becoming a female, Afican American doctor is something that seemed impossible if she lived in her home country. Walter's dream is to get rich. He wants wealth and status. By achieving his goals, he believes that he will become more of a man. Ironically, his wife, Ruth, wants nothing of the sort. While he wants material things that will one day perish, she wants a lasting relationship with her husband. Her American Dream would be for her family to own their own home by overcoming the terrible odds againist them.

gard said...

The American Dream is the idea that all people can achieve their goals in life. More often than not, this dream is achieved through money or rising to a higher social class The American Dream of each Younger family member is expressed in a different way because they each have different goals. Walter's dream is to invest in a liquor store with two of his friends. He believes that this will provide his family with money and everything will work out. Mama's dream is to finally own a house. She wants a home for her family where they can feel comfortable and welcome. Ruth's dream is for her family just to be happy, and she wants to be loved by her husband. She wants to be respected. Beneatha's dream is to become a doctor. This is a very unusual dream because there are not very many female doctors, let alone African American. She dreams big and wants to be successful in life.

DMONEY said...
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DMONEY said...

The American Dream is an idea that allows a person to aim for a goal in life. The goal can be anything like earning money, having a huge house, or having the perfect job. It creates hope of achieving something. Each member of the Youngers family has a dream and a main goal in life. Mama always had the dream of buying a house with a her own garden in the backyard. She wanted to fullfill the dream with the check she received. She is able to fullfill in the end when the Youngers move into a white neighborhood. Walter also had his dream to become rich and open up a liquor store. Although his dream is not achieved in the end of the book, he was still able to persevere to make something of himself in life. Beneatha had her dream of becoming a doctor. Her independent characteristic and her commitment to acheive that dream, shows how the American dream is all about never giving up in life despite what other people may suggest. Ruth has her simple dream of a happy family, which shows how the American Dream is about having the best life possible. Although each memeber has a different dream, they all have hope and something to strive for in life.

TheChes14 said...
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TheChes14 said...

The American dream is seen through all the characters in the story, for mama, her dream was to always have a house of her own, a happy family, and a garden that she could claim her own. Walter had the typical American dream, become rich, and become a somebody. He invests over 6,000 dolars into a liqour store that he was cheated out of. Ruth wants the same dream as Mama, but she wants to have a happy family and a loving husband. She wants to see her children grow up and be successful. Beneatha's American dream is to take the freedom that she has in this country and get a education, specifically become a doctor. She wants to be successful in this field and be respected by her peers. She cares less about family and money and more on education.

Stopkidding said...

American Dream is the hope of every Americans to live a successful and satisfying life...
Walter definitely had the American Dream in his aspiration to become a successful businessman. He dreamed of making big bucks through investing in a liquor store, but his dream was deferred.
Beneatha forshadowed the American Dream that most women would pursue after the 1970s. Her desire to reach independence and an intellectually satisfying career demonstrated the American Dream of women in our society today.
Lena dreamed of living in a house with a garden along with her family. Her pursuing luxury and desire definitely expressed the American Dream.
Ruth didn't really have a distinct dream except hoping that her family would live harmoniously and happily. I think even this too falls into the American Dream category.

Stopkidding said...

response to theches14-
Yeah. What you say seem to be right. Beneatha's dream constrasts to Ruth and Lena's dream in that bEneatha has an individualistic goal while the other two has an American dream based on the family values. In today's society, these two kinds of American Dreams are definitely significantly noticible, and in my opinion, there are more and more people with individualistic dreams. It's somewhat sad to observe how family values are diminishing...

tenix said...

The American Dream in Walter's eyes is being wealthy and living the upper class lifestyle, which happens to be most prominent in white individuals. Ruth, on the other hand, has a completely different view of the american dream. She pictures her ideal lifestyle as her family to be happy, which mothers mostly want. She also wishes Walter would love her like he used to. Beneatha wishes to become a doctorm and to cure those who are hurt. During the 50s, it was very uncommon for there to be a feamle doctor, nevertheless a woman. She will need to work hard to achieve her goals. Mama wishes to live in a place to call home with her family, and to own her own garden. She keeps her plant because it is almost like her own little garden in the Youngers' cramped apartment. Furthermore, Every Younger views the American Dream differently.

Anonymous said...

The American Dream is viewed in slightly different ways from person to person but the overall concept remains the same. The idea of happiness is in every dream usually followed by being wealthy and comfortable. Mama's dream was to own her own home and to live in a happy place that everyone in her family can enjoy. She finally wants to live somewhere that is hers and have her own garden. Ruth's dream is to be loved by Walter and for her family to be happy. She really wants a good life for Travis. Walter's dream focuses more on wealth. His dream is to own a liquor store and be able to provide fully for his family and be able to live like a rich man. Beneatha is kind of unsure about her dream. She wants to be successful and do things that her family is not able to. Beneatha is a very independent and proud women and now has to struggle with if she wants her dream to continue in Nigeria, but as a wife.

Clar said...

The american dream is viewed differently by different people. Walter thinks the american dream is being rich and supporting a family. Ruth thinks that the american dream is just not living in poverty and being rich. Beneatha thinks that it is being able to do or be anything you want to. Mama thinks that it is just being happy as a family is the american dream.

Anonymous said...

