SKIP TO CONTENT

Excerpt from "A Raisin in the Sun"

Inspired by both a Langston Hughes poem and her own family's fight against discriminatory housing practices, Lorraine Hansberry developed characters for a play that became a Broadway hit. This list is based on a scene between Mama and Ruth as they try not to let thoughts of money ruin their day.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 11 Unit 1's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: A Cause Greater Than Self, The New Colossus, The Statue of Liberty Address, poems about America, America, America and I, What Is an American, Growing Up Asian in America, Let America Be America Again, The Four Freedoms, The Bill of Rights, What Is Freedom, Is the American Dream Still Possible, The Declaration of Independence, poems about immigrants, Money, A Raisin in the Sun, Who Burns, Roberto Acuna, Barack Obama, The Right to Fail
10 words 382 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. worry
    be concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
    Brother still worrying hisself sick about that money?
  2. invest
    lay out money or resources in an enterprise
    You mean that liquor store that Willy Harris want him to invest in?
  3. business
    the activity of providing goods and services
    We ain't no business people, Ruth.
  4. gamble
    take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
    Walter Lee say colored people ain't never going to start getting ahead till they start gambling on some different kinds of things in the world--investments and things.
  5. ledger
    an accounting journal as a physical object
    I don't want that on my ledger this late in life
  6. agency
    a business that provides a specialized service
    She'd be calling up the agency and screaming at them, "My girl didn't come in today--send me somebody!
  7. respectable
    conforming to socially acceptable morals or standards
    'Cause it sounds respectable to 'em.
  8. starve
    die of food deprivation
    Somebody would of thought my children done all but starved to death the way they talk about money here late.
  9. sincerely
    without pretense
    RUTH (sincerely, but also self-righteously): Now that's your money.
  10. serious
    completely lacking in playfulness
    I'm serious. Just pack up and leave!
Created on Sat Nov 08 21:12:19 EST 2014 (updated Sun Nov 09 18:06:30 EST 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.