The Life and Work of Lorraine Hansberry

Context to A Raisin in the Sun

About the author - Lorraine Hansberry:

Listen to Audiobook while reading:






RACE – THE POWER OF AN ILLUSION: How the Racial Wealth Gap Was Created from California Newsreel on Vimeo.

Visual Data of Chicago's 2010 Census

Avoid the Enlightened Sparknotes Synopsis

Please be mindful of the perils of plagiarism and enlightened retelling of the story.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Know your audience - the reader of your essay understands the plotline.

Schmoop and Sparknotes may clarify the twists and turns down the river; however, your argument requires close-reading skills.



YOU MUST:

Frame the quote with context and analysis.

In other words, you must set up the quote with necessary context: speaker, audience, when (before or after a plot point), and where (setting).

Be sure to embed the quote with proper punctuation.

Instead of offering simple verbs such as says or states, use an action verb that connotes the tone or mood.

In an internet world that includes Thug Notes, make a case that presents significant details; then, explain why they are important to your argument.

Be original; otherwise, cite your sources. See easybib.com.

Yes, I have watched this video.



Avoid the obvious argument about the river.

Race is a Social Construct

On February 5, 2016 in Scientific American, Megan Gannon, writes an article, 

"Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue"

Clips from PBS's Race: The Power of an Illusion

Phrenology

Phrenology (not to be confused with physiognomy - or phenology)

From Wikipedia:

1848 edition of American Phrenological Journal published by Fowlers & Wells, New York City

Racism[edit]

Europeans looking for a scientific basis for their racism found phrenology attractive as justification for European superiority over other "lesser" races. By comparing skulls of different ethnic groups it supposedly allowed for ranking of races from least to most evolved. Broussais, a disciple of Gall, proclaimed that the Caucasians were the "most beautiful" while peoples like the Australian Aboriginal and Maori would never become civilized since they had no cerebral organ for producing great artists.^[43] Few phrenologists argued against the emancipation of the slaves. Instead they argued that through education and interbreeding the lesser peoples could improve.^[44]Another argument was that the natural inequality of people could be used to situate them in the most appropriate place in society. Gender stereotyping was also common with phrenology. Women whose heads were generally larger in the back with lower foreheads were thought to have underdeveloped organs necessary for success in the arts and sciences while having larger mental organs relating to the care of children and religion.^[45] While phrenologists did not contend the existence of talented women, this minority did not provide justification for citizenship or participation in politics.^[46]

Education[edit]

One of the considered practical applications of phrenology was education. Due to the nature of phrenology people were naturally considered unequal with very few people would have a naturally perfect balance between organs. Thus education would play an important role in creating a balance through rigorous exercise of beneficial organs while repressing baser ones. One of the best examples of this is Félix Voisin who for approximately ten years ran a reform school in Issy for the express purpose of correction of the mind of children who had suffered some hardship. Voisin focused on four categories of children for his reform school:^[47]

• Slow learners
• Spoiled, neglected, or harshly treated children
• Willful, disorderly children
• Children at high risk of inheriting mental disorders

Phrenology is an element of...

From Wikipedia:

Scientific racism (sometimes referred to as race biology,^[1][2] racial biology, or race realism^[3]) is the pseudoscientific belief that empirical evidence exists to support or justify racism (racial discrimination), racial inferiority, or racial superiority.^[4][5][6] Historically, scientific racist ideas received credence in the scientific community but are no longer considered scientific.^[5][6]

Scientific racism employs anthropology (notably physical anthropology), anthropometry, craniometry, and other disciplines or pseudo-disciplines, in proposing anthropological typologies supporting the classification of human populations into physically discrete human races, that might be asserted to be superior or inferior. Scientific racism was common during the period from 1600s to the end of World War I. Since the second half of the 20th century, scientific racism has been criticized as obsolete and discredited, yet historically has persistently been used to support or validate racist world-views, based upon belief in the existence and significance of racial categories and a hierarchy of superior and inferior races.^[7]

What is the Google Books Ngram Viewer?

Chapter 19:

“Old man,” said the young one, “I reckon we might double-team it together; what do you think?”

“I ain’t undisposed.  What’s your line—mainly?”

“Jour printer by trade; do a little in patent medicines; theater-actor—tragedy, you know; take a turn to mesmerism and phrenology when there’s a chance; teach singing-geography school for a change; sling a lecture sometimes—oh, I do lots of things—most anything that comes handy, so it ain’t work.  What’s your lay?”

