Walter

As soon as I finished reading "A Raisin in the Sun," one bold thought kept running through my head. Walter's actions have caused me to strongly dislike him. Walter is such a bitter and selfish character throughout this whole novel. First of all, who simply gives away thousands of dollars without thinking twice about it? Walter. He failed to even put the $3,000 away for Beneatha's schooling, and took a part in crushing her medical school dream. He was so self-absorbed about his possibility of a liquor store that he didn't consider the thought of damaging his family. How Ruth can even stand him is beyond me. Walter's terrible blank expressions when she considered destroying the baby shows how non considerate he is. Why should Ruth carry a baby for nine months, when the father shows hardly any sign of wanting it? Plus the times when he treats his son Travis the best is when he has money behind him. He gives Travis a motivating talk, because he knows he now has Mama's money. Money is truly the cause of Walter's happiness. Ruth exclaims how excited she is that Walter took her out to the movies, and they actually held hands. The mournful fact is that Ruth can't even remember the last time that happened, but do you think Walter would have taken her to the movies if he didn't receive that money? No. 

Walter reminds me of people who gamble. Whenever my mom or dad come back from Las Vegas, they always tell me stories about how much money they see people gambling or betting. Some people are lucky, but others are super unfortunate and loose it all. Just like Walter, gamblers need to find a time to stop before they loose everything. Many hear stories about how people go to Vegas and keep betting until they have lost all their money, their cars or house even. These people and Walter need to stop carelessly using their money.  If Walter would have been less selfish, he wouldn't have caused such pain to his family. 

Proud to be an Individual

As a student of Troy High, I think it becomes hard to recognize how diverse our school is compared to others. After all, we are surrounded by so many unique cultures every day. Just looking around my classes I am able to hear and see the diversity of many different races: Indians, African Americans, Albanians, Whites, Italians, Asians, and many more. Many schools all across the United States are not as lucky to have such an exemplary diverse student population. The great thing about Troy High is that nobody is afraid to hide their race or who they truly are. We have talent shows, different clubs, teams, and events to express an individual's uniqueness, and nobody is afraid to let their culture shine. 


In "How it Feels to be Colored Me," Zora Neale Hurston expresses how even though she is African American and may feel separated at times from whites, she is still joyful and proud of her individuality. She illustrates the time she was listening to a jazz orchestra, "I dance wildly inside myself; I yell within, I whoop; I shake my assegai above my head, I hurl it true to the mark yeeeeooww!" (864). Zora's true thoughts are displayed when she eyes her white friend sitting motionless, causing her to realize the distinct separation of their cultures. The jazz had affected Zora so much more. Similar to the poem "The Weary Blues," written by Langston Hughes, jazz music had such a big impact expressing the varied emotions of African Americans. The jazz Zora listened to made her feel proud and energetic, while Hughes gave off a more sympathetic and depressing tone. 

Also shown in the poem "I, too," Hughes writes, "Nobody'll dare Say to me, "Eat in the kitchen," Then. Besides, They'll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed-- I too, am America." The whites discrimination to Hughes doesn't weaken his view of himself, he still is beautiful. Like students at Troy High, Zora and Hughes don't frown upon who they are because of their color. Zora writes, "At certain times I have no race, I am me" (864). Both authors are proud of her individuality and nobody can change that. 

Truly Wealthy?

A quote that constantly kept flashing through my mind while reading the Great Gatsby was "Some people are so poor, all they have is money." Wealth plays a major role throughout the novel and is portrayed as something everybody desires. Daisy refuses to be with Gatsby when she first meets him because he didn't have enough money. When Daisy looks at Gatsby's beautiful expensive shirts she breaks into tears knowing that she could have been a part of his luxurious life, and displays her crave for wealth. Gatsby throws parties for hundreds of guests, but when he was murdered how many of his party guests or even his friends came to his funeral? ONE. To me, the most depressing lines throughout the entire novel was, "The minister glanced several times at his watch so I took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn't any use. Nobody came" (182). Gatsby might have had money, but it shows he lacked caring friends and love. The woman he cared about the most didn't show any hint of emotion or concern when he passed. Also, a man he had spent much time with was Tom, who basically killed Gatsby himself, after revealing the car that ran Myrtle over was Gatsby's. This displays that money doesn't always make you rich, maybe dollar wise, but dirt poor of all the other great qualities of life, like family, friends, and love. This reminds me of a scene in the movie You Again, one of the characters Ramona accuses her friend Gail of being jealous of her wealth and accomplishments. Gail explains to her though, how her family is her accomplishment, not the amount of money she earns. Being rich can be interpreted at so many different levels. In Gatsby's case his wealth only hurt him. It may have attracted Daisy, but she still ended up with Tom. It is true that wealth can actually make you poor.