Take the Money - Bennie

In our class Drama, we read the play, A Raisin in the Sun. This play examined gender roles, as well as the way race played a role in our society in the past and in the current day. We also had virtual FE guests Regina Holloway and Joel Hamernick come and speak to us about restrictive covenants in Chicago and how specific laws were put in place to keep black families out of white neighborhoods. 

In the play, Mama has bought a new house in an all white neighborhood. Mr. Linder, the "welcoming committee" from this neighborhood is trying to get the Younger family to sell the house back to the community. For our action project, I have written a letter to Walter Younger to convince him on whether he should or should not sell the house to Mr. Linder. I decided to write the letter from the view of Beneatha. This letter is directed to Walter who has the final decision of whether the house is sold or not. I hope this letter can show you why Walter should sell the house to Mr. Linder.

 

Hansberry, Lorraine. "Front Cover." Wikipedia, 2017.

Dear Walter,

This is your sister Beneatha. I know you probably won’t listen to what I have to say, but I am going to say it anyway. Not only because I care about myself, but because I care about all of the stuff you have put this family through. I think you should sell the house to Mr. Linder. First, why should we move our entire family to a neighborhood where we are threatened? Second, it is a way to make more money. Third, we could buy a house in a neighborhood that wants us. Like Mama said to Ruth, “Sometimes you just got to know when to give up some things... and hold on to what you got” (Hansberry; 581, Act 3). Now, Walter is that time to sell the house to Mr. Linder and make a bigger profit later on.

First of all Walter, why would you want to move the entire family into a neighborhood that we have been threatened by? It is very clear that those white people do not want to move into Clybourne Park. They already threatened us and who knows what they might do next. They might even burn the house down or bomb it. This could leave us homeless with no money, or it could get Travis killed. When Mama first heard about Mr. Linder she said, “Father give us strength… did they threaten us” (572, Act 2). Mama even knows that this is a dangerous place for us black folk to live. Walter, for the sake of your family's safety, sell the house to Mr. Linder.

Second of all Walter, if you sold the house to Mr. Linder, he is willing to pay more than what we originally paid for the house. This means that we could not only have more money to then buy a different house, but we could have some money for my tuition. If we negotiated with Mr. Linder, we could get back enough money that it could cover some of the insurance money you gave to Willy. Just like I told Asagai, “Things were happening in this world that directly concerned me and nobody asked me, consulted me - they just went out and did things and changed my life” (578, Act 3). I believe that I have some say in what should happen to us and whether we should move or not. I believe I also have a say in whether or not it is far that you at least try to pay me back some of the tuition money. We could buy a new house and have the tuition money if you negotiated with Mr. Linder for more money and sell the house to him.

Third of all Walter, we could sell the house to Mr. Linder and use the money to buy a house in a black neighborhood. This would then make it safer for Travis to go to school. We would not have to worry about the house burning down and us being attacked as well. Just as Mr. Linder said, “Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities” (570, Act 2). Why would you not want what is best for your family? This is why you should sell the house to Mr. Linder.

As you can read Walter, I have explained it all for you. One, you need to sell the house because the family should not move into a neighborhood that they feel threatened in. Two, selling the house would be a way for you to make more money and to get some money back for my tuition. Lastly, if you sold the house we could buy a house in an all black neighborhood. Just like Mama said, “We people who save children life, not who destroys them” (554, Act 1). Don’t go and destroy your children's lives, take this opportunity to pull us out of this tiny apartment while making money. Make the right choice, negotiate and sell the house to Mr. Linder.


Your Sister, 
        Beneatha

In the end, I believe Walter should sell the house. I chose Beneatha to write the letter because she is the one who lost a lot because of the decision Walter decided to make by giving the insurance money to Willy. I also chose Beneatha to write the letter because she is currently in college. This was a very interesting letter to write. I had a fun time writing it from the point of view of Beneatha. Thank you so much for reading my blog and stay safe!