Essay on Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun

Lorraine Hansberry’s novel, A Raisin in the Sun, revolves around a middle-class African-American family, struggling during World War II. By reading about the Younger’s true to life experiences, one learns many important life lessons. One of the aforementioned would be that a person should always put family’s needs before their own. There are many examples of this throughout the novel. Just a few of these would be the example of Ruth and her unborn baby, Walter regaining the respect of his family, and Mama and her unselfish ways. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The first event that shows one should always put family before oneself is the case of Ruth and her unborn baby. At first, Ruth is thinking about having an abortion, and has already†¦show more content†¦Lindner over to finalize the agreement. Walter even tells Mama what he is going to say: â€Å"All right, Mr. Lindner—that’s your neighborhood out there! You got the right to keep it like you want! You got the right to have it like you want! Just write the check and—the house is yours.†(144) So even though Walter had his whole speech for Mr. Lindner planned out, he changes his mind at the last moment. The reason for this sudden change is because of the words his mother implied on him earlier. Mama told Walter, â€Å"Son—I come from five generations of people who was slaves and sharecroppers—but ain’t nobody in my family never let nobody pay’em no money that was a way of telling us we wasn’t fit to walk the earth. We ain’t never been that poor. We ain’t never been that—dead inside.†(143) Mama is saying that Walter will be disrespecting five generations of Youngers if he goes through with his plans. The statement Mama made helped Walter to realize that by selling the house he was only making himself feel better about the money being lost, but was making everyone else in the family lose more and more respect for him. To show just how upset the family was, Beneatha even told her mother, â€Å"Love him? There is nothing left to love.†(145) Beneatha feels that Walter has stooped so low this time that there is nothing there but a soulless body that cannot be loved. Walter makes amends between himself and his family by telling Mr. Lindner, â€Å"WeShow MoreRelatedLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun1260 Words   |  6 Pagesoblivious to this fact, and to those who are aware and accept this knowledge. The people who are oblivious represen t those who are ignorant of the fact that their dream will be deferred. This denial is the core of the concept used in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The perception of the American Dream is one that is highly subjective, but every individual dream ends in its own deferment. During the 1960s, the African-American people were in racial situations due to their â€Å"lowered status†Read MoreLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun1850 Words   |  8 PagesIn Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† (1959), she reveals the life of the Youngers family. In doing so, there surfaces a detrimental ideology that destroys the family financially and in their overall happiness. In Act II Scene I, Walter, the father figure of the family, says, â€Å"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!† (Hansberry 532). By way of explanation, the family and much of the African-AmericanRead MorePride in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun611 Words   |  2 Pages Pride Numerous meanings thrive throughout Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. One of the most prominent essential values shared is pride. The Younger family having little financial worth to their name holds pride as a means of dignity. Pride is depicted in almost every aspect of the novel, particularly represented through intricate self-respected morals, dreams, and struggle. Every character relays pride in their unique way. Mama and Walter are the most diverse to analyze in terms of layeredRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun1092 Words   |  5 PagesLorraine Hansberry was an African-American female playwright born in Chicago in 1930. Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, has won awards such as the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play and is loosely based on events involving her own family. This play portrays a poor African-American family of five known as the Younger Family, living on the South side of Chicago in a run-down one-bedroom apartment, Its furnishings are typical and undistinguished and their primary feature now isRead More Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay552 Words   |  3 Pages But not everyone will achieve their dreams and some, because of sad circumstances lose their grip on their dream and fall into a state of disappointment. Langston Hughes poem relates to the dreams of Mama, Ruth, and Walter in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ruth has to listen to Walter’s extravagant dreams of being rich and powerful all the time and know that these dreams will never happen. They are very poor and Travis must sleep on the couch becauseRead MoreLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun735 Words   |  3 PagesThe play â€Å" A Raisin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry shows three generation of women under the same roof and the struggle each women face, the dreams that they had and how they overcome the obstacle in their life to move on to something better. The women in the family has had to sacrifice a lot to make the family either happy or progress further in life. Lena Younger became the head of the household upon the death of her husband. She moved from the south to the north to better herself and her lifeRead More Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun Essay3889 Words   |  16 PagesLorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun A dream deferred is a dream put off to another time, much like this essay. But unlike dreams sometimes, this essay will get fulfilled and done with. Each character from A Raisin in the Sun had a deferred dream, even little Travis although his dream was not directly stated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Their dreams become dried up like a raisin in the sun. Not just dreams are dried up though; Walter Lee and Ruth’s marriage became dried up also. Their marriage was no longerRead MoreLorraine Hansberrys Raisin In The Sun1883 Words   |  8 PagesOver 5 decades ago Lorraine Hansberry wrote a play, Raisin in the Sun, about a family living in Chicago  during the Civil Rights Era.   The play illustrates a realistic portrait of African-American life during the late 50’s early 60’s.   The family comes into some money as a result of the Patriarch of the family passing away.   This insurance check presents an opportunity for each member of the family to realize their dreams in order to escape the ghetto.   However, each family member/character dealsRead MoreEssay Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun2551 Words   |  11 PagesRaisin in the Sun In the story â€Å"Raisin in the Sun† there is basically a group of characters all in one family living in a small apartment with everyday their love dying a little more. The family is black and through the whole play it shows how segregation was played in the 1950s. Ruth Younger is a wife of Walter Younger and a Mother of Travis Younger who is living in a small living assortment and just wants to get away and move on to something bigger and something more independent. Now with herRead MoreThe American Nightmare: Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun1011 Words   |  5 PagesIn Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, she uses the African American Younger family as a representation of the entire race’s struggle for the American Dream. America has always had slogans such as â€Å"the land of the free† and â€Å"liberty and justice for all†. The Younger family is finding out, like generations before them, the American Dream i sn’t at all what it seems if you’re black. The family eagerly awaits the insurance check from the death of their father, while living a life of constant

Night Creature Dark Moon Chapter Fourteen Free Essays

When I was a wolf, I wasn’t completely white. More golden. Blond with blue eyes in both forms. We will write a custom essay sample on Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Fourteen or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, the resemblance was there â€Å"The icon isn’t mine,† I repeated. â€Å"Odd.† Will continued to peer at the plastic and frown. â€Å"Talismans are representations of spirit guides. Ojibwe folklore says that those of a particular clan are descended from that clan’s animal.† I recalled the information from Jessie’s report on the wolf god. According to Native American legend there were several totemic divisions: bear, eagle, moose, wolf, and so on. In the old days, each clan had a specialized task. While one governed, another made war. Members could not marry within their own clan – the ancestral link to the animal or bird made their blood too similar. â€Å"In that case,† Will continued, â€Å"I’d be descended from a wolf.† â€Å"No wonder Edward doesn’t like you,† I said. â€Å"Didn’t go over too well when he heard it, that’s for sure.† â€Å"What happened?† I asked, though I had a pretty good idea. Will tilted his head, and his golden earring swung free. â€Å"He shot me with silver.† â€Å"No ill effects?† â€Å"I didn’t explode.† Will rolled up the sleeve of his T-shirt. A bullet-shaped scar marred the smooth cinnamon skin of his upper arm. â€Å"Sorry about that,† I said. â€Å"You didn’t do it.