Every member of the family has different views of the american dream. Mama simply wants a house to go home to.She wants to give travis an adequate room to live in. Walter wants money. He believes that happiness id derived from your wealth and material possessions. Beneatha wants to become a doctor. Moreso than being a doctor she just wants to be whatever she wants to be, not constricted by her status as a black woman. Ruth just wants a happy family that isn't cramped in a tiny apartment.She really wants peace and the ability to live a happy fulfilling life.

IndiboiX911 said...

The American Dream is a belief in freedom that allows all citizens of the United States of America to achieve their goals in life through hard work. Each member in the Younger family poses their own respected dreams and goals.
>Walter- Walter Younger's dream is to open and own a liquor store in which he believes he can become wealthy and help support his beloved family. Walter wants to provide the best life possible for his family and is a very determined man. It is very easy to notice that Walter wants to live a wealthy life just like the man he works for. He wants a nice car with the fancy house.
> Ruth- Walter's wife's dream is a simple and a common dream for most American families. All she wants is for her family to live in peace and have a proper house so that Travis (her son) will have his very own room.
> Beneatha- Beneatha's dream is to go to college and become a respected doctor and not become the typical women in the 1950's who stays home everyday with no major carrier.
> Mama- Mama's dream is to own a house in which her family can live happily together in. She wants the nice backyard for Travis and a garden to plant her plants and simply wants a welcoming and a peaceful home.

DMONEY said...

catalina,
I agree with your view on the American Dream. It is certainly different for every member of the family, becuase they all want different things in life. I believe that the American Dream is something in which people can strive for. Ruth strives to have a good family and a loving relationship with Walter. Beneatha strives to be independent by claiming her right to become a doctor and by continuing her education. Mama strives to buy a house that she has always dreamed of having.

DMONEY said...

lil db,
I partly disagree with the statement of how all memebers of the family have a common interest in the American Dream. I believe that their ways of living the American Dream are very broad and cannot be generalized. They all have different motives in life, and so they dont all focus on one way of fullfilling the American Dream. Like for example, not all of them focus on making tons of money in order to live the American Dream. Only Walter has that dream. Beneatha wants to fullfill the American Dream through knowledge and education. Mama wants to fullfill it by buying that house with her own garden. Ruth wants to acheive it by having a loving family and by fixing her relationship with Walter. So they all have different ways of getting there.

starcandy92 said...

Each member of the Younger family had a different American dream. Mama wanted to buy a house for the family, and she ends up buying it. Mama achieved her goal and her american dream by owning a house. Walter's American dream is to open a liquor store and get rich. He thinks that money is the best, and his only goal is to get rich. Beneatha's American dream is to become a doctor. Women usually can't become a doctor in the setting of the story, but Beneatha's goal never changed until Walter lost all the money. Ruth's american dream was to live happy with her family. Ruth cares about all the family members, and her goal was not a difficult thing if Walter was nice.

blah said...

Lena expresses the American dream in that she wants to own her own house. Walter expresses the pursuit of the American Dream more than the achievement of one, but he did finally become a man. Ruth expresses the American Dream in that she wants to have a happy family and the ability to raise her unborn child rather than have an abortion. These dreams come true. Beneatha expresses the American dream with her desire to become what she wishes without being held back. She wanted to help people. Of course, this American Dream was later transported to another continent to become more of an African Dream.

Stopkidding said...

response to indiboix911:
You are so smart. You are so awesome. I agree with you indiboix. Beneatha's dream surely wasn't even similar to the typical American dreams of the women living during the 1950s. It forshadowed the American Dream that most women would pursue after the 1970s: independence, luxury and to some but not likely, intellectual satisfaction.

kyoko212 said...

Walter: he originally wanted to provide for his family, so they would live long and prosper, etc. Even though his desire turned into something worse, it shows how desperate he was to achieve the American Dream
Ruth: her version of the American Dream is to live happily with her family, provide her children [the second is arriving] with food and essentials, to love and care for her husband.
Beneatha: another part of the American Dream is to find yourself, to find your place in the world. Beneatha struggles with this. But as well as that, she also wishes to live happily with her family. She wants the other members of her family to be happy. For example, she wants Walter to leave the management of the money to mama, and she is happy for Ruth's new baby. Even though at times she seems self-centered, she also shows that she, too, wishes everyone to be happy
Travis: he is a child. He wants to be able to go to school without the embarrassment of not having his fees paid, to have toys and fresh air. He is very mature in the fact that he does not constantly expect the other people in the family to spoil him and he is willing to work [carry groceries] to attain the luxuries he desires himself.
Mama: Mama's plant shows how tired and cramped she is in her environment. Mama sees how the small apartment is smothering the happiness of the family: how the close proximity and money problems makes everyone constantly fight and bicker. She wants to buy a house for her family to live in, for Travis to play in, for the new baby. She wants her family to be happy and keep their dignity and live in a way that would make her husband proud. That is her American Dream.

[PS: sorry for the late response, the router in my house is going haywire]

Gree said...

Walter sees the American dream as having money, he doesn't really care how he gets the money as long he has it. He also feels like he can't be a man unless he has money. Ruth just wants to have a happy family. She wants peace throughout the whole house. Beneatha wants to becaome a doctor and heal people and towards the end of the play she wants to move to Africa and live with Asagi. Mama, like Ruth wants her family to be happy. She wants her children to get along and express the traits she thought she instilled in them and she craves a nice home with a room for her grandson