Completar frases: A RAISIN IN THE SUN ACT II (language - english - k11

1

assimilationist headdress OCOMOGOSIAY

RUTH What have we got on tonight !

BENEATHA ( Emerging grandly from the doorway so that we can see her thoroughly robed in the costume Asagai
brought ) You are looking at what a well - dressed Nigerian woman wears ( She parades for RUTH , her hair
completely hidden by the ; she is coquettishly fanning herself with an ornate oriental fan , mistakenly more like Butterfly than any Nigerian that ever
was ) Isn't it beautiful ? ( She promenades to the radio
and , with an arrogant flourish , turns off the good loud
blues that is playing ) Enough of this
junk ! ( RUTH follows her with her eyes as she goes to
the phonograph and puts on a record and turns and
waits ceremoniously for the music to come up . Then ,
with a shout ) !

2

folk hunting Anyway Nigeria

RUTH What kind of dance is that ?

BENEATHA A dance .

RUTH ( Pearl Bailey ) What kind of folks do that , honey ?

BENEATHA It's from . It's a dance of welcome .

RUTH Who you welcoming ?

BENEATHA The men back to the village .

RUTH Where they been ?

BENEATHA How should I know out or some -
thing . , they are coming back now . . .

RUTH Well , that's good .

3

ETHIOPIA claiming

BENEATHA ( With the record )
Alundi , alundi
Alundialunya
Jop pu a jeepua
Ang gu soooooooooo
Aiyaiyae . . .
Ayehaye alundi

WALTER YEAH . . . AND STRETCH FORTH HER HANDS AGAIN ! . . .

RUTH ( Drily , looking at him ) Yes and Africa sure is
her own tonight .

4

LION drunkard warrior

WALTER ( All in a drunken , dramatic shout ) Shut up !
. . . I'm digging them drums . . . them drums move me !
. . . ( He makes his weaving way to his wife's face and
leans in close to her ) In my heart of hearts ( He
thumps his chest ) I am much !

RUTH ( Without even looking up ) In your heart of hearts
you are much .

WALTER ( Coming away from her and starting to wander
around the room , shouting ) Me and Jomo . . . ( In -
tently , in his sister's face . She has stopped dancing to
watch him in this unknown mood ) That's my man ,
Kenyatta . ( Shouting and thumping his chest ) FLAM -
ING SPEAR ! HOT DAMN ! ( He is suddenly in pos -
session of an imaginary spear and actively spearing
enemies all over the room ) OCOMOGOSIAY . . .

BENEATHA ( To encourage WALTER , thoroughly caught up
with this side of him ) OCOMOGOSIA Y , FLAMING
SPEAR !

WALTER THE IS WAKING . . . OWIMOWEH !

5

OCOMOGOSIAY OWIMOWEH

BENEATHA !

WALTER ( On the table , very far gone , his eyes pure glass
sheets . He sees what we cannot , that he is a leader of
his people , a great chief , a descendant of Chaka , and
that the hour to march has come ) Listen , my black
brothers

BENEATHA !

WALTER Do you hear the waters rushing against the
shores of the coastlands

BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY !

6

Flaming screeching wings singing

WALTER Do you hear the of the cocks in
yonder hills beyond where the chiefs meet in council
for the coming of the mighty war

BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY !
( And now the lighting shifts subtly to suggest the
world of WALTER'S imagination , and the mood
shifts from pure comedy . It is the inner WALTER
speaking : the Southside chauffeur has assumed an
unexpected majesty )

WALTER Do you hear the beating of the of the
birds flying low over the mountains and the low places
of our land

BENEATHA OCOMOGOSIAY !

WALTER Do you hear the of the women , sing -
ing the war songs of our fathers to the babies in the
great houses ? Singing the sweet war songs ! ( The door -
bell rings ) OH , DO YOU HEAR , MY BLACK
BROTHERS !

BENEATHA ( Completely gone ) We hear you ,
Spea r

7

fool table

WALTER Telling us to prepare for the GREATNESS OF
THE TIME ! ( Lights back to normal . He turns and sees
GEORGE ) Black Brother !
( He extends his hand for the fraternal clasp )

GEORGE Black Brother , hell !

