raisin critical quotations

universal

at the heart of raisin, is the universal message of the desire for social progress amid the differing opinions on how to achieve it

beneatha rejects

beneatha rejects the blandishments of george murchisons capitalism and comes to understand her higher purpose as a ‘giver’ of life through doctoring - bruce mcconachie

the pivitol

the pivitol character of he play, the black male castrated by the blade of the american dream - lester

scapegoating

walter / his generalising scapegoating of black women avoids holding white racism accountable, and compounds his powerlessness

me

she’s me, eight years ago (hansbrry) / beneatha

backbone

these women have become a backbone of our people in a very necessary way (hansberry) / mama

murder

i could no more imagine myslef allowing the youngers to accept [mr lindners] offer of money than i could imagine myself allowing them to accept a cash payment for their own murder (hansberry)

ignored

black people ignored the theatre because the theatre ignored them (james baldwin)

mama’s role

percieved to be a crystalisation of an emasculating balck matriarchy by feminist critics who called the female characters “too sacrificing”