“I’ve done considerble in the doctoring way in my time.  Layin’ on o’ hands is my best holt—for cancer and paralysis, and sich things; and I k’n tell a fortune pretty good when I’ve got somebody along to find out the facts for me.  Preachin’s my line, too, and workin’ camp-meetin’s, and missionaryin’ around.”

Chapter 20: 

The king got out an old ratty deck of cards after breakfast, and him and the duke played seven-up a while, five cents a game. Then they got tired of it, and allowed they would “lay out a campaign,” as they called it. The duke went down into his carpet-bag, and fetched up a lot of little printed bills and read them out loud. One bill said, “The celebrated Dr. Armand de Montalban, of Paris,” would “lecture on the Science of Phrenology” at such and such a place, on the blank day of blank, at ten cents admission, and “furnish charts of character at twenty-five cents apiece.” The duke said that was him. In another bill he was the “world-renowned Shakespearian tragedian, Garrick the Younger, of Drury Lane, London.” In other bills he had a lot of other names and done other wonderful things, like finding water and gold with a “divining-rod,” “dissipating witch spells,” and so on. By and by he says:

Socialization: Dynamics of Oppression

Does Huck Gaslight Jim in Chapter 15?

"Gaslighting is a form of manipulation used against a partner to convince them that they were the ones that were wrong. "

From Health.com:

5 Signs Your Partner Is Gaslighting You; 

These are the red flags for this subtle form of emotional abuse.

1. Your partner corrects your recollections
2. They tell glaring lies
3. They call you “crazy”
4. They shut you out when problems arise
5. Their mistakes become yours

Read more.

From YouTube: 

Not many people are familiar with the term “gaslighting,” but it is an extremely important one to learn. Gaslighting is a term that was actually coined from a 1940’s movie, where a husband tried to convince his wife that she had gone crazy. Gaslighting is a form of manipulation used against a partner to convince them that they were the ones that were wrong. This technique is not exclusive to romantic partners. It can happen between coworkers, friends, or by your boss. So, today, we will discuss some signs that you have fallen victim to gaslighting. 1. You Are Told How You Feel We’ve all met these people Is there anyone in your life that tells you how you feel? It could be something as little as, “You don’t actually want to watch that television show” to “You do not want me to be successful.” These comments usually come out of left field and instead of asking you these questions, they simply make assumptions about your feelings and run with it. 2. You Question Your Sanity Sometimes you can leave the conversations with this person thinking, “Am I crazy?” Often, you actually mean that question. If you’ve experienced this, and you feel that you are going more and more insane, you just may be a victim of gaslighting. 3. You Try Anything to Avoid Misinterpretation If you are constantly walking around on egg shells and hold in your opinions for fear that they will be twisted against you, there’s a strong possibility that you are a victim. Having someone twist your words against you gets old very quick. So, victims will tend to avoid those situations to not experience that manipulation. 4. You Are Always Apologizing Do you feel like a broken record, repeating over and over again that you are sorry? Not only is this not normal, it is also not healthy. Victims of gaslighting are constantly apologizing for their feelings and beliefs. 5. You Are Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop If you’ve already experienced one outburst, you may be waiting for the next one. You never know when the next time is going to happen, bringing you back to walking on egg shells in anticipation. 6. You Keep The Truth From Friends and Family This is a huge red flag. You should be able to be proud of your relationship and show off your significant other to your friends and family. However, if you feel that you need to hide aspects of your relationship, there’s a problem. 7. You Think You Are Too Sensitive Do you ever feel that you are constantly in the wrong because you are too sensitive? Do you feel that you bring less value to your relationships because of that? If you have these genuine thoughts, you may be a victim. These opinions and feelings may be planted by someone else. 8. You Lie to Defend Yourself Victims will lie constantly, since the truth will get them into trouble with their perpetrator of gaslighting. If you need to tell lies in order to keep someone from attacking you, there is a problem. 9. You Are Always Confused Since victims are always lying, afraid to let others in and are being told that they are wrong, they just do not know what to believe. Therefore, life can leave them a bit disoriented all the time. They say if you tell a lie so many times, you will begin to believe it. This certainly seems to be the case for gaslighting victims. So, what can you do if you, or someone you know, is a victim of gaslighting? The best thing to do is to seek out professional help. The professional can help you figure out your true feelings and figure out who you are. Have you ever heard of the term gaslighting before today? Do you know anyone who has escaped one of these toxic relationships? Let us know in our comment section.