Claudine Caluza

Mrs. Storer
Block 5 English III
March 13, 2020
My Biggest Take Away from A Raisin in the Sun
The biggest take away from this is how Lorraine addresses the American Dream by
conveying the message that for one to pursue their dream they must sacrifice a part of themself.
Walter, in A Raisin in the Sun, came very close to sacrificing his dignity so that he can obtain
money for his family, and says, “Don’t cry Mama. Understand. That white man is going to walk
in that door able to write checks for more money than we ever had. It’s important to him and I’m
going to help him… I’m going to put on the show, Mama” (Hansberry, 143). He wanted to
reverse his mistakes, so that Beneatha and the rest of his family could pursue their dreams, such
as his sister becoming a doctor and having his son go to college.
I am the first generation in my family to be born in America, my mother and father
moved to the Philippines so that I could have more opportunities and a better life. They had to
abandon their lifestyle and culture, a big part of them, so that I could have the life they did not
have the opportunity to have in the Philippines. I often think about how I am considered, “white-
washed”, I don’t know Tagalog well, and I don’t feel as connected to my heritage as I should be.
Although, I can’t hate my parents, they wanted to raise me so that I can seize the opportunities in
the United States. I was born in National City, and we got a small house in the ghetto surrounded
by my other Asian neighbors. I attended a public pre-school, surrounded by other Asians, so I
felt as if I fit in. On some occasions though, some kids would speak their native language to their
parents, such as Korean, and I always felt like that was a special connection between families.
Unfortunately, I feel as if I don’t have that connection though, and theres a part of me that
screams “mentally white”. I understand why my parents raised me like this, they prioritized
teaching me English rather than Tagalog so I would fit in as quickly as possible and not develop
an “accent”, so I can surpass my Tagalog-speaking classmates. The issue with that though is I
feel like a part of me has been lost, the inability to be bilingual has made me fit in with other
Americans, but not with my Filipino families.
In a way, my life was like the Youngers because we lived in a community that seemed as
if it were made for a specific race, in this case, Asians. It is still relevant now in my life because
my neighbors consist of people of color, such as Persians, Koreans, and Filipinos. When Mama
mentioned how they were about to move into a white neighborhood, I felt as if it were
unbelievable because today there still is a bit of unspoken segregation. It made me think about
the times I drive near Coronado, I never really see people of color walking around, just white
people. I think about the possibility that once they move in, will the Youngers, specifically
Travis, will be whitewashed like me? Mama mentions, “ I come from five generations of people
who was slaves and sharecroppers – but ain’t nobody in my family never let nobody pay ‘em no
money that was a way of telling us we wasn’t fit to walk the earth. We ain’t never been that poor.
(Raising her eyes and looking at him) We ain’t never been that – dead inside” (Act III, scene i). I
felt this quote resonate with me because Mama compares assimilation to being dead inside, and I
feel that my parents want for me to pursue any dream of mine had to sacrifice my connection to
culture.