Author: Christopher Lee

I used the song “Island Girl” by Elton John to create my found poem. The song “Island Girl” is very offensive and is no longer performed by Elton John as he got major back lash when he released it. The song is about white men taking advantage of a darker skinned girl and not treating her as an equal. The song has very racist and sexualized lyrics when describing the girl such as ” Well she’s black as coal, but she burn like a fire. And she wrap herself around you like a well-worn tire” (Elton John). It is obvious why Elton John received the negative response from his fans and listeners. His song is really upsetting not only for the hurtful lyrics that he chose to use but also that it can be related to many true events that take place. I used inspiration from the song to create my found poem showing how white men abuse their privileges and power. In my poem, it appears that a white man is attempting to take an island girl back to a “white man’s world” but she is fighting to not go. A boy tries to intervene but it is too late and the island girl is taken against her will. I wanted to create a poem that is impactful and brings awareness to the fact that white males tend to do what they want, especially against those with less rights.

In A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry, Walter Lee is portrayed as a man who does not consider the people around him. Through out the play Walter only ever talks about himself. Walter talks about his dreams and what he could be. He is very rude to not only his mother and sister but also his wife. Walter showed no care to tend to his wife and appeared to only be worried about accomplishing his dreams. Walter talked to his mother as if she hasn’t already given him what she has to give. He talked down on his sister and her dreams of being a doctor whenever given the chance and never showed any interest to actually be happy for his sister and her dreams. As Hansberry stated, “I don’t want nothing but for you to stop acting holy ’round here. Me and Ruth done made some sacrifices for you—why can’t you do something for the family?” (37). As a man that often dreams of what could be, Walter should have only ever supported his sister and what she was accomplishing. Walter appears to be only worried about himself and not considerate of the rest of his family through out most of the play but after considering the position he is in, is he really a misogynistic jerk?

Walter is an African American male in the mid 1900s’ that has never experienced a wealthy life style. During that time, the way America treated African Americans was cruel and inhuman. Walter grew up and experienced racism throughout his whole life and after experiencing so much hate, it is likely that Walter became cold. Walter’s father had passed away essentially from working too hard most of his life and that pressure then got put on Walter. It is expected that Walter steps up and takes care of his family but he was not in a great position to do so. Walter had a son (with another child on the way) and a wife he had to support, along with feeling obligated to take care of his mother and his sister. With the job that he managed to have, it was unrealistic to be able to support them all. Through out the play he only ever talks about his dreams but his dreams weren’t really for himself. Walter only ever wanted to fulfill his dreams in order to take care of his family. He believed by achieving his dreams that would help his family accomplish theirs. As stated by Hansberry, “You wouldn’t understand yet, son, but your daddy’s gonna make a transaction . . . a business transaction that’s going to change our lives. . . .” (108). Walter was always considering the well being of his family, he just had a terrible way of showing it. He seemed to only be chasing his dreams and not acknowledging the dreams of his loved ones but he truly believed that he needed to accomplish his dreams in order for his family to have the opportunity to achieve theirs. Through out the play, Walter was portrayed as a man that did not care much for the dreams of his loved ones but it is revealed that he was only obsessed with accomplishing his goals so he could have the opportunity to take care of his family and help them achieve their dreams.

Walter Lee did have his family’s best interest at heart, he just got caught up trying to put his family in a better position that he was blinded to the fact that he wasn’t showing enough love to the ones that care for him. The way that Walter treated his mother, sister, and wife was uncalled for but after analyzing his situation, he is not to blame. He was doing his best for his family and whenever anything was going his way, something seemed to go wrong. Walter is a loving and caring son, husband, brother, and father that was willing to give his all to his family. Walter made risky decisions that would benefit his family’s situation greatly but was once again introduced to a very unfortunate event, that clearly effected Walter very negatively which he expressed when he was on he knees, crying. He was defeated and broken but he still tried to come up with a solution for his family. Walter redeemed himself at the end of the play by standing his ground to Lindner and defending his family and their honor. Although Walter did not act the way a man of his household should, he showed that at the end of the day he has his family’s back and will do what it takes for them. Walter used the moment to teach Travis what a real, respectable, and honorable man is and truly showed his true colors to his entire family. After finishing the play it is obvious that Walter is not a terrible man, he is simply misunderstood.

1. Do you believe that Walter is a good man and truly cares for his family or is he not fit to be the man of the house hold?
2. Is the way Walter treated his family through out the play excusable? Does he have reason to act the way that he does?

Work Cited

Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Vintage Books, 1994.

My name is Chris Lee and I am sophomore that just transferred this semester. I grew up in Highland, New York but I went to school in Alabama for electrical engineering for many reasons, one including that is where my dad lives. After changing my major I decided to come back to New York for physical education and found that Cortland fit everything I was looking for. I am interested in sports and hanging out with friends and am always down to hang out. I look forward to meeting everyone throughout the semester.