English

Ben Wright Ms Crowe H English 11 4 January 2013 The Power of Dreams In life, the perception of reality and fantasy conflict. Tupac Shakur once said, “Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real." Often times in literature this theme is expressed. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and in the novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” by Harper Lee the main protagonists have dreams that out way their reality, which affect the way that they make decisions. The authors use a plethora of literary elements to help to convey this theme in their work. Walter Younger, the main protagonist in A Raisin in the Sun, experiences a lot of hardships in his life. His life takes place in a run-down apartment in Chicago. His actual life is morbid and terrible but his actions are all based off his dreams. For example, when his son asks him for money for school Walter not only gives him the money, but he gives him extra even though he can barely afford to. His dream involves becoming finically stable and successful. He experiences an internal conflict when Mama finally gave him the finances that he wanted. Instead of using his wealth wisely to better his actual life, he plays to his dream and invests the money he received in an attempt to become even more successful. Walter’s life decisions are not based off of his reality rather they are based off his dreams of being a wealthy and prosperous individual. Other characters in literature have similar experiences with their dreams. Atticus Finch, the main protagonist in “To Kill A Mocking Bird,” faced a momentous decision. Atticus, being characterized as a compassionate and morally righteous individual had to decide on to whether or not to defend a black man in court. In reality blacks were completely unequal and often convicted of crimes that they did not even commit. Atticus and his family are harassed by his peers relentlessly as they do not want him to defend a black man. However, Atticus dreamed of a world of equality and integrity for everyone. He choses to defend the black man not only to help carry out his dream but also to symbolize to his children that believing in your dreams and staying up to cruel realities can better society on every level. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and in the novel “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” by Harper Lee the main protagonists have dreams that out way their reality, which affect the way that they make decisions. Walter Younger decided to invest the money he received from his mom instead of bettering his family’s life with it, in an attempt to achieve his dream. Atticus Finch decided to defend a black man in court despite the harsh reality of racism and segregation in order to reach his dream and to have his kids experience his dream. Reality can be rough and unforgiving but when you dream big, it makes arduous decisions seem just a little bit easier, and that little bit can be the difference between success and failure.