A Raisin in the Sun Page #6

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Nigerian woman would wear.

Isn't that beautiful?

Enough of that assimilationist junk.

- What kind of dance is that?

- It's a folk dance.

What kind of folks do that?

It's from Nigeria.

It's a dance of welcome.

- Who you welcoming?

- The men. Back to the village.

Where they been?

How do I know where they've been?

Out hunting or something.

Anyway, they coming back now.

That's good.

And Ethiopia stretched forth

her arms again.

And Africa's sure

claiming her own tonight.

Shut up.

I'm digging them drums.

The drums move me.

In my heart of hearts,

I'm much warrior.

In your heart of hearts,

you're much drunkard.

That's my man, you know?

Kenyatta!

Hot damn!

Flaming Spear!

The lion waking now, honey.

Flaming Spear!

Listen...

...my black brothers.

Do you hear the waters rushing against

the shores of our coastlands?

Do you hear the screeching of the c*cks

in yonder hills...

...beyond where our chiefs

meet in council...

...for the coming of the mighty war?

Do you hear the beating

of the birds' wings...

...as they fly low

over our mountains...

...and the low places of our land?

Do you hear the singing

of the women...

...singing the sweet war song?

Oh, do you hear, my black brothers?

We hear you, Flaming Spear!

Telling us to prepare...

...for the greatness of their times.

- Black brother!

- Black brother, hell!

You got company. What is with you?

Get down off that table.

And stop acting like a fool.

He's had a little to drink.

I don't know what her excuse is.

Honey, we're going to the theatre.

We're not going

to be in it, you know.

Oh, George,

I don't like that.

Do you expect this boy to go out

with you looking like that?

That's up to George, if he's

ashamed of his heritage!

Oh, dear!

Oh, dear!

Here we go again.

A lecture on our African past,

on our great West African heritage.

In a second, we'll hear about

the great Ashanti empires...

...the Songhai civilizations, the

sculpture of Benin, poems in Bantu...

...and the whole monologue will end up

with the word "heritage"!

Your heritage is nothing

but a bunch of raggedy spirituals...

...and some grass huts!

Grass huts?

You see, George...

...you would rather stand there

in your splendid ignorance...

...and know absolutely nothing

about the people...

...who were the first to smelt iron

on the face of this earth.

Why, the Ashantis were performing

surgical operations...

...when the English were still

tattooing themselves with blue dragons!

Have a seat, George.

Would you like an ice-cold beer?

No, thanks.

I don't care for beer.

I hope she hurries up.

- What time is the show?

- It's an 8:
30 curtain.

That's just Chicago. In New York,

standard curtain time is always 8:40.

You get to New York a lot?

Sure.

A few times a year.

That's nice.

I've never been to New York.

New York.

New York ain't got nothing

Chicago ain't...

...except a bunch of hustling people all

squeezed together being Eastern.

So you've been?

- Plenty of times.

- Walter Lee...

Plenty!

What you got in this house to drink?

Offer the man some refreshments.

You're not entertaining enough.

No, thank you.

I don't care for anything.

How come all you college boys wear

them faggoty-looking white shoes?

Walter Lee!

Excuse him.

They look funny as hell.

You know?

Bad as them black knee stockings

Beneatha wears all the time.

- It's the college style.

- She look like she got burnt legs.

- Oh, Walter!

- Oh, Walter. Oh, Walter.

How's your old man making out?

I understand you all going to buy

that big hotel down on the drive.

Shrewd move, boy.

Your old man knows how to operate.

He thinks big. Know what I mean?

I mean for a home, you know.

But I kind of think he's

running out of ideas now, see?

I sure would like to talk to him.

I got me some plans, man.

I got me some plans that'll

turn this city upside down.

Know what I mean?

I think like your old man. Big.

You invest big, you gamble big,

and, hell, you lose big...

...if you have to.

You know what I mean?

Hard to find another man on the

whole South Side who understands that.

If me and you get down

and talk about things...

Sometime we'll have to do that.

When you get the time, man.

- I know you are a busy little boy.

- Walter, please.

I know ain't nothing in the world

as busy as you coloured college boys...

...with your fraternity pins

and your white shoes.

I see you all the time with your books

tucked under your arm...

...going to your classes.

What are you learning down there?

What are they filling your head with?

Sociology? Psychology?

They teaching you how to be a man?

How to take over

and run this world, boy?

How to run a rubber plantation

or a steel mill or something?

Just how to read books and talk proper.

And wear faggoty white shoes.

You know, man, you are

all wacked up with bitterness.

How about you? Ain't you bitter?

Don't you see no stars

you can't reach out and grab?

I'm talking to...

I'm a volcano. I'm a giant,

and I'm surrounded by ants.

Ants who don't even know

what I'm talking about. How's that?

Ain't you with nobody?

Ain't nobody with me.

- Not even my own mother.

- That's a terrible thing to say.

You look great!

See you later.

- Come along, George.

- Have a nice time now.

Good night, Prometheus.

Who's Prometheus?

I don't know, honey.

Don't worry about it.

They get to a point they can't even

insult you man-to-man.

They got to talk about something

nobody ever heard of.

How do you know it was an insult?

Maybe Prometheus is a nice fellow.

I bet there's no such thing.

I bet that simple-minded clown

just made it up out of his head.

- Don't you start.

- Start what?

Your nagging. "Where you been?

Who you been with?

How much money you spend?"

- Why can't you stop fighting me?

- Who's fighting you?

Who even cares about you?

Guess I may as well go on to bed.

I don't know where we lost it,

but we have.

I'm sorry about this new baby.

Guess I'd better do what I started.

Guess I just didn't realize

how bad things was with us.

I guess I just didn't really realize.

Stairs are getting longer and longer.

How you feeling this evening?

- Where were you this afternoon?

- Where's Travis?

I let him go out earlier

and he ain't come back yet.

Boy, is he going to get it!

- Where were you this afternoon?

- Downtown to tend to some business.

What kind of business?

Don't question me like a child.

You didn't go out and do something

crazy with that insurance money?

- Mama, l...

- You going to get it, boy!

Get yourself ready.

Why don't you never let the child

explain himself?

Keep out of it, Lena.

A thousand times I told you

not to go off like that.

At least let me tell him something.

Come here, Travis.

Come on to Grandma. Come on.

You know that money

we got in the mail this morning?

What do you think

your grandma went and done?

I don't know, Grandma.

She went and she bought you a house.

You glad about the house?

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