† He let the material fall back into place. â€Å"Besides, chicks dig scars, don’t they?† â€Å"You better hope not, unless you want a high body count when Jessie gets hold of them.† Will laughed. â€Å"She’s something else.† â€Å"Yeah, but what?† He considered me for a moment with a bemused expression. â€Å"You two are a lot alike.† â€Å"Me and Jessie? I don’t think so.† I was like no one I’d ever encountered, but that was beside the point. Jessie and I were as different as day and night, new moon and full, human and werewolf. I slanted the icon until the light caught the jeweled eyes and sparkled. â€Å"What’s your opinion?† â€Å"Not sure. Usually, totems are made of stone, bone, something of the earth.† â€Å"And this is plastic.† â€Å"Which would make me think it’s nothing more than a child’s toy, sold in tourist shops to folks from away. There isn’t an Ojibwe alive who would create a spiritual symbol from plastic.† â€Å"Except?† His gaze lifted from the wolf to my face. â€Å"Except this appears to have been made to represent a specific wolf. You.† â€Å"Voodoo?† â€Å"Voodoo is an amalgamation of ancient African tribal symbols and the Catholicism the slaves were baptized into upon their arrival. This totem, however weird, is Ojibwe. But the only time I’ve seen talismans that simulate something more specific than a generic clan animal is when they’re shamanic.† â€Å"English, please.† â€Å"Shamans use talismans to aid them in assuming the form of their spirit animal. To do that, they often construct a totem to resemble themselves in some way: hair color, eyes, distinctive facial feature.† â€Å"I’m not a shaman.† â€Å"Technically, anyone with the right stuff can transform.† â€Å"The right stuff being†¦ ?† â€Å"Mystical connection to an animal.† â€Å"Got that,† I said dryly. â€Å"A shamanic totem.† I jiggled the wolf like a tiny martini shaker. â€Å"And?† â€Å"A sacrifice to imbue the totem with power.† My hand froze mid-shake. â€Å"What kind of sacrifice?† â€Å"Blood, death.† I thought of the flayed rabbit and muttered, â€Å"Hell.† Will’s gaze shot to mine. â€Å"What?† Quickly, I told him exactly where I’d found the icon, then I told him the rest. About the totem shifting, spilling silver light into my mind, and the instantaneous change. â€Å"Bam, you’re a wolf?† he asked. â€Å"Pretty much. You think that’s what’s been happening in Fairhaven?† He blinked, frowned, considered the tiny wolf again, then shook his head. â€Å"They’d have to fashion talismans that represent a particular person. Seems like too much hassle. And really, what’s the rush?† Once bitten, the victim would shift within twenty-four hours – rain or shine, sunshine or shadow, full moon or new. Even the dead would rise. They’d heal, then run and kill as a wolf. The first time, the moon didn’t matter. â€Å"Besides, we’d have found tiny totems strewn all over the place. Once you’re a wolf, no pockets.† My lips curved at the similarity in our thought processes. â€Å"So what’s going on?† â€Å"With you or with Fairhaven?† I shrugged. â€Å"Pick a mystery.† â€Å"There hasn’t been a disappearance since we arrived. My theory is that whatever the werewolves were up to in Fairhaven, they’re done and they’ve moved on.† â€Å"Or they saw Edward – â€Å" â€Å"And they moved on.† Will nodded. â€Å"I would. According to Jessie, we’ll have to leave soon, as well. There are werewolves busting out all over the country.† â€Å"What about the mystery of me?† Will pointed at the icon. â€Å"If that was left for you, and I have to think it was, what did they hope to accomplish?† â€Å"Why do shamans transform?† I asked. â€Å"What do they gain from the process?† â€Å"Becoming one with their spirit animal gives them the power to complete a quest.† â€Å"What kind of quest?† â€Å"A journey, knowledge. Whatever is most important to them.† â€Å"The cure,† I murmured. â€Å"Maybe.† His forehead creased in thought. â€Å"But if they meant to help you, why not just hand you the thing?† â€Å"Yeah, why not?† â€Å"The place blew up,† he said slowly, â€Å"and then you found the talisman?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"Were they trying to kill you or not? I can’t decide.† â€Å"Join the club.† He ignored my attempt at humor. Jessie was no doubt a whole lot funnier than I was. â€Å"If they meant for you to die, then the icon being where it was didn’t have anything to do with you.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"But – † He broke off, and his dark eyes met mine again. â€Å"If they wanted you dead, then why the talisman that resembles you in wolf form? Coincidence?† â€Å"I don’t think so.† â€Å"Me, neither.† Will appeared as stumped as I was. â€Å"How did you manage to be outside when the place went up in flames?† â€Å"The test wolves went ballistic. Howling, snarling, hiding, then attacking. They were behaving as if – † My eyes met Will’s. â€Å"They were trapped by an enemy.† â€Å"But which enemy?