RUTH ( Having had enough , and embarrassed for the
family ) Beneatha , you got company what's the matter
with you ? Walter Lee Younger , get down off that
and stop acting like a . . .

8

cut head honey drink eccentric

RUTH He's had a little to . . . I don't know what
her excuse is .

GEORGE ( To BENEATHA ) Look , we're going to
the theatre we're not going to be in it . . . so go
change , huh ?

( BENEATHA looks at him and slowly , ceremoni -
ously , lifts her hands and pulls off the headdress .
Her hair is close - cropped and unstraightened .
GEORGE freezes mid - sentence and RUTH'S eyes all
but fall out of her head )

GEORGE What in the name of . . .

RUTH ( Touching BENEATHA'S hear ) Girl , you done lost
your natural mind ! ? Look at your !

GEORGE What have you done to your head I mean your
hair !

BENEATHA Nothing except it off .

RUTH Now that's the truth it's what ain't been done
to it ! You expect this boy to go out with you with your
head all nappy like that ?

BENEATHA ( Looking at GEORGE ) That' s up to George .
If he's ashamed of his heritage

GEORGE Oh , don't be so proud of yourself , Bennie just
because you look eccentric .

BENEATHA How can something that's natural be eccen -
tric ?

GEORGE That's what being means being nat -
ural . Get dressed .

BENEATHA I don't like that , George .

9

grass submerge

RUTH Why must you and your brother make an argu -
ment out of everything people say ?

BENEATHA Because I hate assimilationist Negroes !
RUTH Will somebody please tell me what assimila - who -
ever means !

GEORGE Oh , it's just a college girl's way of calling people
Uncle Toms but that isn't what it means at all .

RUTH Well , what does it mean ?

BENEATHA ( Cutting GEORGE off and staring at him as she
replies to RUTH ) It means someone who is willing to
give up his own culture and himself com -
pletely in the dominant , and in this case oppressive
culture !

GEORGE Oh , dear , dear , dear ! Here we go ! A lecture on
the African past ! On our Great West African Heri -
tage ! In one second we will hear all about the great
Ashanti empires ; the great Songhay civilizations ; and
the great sculpture of B6nin and then some poetry
in the Bantu and the whole monologue will end with
the word heritage ! ( Nastily' ) Let's face it , baby , your
heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy - assed spirit -
uals and some huts !

BENEATHA GRASS HUTS !

10

splendid cold surgical

BENEATHA See there . . .
you are standing there in your ignorance talk -
ing about people who were the first to smelt iron on the
face of the earth ! ( RUTH is pushing her through the
door ) The Ashanti were performing opera -
tions when the English were still tatoo -
ing themselves with blue dragons !

RUTH Have a seat , George ( They both sit . RUTH folds
her hands rather primly on her lap , determined to
demonstrate the civilization of the family ) Warm , ain't
it ? I mean for September . ( Pause ) Just like they always
say about Chicago weather : If it's too hot or cold for
you , just wait a minute and it'll change . ( She smiles
happily at this clich6 of cliches ) Everybody say it's
got to do with them bombs and things they keep setting
off . ( Pause ) Would you like a nice beer ?
GEORGE No , thank you . I don't care for beer . ( He looks
at his watch ) I hope she hurries up .

RUTH What time is the show ?

GEORGE It's an eight - thirty curtain . That's just Chicago ,
though . In New York standard curtain time is eight
forty .

RUTH ( Properly appreciating it ) You get to New York
a lot ?

GEORGE ( Offhand ) Few times a year .

11

hustling entertain college

RUTH Oh that's nice . I've never been to New York .

WALTER New York ain't got nothing Chicago ain't . Just
a bunch of people all squeezed up together
being " Eastern . "

GEORGE Oh you've been ?

WALTER Plenty of times .

RUTH ( Shocked at the lie ) Walter Lee Younger !

