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Africa doesn't seem to play a large role in the play so far, however, one possible way Africa manifests itself in the text is through the patriarchal relationship between Walter and Ruth.

I know that patriarchy was a prevalent factor in post-colonization Africa and was something that did not exist (to the same extent) previously. So, in a way, by establishing a patriarchal relationship in his marital life, Walter assimilates into American culture and drifts away from his African "roots."

(I also think the "working people" quote shows how they have assimilated into a primarily capitalistic society (the U.S.))

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I think pages 1-43 largely cover the family's current situation in Chicago, with some nuanced references to the Younger's African heritage. On page 39 we see that Mama resembles "the women of the Heroes of Southwest Africa", but immediately after the narrator mentions Mama's slurred speech and southern air. The comparison of Mama to a noblewoman preceding a description of her poor speech intentionally informs the reader that Mama holds little from her past. As of now, I think that Hansberry is mostly attempting to draw a comparison between the glorious past of Mama's heritage and her current situation.

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So far in the first part of the reading, Africa's culture has only been mentioned during the description of Mama. By describing Mama as "most like the  noble  bearing  of  the  women  of  the Hereros  of  Southwest  Africa—rather  as  if  she imagines  that  as  she  walks  she  still  bears  a basket or a vessel upon her head," readers begin to feel that Mama is out of place in America (42). It reminds me of the metaphor that America is a melting pot, which melts down all cultural differences but also individual identities and customs.

Edit: Also a very interesting point found in group discussion - Mama is ignorant about Africa (She is American), yet she still has an African woman's physicality and noble bearing due to something unexplainable in her genes or subconciousness.

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How relevant is Africa in the section we read?

So far, most of the section deals with Black struggles in the United States rather than Africa directly. However, I have noticed a couple of parts in the section that references Africa such as "Her bearing is perhaps most like  the  noble  bearing  of  the  women  of  the Hereros  of  Southwest  Africa—rather  as if she imagines  that as she walks she still bears a basket or a vessel upon her head." This was a description of Mama, rather than dialogue, so the actual characters haven't really been talking about Africa but the descriptions have been hinting at it.

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So far in the text, Africa has not been mentioned or referenced a great deal. However, the perspectives of characters when viewing things such as money and the system that we have seen in the story so far may be credited to African identities.

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I feel that, from what we've read so far, Africa has yet to bear any direct pertinence to the novel. We see indirect references to African heritage and ethnicity when Walter exhibits some instances of self loathing, causally remarking that black people are the "most backwards race of people." We see more direct references towards the end of our reading when the narrator is describing Mama. Her appearance is said to be reminiscent of "Hereros of Western Africa," and that it would be easy for someone to envision a "basket" or "vessel upon her head." (42).

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Africa wasn't as relevant in the text as I had initially thought, although Mama is described as " Her bearing is perhaps most

like the noble bearing  of  the women of the Hereros of Southwest Africa" (pg 42). I'm interested to see what a "Herero" is and how it plays a part later in the novel.

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Africa is slowly becoming increasingly relevant as we read. We first discover that the main characters are African American, and then we learn from several anecdotes and dialogue between characters the role that they play as Africans in American society. Additionally, we learn the opinions of characters like Walter and Mama on topics relating to race, the role of Africans in America, and the norms they believe Africans should follow. An example of this is when Mama says that "We," referring to African Americans "are meant to be a working people."

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Being African American has affected the Younger's perspectives on life in America, especially in relation to white people, whom they often make references to. Ruth notes how rich white women travel at will, while Walter laments how he only provides Travis with stories of rich white people. However, Africa itself has played less of a role so far.

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Africa is not relevant in A Raisin in the Sun at page 42.  Looking back, we have had just one reference to African culture, the herero (a bantu ethnic group).  Looking forward I'm hoping to see how Lorraine Hansberry portrays African identities in her book.  I'm wondering whether she will do this by looking at African culture or by the juxtaposition between life in the South and life in Chicago for the Younger family.  Either way, I'm sure that it will make for an interesting insight into how American authors portrayed African identities in the mid 20th century.

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How relavnt is AFRICA so far in the text? Ahanaf

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How relavnt is AFRICA so far in the text? Ahanaf

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To be honest, I have not seen much connection to African culture up to pg 42. There is no information yet on whether or not Mama immigrated from Africa, or if she's just from the South, so we'll have to wait on that endeavor. However, this lack of connection to Africa might speak to the characters' own lack of connection to the culture, and there's multiple reasons why they lack such a connection. It could be attributed to whitewashing, especially considering how Walter wants to be more white.

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I would not credit Africa with much credit after reading the first 42 pages, but I do think the colorism that African American women experience from not only white individuals but black men plays a prominent role in the text. This of course could extend to Africa, and how the oppression from slaves (who were African) has been modified but still remains prelavant in post-WWII times.

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Given how I joined the class just today, I don't know too much about the relevance of Africa in the text up to this point. Nonetheless, I look forward to analyzing hints of African identity within the text in the coming days.

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I hope to find ways to become more creative and nuanced with my argumentative essays. I feel that my essays can have very complex arguments, but I can have basic methods for organization.

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This year, I wish to improve on my brevity and word choice, but also the complexity of my ideas and thoughts. I feel like by having more thought-provoking theses, I can accomplish the third goal.

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What would you wish to accomplish in your writing this year?

This year, I wish to develop my insight when analyzing texts and works in order to find a deeper understanding of not only the topics I am focusing on, but greater themes that encompass them.

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This year, I'd love to focus on becoming a more fluid writer while simultaneously analyzing text-based evidence in greater depth. These two skills are ones that I need further development in and would love to improve upon.

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This year, I want to not only make my writing cohesive and clear, but I also want to make it engaging. I find it a little difficult to do both at once so I want to get better at this.

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My goal for writing this year is to analyze and reflect upon various African identities and their role in American society. Additionally, I would like to work on becoming a more concise writer and being able to portray my stream of consciousness in a clearer manner.

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I hope to better connect my writing to my personal life, as it'll add another layer to my essays, and honestly, my life pretty dope.

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I'd like to try and make my writing more succinct and direct. I believe this would help my ideas become more easily understandable to those reading my work. Additionally, this skill would help to shorten my college essays and supplements which are, at the moment, over most word limits.

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I'm going to refine my thesis writing skills further in this class. I find that my thesis is often too broad and too ambitious, so I want to work on making my thesis more specific, engaging, and well supported :D

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I hope to broaden my vocabulary and improve my word choice. Being clear and concise is a major goal of mine whenever I write.

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What do I want to accomplish in my writing this year?  Well, I, of course, want to write superb college essays.  Overall, in more general goals, I want to become a better writer this year.  In particular, I want to incorporate quotes and data more seamlessly.

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I'd like to develop my points further in my essays, as I feel that I sometimes don't analyze deeply enough. I also hope to use more active verbs so I don't rely on descriptive adjectives