How to keep a family from falling apart

     As we read A Raisin in the Sun this week, my thoughts kept jumping back to the fact that this whole book wouldn't be anything without the death of Big Walter. Because of all of the work Big Walter did while he was alive, his family members got $10,000 to spend as they wanted once he died. It wasn't until the end of the book that the family even brings up how grateful they should be towards all the work their father did for them. This frustrates me because all Big Walter did was work for his family, and once he died, it seemed to me that all they cared about was the money and how to spend it, rather than taking time to appreciate the man who earned the money for his family that he loved. Because of the money, the family seemed to be falling apart more and more; most of the book consisted of arguments between family members.
     This reminds me a little bit of what's going on in my family. My grandpa died a couple years ago and my dad and his sisters had to divide up all of his belongings. There were a lot of times when my aunts would get in fights over who would get what stuff. It never got too bad, but they were arguing nonetheless and this is definitely not something my grandpa would've wanted to happen because of his death. He would've wanted his death to, if anything, bring his kids closer together, rather than make them argue over how his money and belongings would be split up. Relating my family's situation to the Younger's situation, I've realized that what's important is, not the money and material items, but keeping the memories, stories, and morals of the one who died alive. Focusing on these ideas will bring a family closer together instead of tearing it apart.

A Dried Up Dream

     During this past week, I've really thought in depth about dreams. In Langston Hughes' poem, "Harlem", he refers to the dreams of African Americans and what happens if dreams are put aside. He compares this to a raisin drying up in the sun-- it festers, stinks, crusts over, sags, and could even explode. When one forgets, loses, or puts off a dream, it will have a torturing effect like a raisin that dries up and "[stinks] like rotten meat." Although it may seem easier to just give up on a dream, the poem suggests that this action would be a burden on you by saying "it just sags like a heavy load." To some people it may not make sense that a dream that is out of your way is actually quite a burden, but it in fact is because this forgotten dream is holding you back from complete happiness. The last line of the poem says that the deferred dream could explode. This suggests that not pursuing your dreams could negatively affect not only yourself, but many people, just like an explosion. For example, if your dream is to put an end to poverty and you don't even give it a chance, then you're letting down everyone who is in poverty. A dream that isn't pursued makes you one step further from your idea of a perfect life.
     So, is it better to set off a dream and let laziness take over or go after your dreams at risk that they may not end the way you planned? After reading this poem, I am positive the best action to take regarding your dreams is to chase them. If you put off a dream because of the fear that it will end in disappointment, you're not giving your life the chance it deserves. It's important to at least try to achieve your dreams, because you never know where it could lead you.

We are people who we aren't

     In our critical world, it is very rare to find someone who is always true to his/her real self. It sounds cliche, but it is true that the majority of people make most decisions based on what would please others. This happens so much to the point that it takes over our lives; most of our lives are spent working to convince others that we are someone we aren't. We see this happen in The Great Gatsby through Gatsby's character.
     In Gatsby's case, he worked his whole post-war life to be wanted and loved by Daisy. All he wanted in life was to be with her, so he went to extremes to get her. Gatsby was a poor young man with no connections to wealthy people when he met and fell in love with Daisy, who was rich. After coming back from war and learning that she was married, Gatsby illegally sold alcohol to earn all his wealth, bought a glamorous mansion across the water from Daisy, and held huge parties in order to be the man that Daisy wanted. In the end, his closer connections with Daisy killed him, which shows how changing who you are is not worth it. In today's society, we see people changing to be accepted by others all the time. Whether it's by wearing certain clothes, listening to certain music, saying certain things, or doing certain actions, everyone seems to be a little fake.


     It escapes me why people think that the only way to be happy is changing themselves to be accepted. We don't owe anything to people who are going to only accept us if we fit their standards of living, so why try to please them? On the other hand, we owe everything to ourselves; the least we can do for ourselves is stay true to who we are so our lives don't go to waste.