WALTER ( Staring her down ) Plenty ! ( Pause ) What we
got to drink in this house ? Why don't you offer this
man some refreshment . They don't know how to people in this house , man .

GEORGE Thank you I don't really care for anything .

WALTER ( Feeling his head ; sobriety coming ) Where's
Mama ?

RUTH She ain't come back yet .

WALTER ( Looking MURCHISON over from head to toe ,
scrutinizing his carefully casual tweed sports jacket over
cashmere V - neck sweater over soft eyelet shirt and tie ,
and soft slacks , finished off with white buckskin shoes )
Why all you boys wear them faggoty - looking
white shoes ?

RUTH Walter Lee !

12

excusing burnt

WALTER ( To RUTH ) Well , they look crazy as hell
white shoes , cold as it is .

RUTH ( Crushed ) You have to excuse him

WALTER No he don't ! Excuse me for what ? What you
always me for ! I'll excuse myself when I needs
to be excused ! ( A pause ) They look as funny as them
black knee socks Beneatha wears out of here all the
time .

RUTH It's the college style , Walter .

WALTER Style , hell . She looks like she got legs or
something !

RUTH Oh , Walter

WALTER ( An irritable mimic ) Oh , Walter ! Oh , Walter !
( To MURCHISON ) How's your old man making out ? I
understand you all going to buy that big hotel on the
Drive ?

13

Shrewd wacked little books

WALTER move . Your
old man is all right , man . I mean he knows how to oper -
ate . I mean he thinks big , you know what I mean , I
mean for a home , you know ? But I think he's kind of
running out of ideas now . I'd like to talk to him . Lis -
ten , man , I got some plans that could turn this city
upside down . I mean think like he does . Big . Invest
big , gamble big , hell , lose big if you have to , you know
what I mean . It's hard to find a man on this whole
Southside who understands my kind of thinking you
dig ? Me and you ought to sit down and talk some -
times , man . Man , I got me some ideas . . .

MURCHISON ( With boredom ) Yeah sometimes we'll
have to do that , Walter .

WALTER ( Understanding the indifference , and offended )
Yeah well , when you get the time , man . I know you
a busy boy .

RUTH Walter , please

WALTER ( Bitterly , hurt ) I know ain't nothing in this
world as busy as you colored college boys with your
fraternity pins and white shoes . . .

RUTH ( Covering her - face with humiliation ) Oh , Walter
Lee

WALTER I see you all all the time with the books
tucked under your arms going to your ( British A a
mimic ) " clahsses . " And for what ! What the hell you
learning over there ? Filling up your heads ( Count -
ing off on his fingers ) with the sociology and the
psychology but they teaching you how to be a man ?
How to take over and run the world ? They teaching
you how to run a rubber plantation or a steel mill ?
Naw just to talk proper and read and wear
them f aggoty - looking white shoes . . .

GEORGE ( Looking at him with distaste , a little above it
all ) You're all up with bitterness , man .

14

stars head terrible giant Ain't

WALTER ( Intently , almost quietly , between the teeth ,
glaring at the boy ) And you ain't you bitter , man ?

you just about had it yet ? Don't you see no
gleaming that you can't reach out and grab ? You
happy ? You contented son - of - a - bitch you happy ?
You got it made ? Bitter ? Man , I'm a volcano . Bitter ?
Here I am a giant surrounded by ants ! Ants who
can't even understand what it is the is talking
about .

RUTH ( Passionately and suddenly ) Oh , Walter ain't
you with nobody !

WALTER ( Violently ) No ! 'Cause ain't nobody with me !
Not even my own mother !

RUTH Walter , that's a thing to say !

( BENEATHA enters , dressed for the evening in a
cocktail dress and earrings , hair natural )

GEORGE Well hey ( Crosses to BENEATHA ; thoughtful ,
with emphasis , since this is a reversal ) You look great !

WALTER ( Seeing his sister's hair for the first time ) What's
the matter with your ?

BENEATHA ( Tired of the jokes now ) I cut it off , Brother .

15

pin Prometheus clown

WALTER ( Coming close to inspect it and walking around
her ) Well , Til be damned . So that's what they mean
by the African bush . . .