† I spread my hands wide. There were so many to choose from. â€Å"I guess if we knew that,† Will continued, â€Å"we’d know who blew up the compound and maybe even why.† â€Å"It’s never that easy.† â€Å"Never.† Will indicated the totem with a flick of one finger. â€Å"May I?† I hesitated. If the totem had turned me into a wolf – wham – who knew what it might do to Will? Then again, who better to find out? In the end, he snatched the thing from my hand and nothing happened. But this icon didn’t look like him. Will studied the tiny wolf with a single-mindedness I admired. â€Å"You’ve told me everything?† There was one thing I hadn’t, one thing that disturbed me more than the rest. Will’s gaze flicked to mine. The seriousness in his dark eyes seemed magnified by the wire-rimmed glasses. â€Å"You can trust me.† Edward always preached: Trust no one. Ever. Of course Edward led a life of paranoia. He had good reason to. I’d lived so long inside a stone compound, I wasn’t sure whom to trust. But if I was going to put my faith in anyone, especially with information on the totem, Will would be the one. â€Å"My hand changed,† I blurted. â€Å"How?† I made hooks of my fingers and growled. â€Å"You were able to transform one body part and nothing else?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"I’ve never heard of a werewolf being able to do that before.† Will offered the talisman. â€Å"Show me.† I stared at the tacky white wolf for more than a minute before I took it. Closing my eyes, I thought of the moon. I waited for the icon to heat, shift, maybe whine. What I got was – â€Å"Nothing.† I opened my eyes. â€Å"You think I’m crazy?† Will contemplated me without any expression at all. â€Å"I think it’s daytime.† How to cite Night Creature: Dark Moon Chapter Fourteen, Essay examples

A Worn Path Analysis Essay Example For Students

A Worn Path Analysis Essay A Worn PathThe short story, A Worn Path, is about an old Negro woman named Phoenix who travels a long distance to a town to get medicine for her grandson. The trip is extremely long and tiresome for an old lady but she feels that it is her duty to get her laboring grandson the needed medicine. Throughout the story, Phoenix encounters dreams, harassments, small triumphs, jolts to her pride, some flights of fancy to console her, a cause to be ashamed, and a moment to dance and preen. In her journey, Phoenix experiences dreams, harassments, and small triumphs. She experienced a dream when a black dog popped out of the weeds by a ditch and advanced toward her. She later on found herself in the ditch. That is when her senses drifted away. She said, Old woman, that black dog come up out of the weeds to stall you off, and now there he sitting on his fine tail, smiling at you. The quote shows how she was not right in the mind after the dog attacked her. Her senses drifted away causing her to experience a dream in which she talked to herself and meditated about her life. Although the young white hunter who helped her get out of the ditch was sort of disrespectful, there was another person that one might find more disrespectful. The harassments she faced throughout her journey were found in the environment. She had to go through a series of hills and bad terrain. The part she struggled the most was through the barbed-wire fence. She had to creep and crawl, spreading her knees and stretching her fingers like a baby trying to climb the steps. The quote shows that she was having a very difficult time in trying to pass the barbed-wire fence. For a very old lady with an extremely long distance to travel, the barbed-wire fence proved to be the most stressful. It seemed like she put all of her effort and strength in able to overcome that obstacle. Phoenix experienced a small triumph toward the end of the story. She took the nickel she received from the young white hunter and co mbined it with the nickel that the attendant gave her. She bought a little paper windmill for her grandson with the money. She buys the windmill to please her son and make him realize that there is such a thing in the world. It is Christmas, and Phoenix Jackson has to head out to the city to obtain the medicine for her nephew. A long time ago, her nephew swallowed lye that burned his throat, and the medicine is the only thing that relieves his pain. The woods are filled with pine trees that cast dark shadows throughout the terrain. The darkness that surrounds Phoenix is the total opposite of her. She is a poor woman, but is very neat and tidy. She appreciates her the small things in life and respects what she has. Although she is old, she has extremely dark hair, wears a red bandana, and has much life within her: Her skin had a pattern all its own of numberless branching wrinkles and as though a whole little tree stood in the middle of her forehead, but a golden color Guarino 2ran underneath, and the two knobs of her cheeks were illumined by a yellow burning