Symbols in the Sun In the drama A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Symbols are a recurring theme. Hansberry uses them skillfully throughout the piece to give things a deeper meaning that can relate to the story. She uses it for Beneatha’s hair, a plant in the apartment, and even the insurance check the story revolves around. Beneatha’s hair is a prime example of symbolism by Hansberry. Before a date at the theatre with George Murchison she removes the head dress she’s been wearing, to reveal she’d cut it short and not straightened it as usual. George reacts in shock by saying, “What have you done to your head- I mean your hair” (Hansberry 80). George is upset by her change of hairstyle from the what is expected, to how she wants it.
Progress begins with an idea. An idea begins in the mind. And the mind is a powerful weapon. A weapon so powerful that if combined with other minds; can overthrow dictatorships, make pictures come to life and leave footprints on the moon. Sometimes, a mind can be so powerful that unknown entities want to control them by chackling and chaining them.
Katelyn Walker Morrison Period 2 3/3/23 Symbols in Raisin: Loraine Hansbury's play A Raisin in the Sun takes place in southside Chicago during the 1950’s. During this time, Chicago was experiencing devastating conditions such as racial segregation. These problems correlate to the struggles that the Youngers face in the play, causing them to be less fortunate. A life insurance check of 10,00 dollars is shown to be the life changing for the Youngers. Hansbury uses symbols in A Raisin in the Sun such as the life insurance check and the allusion of Prometheus to define develop the characters in the play.
Symbolism is a used in our everyday lives that appears quite often but isn't deeply thought about. The greater meaning of symbolism is using something from a phrase to an image to represent a message. We use symbolism to gain a message in life that forever stays in our hearts. In the book Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls, symbolism is used to awe the reader and make them think about the message being sent in the story. Encounter with the two cups
A Raisin in the Sun Money is one of the things in the world that a person can become obsessed with. In the story “A Raisin in the sun” the author Lorraine Hansberry shows how a family is changed by the lust of money. A widow, Lena, her son Walter Younger, his wife Ruth and daughter Beneatha all lived under the same roof. Lena just lost her husband and is receiving a check for his death. With the money, Lena wants to buy a new house for the whole family to live in but everyone else in the family sees a different type of opportunity.
Racism is a major issue that has effected many people since its discovery. Racism is the hatred by a person of one race pointed at a person of another race. A Raisin in the Sun deals with the impact of racism on the life of the younger family.
The play by Lorraine Hansberry , A Raisin In The Sun, utilizes the use of allusions in order to supply the reader with historical background. Allusions create emphasis in the play, this allows the reader to understand and appreciate the text. Within the small details of the play, the use of allusions deepen the contextual support of the text. While reading A Raisin In The Sun, various allusions appear throughout the play. These allusions reference the outside world, but also give emphasis on the importance of the piece of the text references.
Symbolism allows the author to create a story that would otherwise be bland and monotone. Without this dark romantic element, books, short stories, and poems would not have as much meaning nor appealing detail. Symbolism in "The Raven," "The Devil and Tom Walker," and "The Minister's Black Veil," creates layers of meaning and interesting characters. Symbolism has been used for centuries to spice up the literary world. Sometimes it is used in obvious ways, but other time it has to be thoroughly studied to be imperturbably understood.
Symbolism can use an object (like a tree of birds), or art, (like Melinda’s art project or Mr. Freeman's canvas) to represent an abstract idea. Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to hint at a certain mood or emotion, rather than just blatantly saying it. So, the use of symbolism is important because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Symbolism makes a book fun to read, the symbolism produces a thought provoking work of art and it, (like in this book), adds meaning to seemingly unrelated objects and elicits emotions in the
There are many symbols in A Raisin in the Sun worth describing, but one that particularly stands out is Mama’s plant. It is old and barely a substantial piece of nature, yet it makes many vital appearances in the play. The small plant seems to personify Mama’s stubborn nature in its intent on survival despite its close to death appearance. It also represents Mama’s dream that seems close to being crushed, yet never dies. As a whole, the plant is an extension of Mama’s character and an important symbol in the play.
Hansberry makes the characters have a tough life so when they achieve what they want, it’s a greater reward than someone who had an easy life. The main reason Beneatha changed so much during this play because of how people treated her. Beneath goes through major changes in the play. One of the main reason she does is because of Asagia. Asagia is a friend of Beneatha and is from Nigeria.
Mama’s potted plant symbolizes many things, but the most prevalent is family. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raison in the Sun, Hansberry uses a plant to represent family. Just like any living thing, a plant needs to grow, to be watered, to be cultivated, and to be nurtured. Here are some examples of how Hansberry symbolizes family with a plant. To properly care for a plant you must watch over it as it grows and water it daily.
In The Sun Also Rises, the multiple phallic symbols that appear in the novel represent the insecurities the characters face because phallic symbols emphasize how the main characters of the novel struggle to be whole again. Jake went through a traumatic experience that lead him to not being able to have sex or please himself in ways he wanted to. Due to the struggles characters may face the phallic symbols may represent power and strength within a penis or a object that may look like it. Jake’s insecurities have made him in a way to be more cautious about his injury and he does not tell everyone about it.
A Raisin in the Sun is a play, which consists of three acts for a total of six scenes. From the very beginning, the plot line begins with the Younger family waking up, going about their morning as they normally do. The family living in the small apartment consists of Mama, Beneatha, her daughter, Walter, her son, Ruth, Walter’s wife, and Travis, Walter and Ruth’s son. The apartment that accommodates this family consists of a small kitchen, containing one small window, a living room, which also serves as Travis’ room, and two bedrooms, one for Walter and Ruth, the other shared by Mama and Beneatha. In the kitchen window lays a potted plant, second to only family in Mama’s most prized possessions.
In the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry the plant symbolizes the Younger’s dream as it evolves throughout the play. Meanwhile in southside Chicago dreams are either being crushed or pursued. The Youngers family are always facing society as they live in poverty. A family with such big dreams believes the only way for these dreams to come true is money. Mama received her husband's life insurance which was 10,000 dollars.
In Susan Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the themes identified are dreams and faith that each character signifies throughout their struggles in their daily lives. The theme dreams refer to how each of the main five characters: Ruth Younger, Walter Lee Younger, Travis Younger, Beneatha Younger, and Lena Younger dealt with different oppression situations that took part in their lives that put the dreams on hold. Furthermore, the theme also connects towards the faith that each main character had to pursue to keep their family together after the death of a love one. The characters’ in A Raisin in the Sun tries to chase after a separate dream, unfortunately their dreams are utterly pushed away to realize the importance of their family