BENEATHA Ha ha . Let's go , George .

GEORGE ( Looking at her } You know something ? I like it .
It's sharp . I mean it really is . ( Helps her into her wrap )

RUTH Yes I think so , too . ( She goes to the mirror and
starts to clutch at her hair )

WALTER Oh no ! You leave yours alone , baby . You might
turn out to have a - shaped head or something !

BENEATHA See you all later .

RUTH Have a nice time .

GEORGE Thanks . Good night . ( Half out the door , he re -
opens it . To WALTER ) Good night , Prometheus !
( BENEATHA and GEORGE exit )

WALTER ( To RUTH ) Who is Prometheus ?

RUTH I don't know . Don't worry about it .

WALTER ( In fury , pointing after GEORGE ) See there
they get to a point where they can't insult you man to
man they got to go talk about something ain't nobody
never heard of !

RUTH How do you know it was an insult ? ( To humor
him ) Maybe is a nice fellow .

WALTER Prometheus ! I bet there ain't even no such
thing ! I bet that simple - minded

RUTH Walter
( She stops what she i " y doing and looks at him )

WALTER ( Yelling ) Don't start !

RUTH Start what ?

WALTER Your nagging ! Where was I ? Who was I with ?
How much money did I spend ?

RUTH ( Plaintively ) Walter Lee why don't we just try
to talk about it . . .

WALTER ( Not listening ) I been out talking with people
who understand me . People who care about the things
I got on my mind .

RUTH ( Wearily ) I guess that means people like Willy
Harris .

WALTER Yes , people like Willy Harris .

16

milk coffee

RUTH ( With a sudden flash of impatience ) Why don't
you all just hurry up and go into the banking business
and stop talking about it !

WALTER Why ? You want to know why ? 'Cause we all
tied up in a race of people that don't know how to do
nothing but moan , pray and have babies !

RUTH Oh , Walter . . . ( Softly ) Honey , why can't you
stop fighting me ?

WALTER ( Without thinking ) Who's fighting you ? Who
even cares about you ?

RUTH Well ( She waits a long time , and then with res -
ignation starts to put away her things ) I guess I might
as well go on to bed . . . ( More or less to herself ) I
don't know where we lost it . . . but we have . . .
( Then , to him ) I I'm sorry about this new baby ,
Walter . I guess maybe I better go on and do what I
started . . . I guess I just didn't realize how bad things
was with us . . . I guess I just didn't really realize
( She starts out to the bedroom and stops ) You want
some hot milk ?

WALTER Hot ?

RUTH Yes hot milk

WALTER Why hot milk ?

RUTH 'Cause after all that liquor you come home with
you ought to have something hot in your stomach .

WALTER I don't want no milk .

RUTH You want some then ?

WALTER No , I don't want no coffee . I don't want noth -
ing hot to drink . ( Almost plaintively ) Why you always
trying to give me something to eat ?

RUTH ( Standing and looking at him helplessly ) What
else can I give you , Walter Lee Younger ?

WALTER It's been rough , ain't it , baby ? ( She hears and
stops but does not turn around and he continues to her
back ) I guess between two people there ain't never as
much understood as folks generally thinks there is . I
mean like between me and you How we gets to the place where we scared to talk
softness to each other . ( He waits , thinking hard him -
self ) Why you think it got to be like that ? ( He is
thoughtful , almost as a child would be ) Ruth , what
is it gets into people ought to be close ?

17

Travis Ruth try

RUTH I don't know , honey . I think about it a lot .

WALTER On account of you and me , you mean ? The
way things are with us . The way something done come
down between us .

RUTH There ain't so much between us , Walter . . . Not
when you come to me and try to talk to me . Try to
be with me . . . a little even .

WALTER ( Total honesty ) Sometimes . . . sometimes . . .
I don't even know how to .

RUTH Walter

WALTER Yes ?