under the bark. (87) It is almost as if she is a part of nature herself, when Eudora Welty describes her as having a tree within her forehead. She i s a very lively person, and is willing to go through this obstacle course of vicissitudes of the cold earth: Under the red rag her hair came down on her neck in the frailest of ringlets, still black, and with an odor like copper (87). The copper smell of her hair brings more realism of old age. When she stops to sit down under a tree, she dazes off and thinks that a little boy is giving her a piece of marble cake. She then snaps out of her trance and sees only her hand waiving in the air. This shows that very old people hallucinate sometimes, which is completely natural. The name Phoenix, is the name of an ancient Egyptian bird that regenerates itself after 500 years and lives on for another 500 years. This old woman represents the phoenix, which lives on in her old age. Phoenix Jackson demonstrates her love of life as she talks to all of the animals within the forest: Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animal! Keep out from under these feet, l ittle bob-whites. Keep the big wild hogs out of my path. Dont let none of those come running my direction. I got a long way (87). She realizes she has a long journey ahead of her, but will do whatever it takes to help her nephew. Phoenix Jackson seems to be one with nature and brings peace and harmony to everything living in the forest. However, the forest has the aura of death. For instance, Phoenix spots a buzzard sitting upon an old, dead tree that resembled a black man. The buzzard represents death, but the old women made her way through the furrow and left death. She then comes upon a field of dead corn, which stood a scarecrow. The job of the scarecrow is to scare away the black crows, which also symbolize death. Phoenix Jackson dances with the scarecrow, as if they are celebrating the departure of death. She then came upon a spring, and starts to drink from the well. The water in the spring represents longevity, and Phoenix drank it as a sign of her long life. Suddenly, a bla ck dog crept out of a ditch and approached Phoenix with its drooling tongue. Phoenix hit the dog lightly with a stick and it fled. She walked into the ditch where her senses drifted away: A dream visited her, and she reached her hand up, but nothing reached down and gave her a pull (89). The dream could have been God looking down at her, but she is not ready to enter heaven, which is why nothing reached down to get her. Phoenix still has many years to live and must complete her journey. Just before the city, Phoenix stumbles upon a white hunter, accompanied by two growling dogs. After a brief conversation with the man, she quickly noticed a nickel that fell out of the mans pocket: Then she slowly straightened up, she stood erect, and the nickel was in her apron pocket (90). Phoenix is not the type of lady to steal things, but she wants to purchase a gift for her nephew for Christmas. She feels somewhat guilty and speaks to herself: God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing (90). Before the hunters departure, he lied and told Phoenix that he would give her a dime if he had any money.Phoenix finally reaches Natchez, which is decorated with luminous red and green lights. The city is full of paved roads, which is the opposite of the snowy, rough landscape of the pinewoods. The citys atmosphere is bright and merry, and symbolizes the celebration of Phoenixs journey. Phoenix reaches the hospital and quickly forgets why she had come. Phoenix remembers when the nurse asks how her nephew is doing. This is another example of realism of old age affecting Phoenix Jacksons memory. The nurse and the doctor agree to give the medicine to Phoenix at no charge. In addition, the nurse gives Phoenix a nickel for Christmas spirit. Phoenix is going to use her ten cents to buy her nephew a paper windmill. The windmill represents the circle of life, and Phoenix will live on for many more years. A Worn Path ends with her slow step down the hospital stairs. Dynamic Characters In A Tale Of Two Cities EssayA Worn Path emphasizes natural symbolism, and Phoenix Jackson seems to be part of the nature that surrounds her. Phoenix Jackson is full of life, and respects all of the wildlife in the forest. Although Phoenix is poor, she is neat and tidy and appreciates her life. She loves her nephew, and is willing to travel through the rugged pinewoods to get the medicine that cures his illness. All of the things included in the forest represent natural symbolism that is directly related to the realism of Phoenix Jackson. The windmill is a perfect representation of the circle of life, and Phoenix has many more years to live. When Phoenix dies, her spirit of the Phoenix bird will live on in her nephew who most likely will live a long, happy life.