RUTH ( Coming to him , gently and with misgiving , but
coming to him ) Honey . . . lif e don't have to be like
this . I mean sometimes people can do things so that
things are better . . . You remember how we used to
talk when Travis was born . . . about the way we were
going to live . . . the kind of house . . . ( She is strok -
ing his head ) Well , it's all starting to slip away from
us . . .

( He turns her to him and they look at each other
and kiss , tenderly and hungrily . The door opens
and MAMA enters WALTER breaks away and
jumps up . A beat )

WALTER Mama , where have you been ?

MAMA My them steps is longer than they used to be .
Whew ! ( She sits down and ignores him ) How you feel -
ing this evening , ?

( RUTH shrugs , disturbed at having been interrupted
and watching her husband knowingly )

WALTER Mama , where have you been all day ?

MAMA ( Still ignoring him and leaning on the table and
changing to more comfortable shoes ) Where's ?

RUTH I let him go out earlier and he ain't come back
yet . Boy , is he going to get it !

WALTER Mama !

MAMA ( As if she has heard him for the first time ) Yes ,
son ?

18

Where grandmama crazy nothing business house

WALTER did you go this afternoon ?

MAMA I went downtown to tend to some business that I
had to tend to .

WALTER What kind of ?

MAMA You know better than to question me like a child ,
Brother .

WALTER ( Rising and bending over the table ) Where
were you , Mama ? ( Bringing his fists down and shout -
ing ) Mama , you didn't go do something with that in -
surance money , something ?

( The front door opens slowly , interrupting him ,
and TRAVIS peeks his head in , less than hopefully )

TRAVIS ( To his mother ) Mama , I . . .

RUTH " Mama I " ! You're going to get it , boy !
Get on in that bedroom and get yourself ready !

TRAVIS But I . . .

MAMA Why don't you all never let the child explain
hisself .

RUTH Keep out of it now , Lena .
( MAMA clamps her lips together , and RUTH ad -
vances toward her son menacingly )

RUTH A thousand times I have told you not to go off
like that .

MAMA ( Holding out her arms to her grandson ) Well
at least let me tell him something . I want him to be
the first one to hear . . . Come here , Travis . ( The boy
obeys , gladly ) Travis ( She takes him by the shoulder
and looks into his face ) you know that money we
got in the mail this morning ?

TRAVIS Yes'm

MAMA Well what you think your gone and
done with that money ?

TRAVIS I don't know , Grandmama .

MAMA ( Putting her finger on his nose for emphasis ) She
went out and she bought you a house ! ( The explosion
comes from WALTER at the end of the revelation and he
jumps up and turns away from all of them in a fury .
MAMA continues , to TRAVIS ) You glad about the house ?
It's going to be yours when you get to be a man .

TRAVIS Yeah I always wanted to live in a .

19

moving double grandfather

MAMA All right , gimme some sugar then ( TRAVIS puts
his arms around her neck as she watches her son over
the boy's shoulder . Then , to TRAVIS , after the embrace )
Now when you say your prayers tonight , you thank
God and your 'cause it was him who
give you the house in his way .

RUTH ( Taking the boy - from MAMA and pushing him to -
ward the bedroom ) Now you get out of here and get
ready for your beating .

TRAVIS Aw , Mama .

RUTH Get on in there ( Closing the door behind him
and turning radiantly to her mother - in - law ) So you
went and did it !

MAMA ( Quietly , looking at her son with pain ) Yes , I
did .

RUTH ( Raising both arms classically ) PRAISE GOD !
( Looks at WALTER a moment , - who says nothing . She
crosses rapidly to her husband ) Please , honey let me
be glad . . . you be glad too . ( She has laid her hands
on his shoulders , but he shakes himself free of her
roughly , without turning to face her ) Oh , Walter . . .
a home . . . a home . ( She comes back to MAMA ) Well
where is it ? How big is it ? How much it going to
cost ?

MAMA Well

RUTH When we ?

MAMA ( Smiling at her ) First of the month .

RUTH ( Throwing back her head with jubilance ) Praise
God !

MAMA ( Tentatively , still looking at her son's back turned
against her and RUTH ) It's it's a nice house too . . .
( She cannot help speaking directly to him . An im -
ploring quality in her voice , her manner , makes her
almost like a girl now ) Three bedrooms nice big one
for you and Ruth . , . . Me and Beneatha still have to
share our room , but Travis have one of his own and
( With difficulty ) I figure if the new baby is a boy ,
we could get one of them - decker outfits . . .
And there's a yard with a little patch of dirt where I
could maybe get to grow me a few flowers . . , And a
nice big basement . . .

RUTH Walter honey , be glad

MAMA ( Still to his back , fingering things on the table )
'Course I don't want to make it sound fancier than it
is . . . It's just a plain little old house but it's made
good and solid and it will be ours . Walter Lee it
makes a difference in a man when he can walk on
floors that belong to him . . .

20

All nicest guess Clybourne UGLY

RUTH Where is it ?

MAMA ( Frightened at this telling ) Well well it's out
there in Park .

RUTH Where ?

MAMA ( Matter - of - factly ) Four o six Clybourne Street ,
Clybourne Park .

RUTH Clybourne Park ? Mama , there ain't no colored
people living in Clybourne Park .

MAMA ( Almost idiotically ) Well , I there's going
to be some now .

WALTER ( Bitterly ) So that's the peace and comfort you
went out and bought for us today !

MAMA ( Raising her eyes to meet his finally ) Son I
just tried to find the place for the least amount
of money for my family .

RUTH ( Trying to recover from the shock ) Well well
'course I ain't one never been 'fraid of no crackers ,
mind you but well , wasn't there no other houses
nowhere ?

MAMA Them houses they put up for colored in them
areas way out all seem to cost twice as much as other
houses . I did the best I could .

RUTH ( Struck senseless with the news , in its various de -
grees of goodness and trouble , she sits a moment ,
her fists propping her chin in thought , and then she
starts to rise , bringing her fists down with vigor , the
radiance spreading from cheek to cheek again ) Well
well ! I can say is if this is my time in life
MY TIME to say good - bye ( And she builds with
momentum as she starts to circle the room with an
exuberant , almost tearfully happy release ) to these
Goddamned cracking walls ! ( She pounds the walls )
and these marching roaches ! ( She wipes at an im -
aginary army of marching roaches ) and this cramped
little closet which ain't now or never was no kitchen !
. . . then I say it loud and good , HALLELUJAH ! AND
GOOD - BYE MISERY . . . I DON'T NEVER WANT
TO SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN ! Lena ?

21

sunlight apart pieces family butchered

MAMA Yes , honey ?

RUTH ( Looking off ) Is there is there a whole lot of
?

MAMA ( Understanding ) Yes , child , there's a whole lot
of sunlight .

( Long pause )

RUTH ( Collecting herself and going to the door of the
room TRAVIS is in ) Well I guess I better see 'bout
Travis . ( To MAMA ) Lord , I sure don't feel like whip -
ping nobody today !

( She exits )

MAMA ( The mother and son are left alone now and the
mother waits a long time , considering deeply , before
she speaks ) Son you you understand what I done ,
don't you ? ( WALTER is silent and sullen ) I I just
seen my family falling today . . . just falling to
in front of my eyes . . . We couldn't of gone on
like we was today . We was going backwards 'stead of
forwards talking 'bout killing babies and wishing each
other was dead . . . When it gets like that in life you
just got to do something different , push on out and do
something bigger . . . ( She waits ) I wish you say some -
thing , son . . . I wish you'd say how deep inside you
you think I done the right thing .

WALTER ( Crossing slowly to his bedroom door and finally
turning there and speaking measuredly ) What you
need me to say you done right for ? You the head of this
. You run our lives like you want to . It was
your money and you did what you wanted with it . So
what you need for me to say it was all right for ? ( Bit -
terly , to hurt her as deeply as he knows is possible )
So you up a dream of mine you who al -
ways talking 'bout your children's dreams . . .

MAMA Walter Lee
( He just closes the door behind him . MAMA sits
alone , thinking heavily )

Curtai n

A RAISIN IN THE SUN ACT II