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Racism and literature
Examples of symbolism in everyday use by alice walker
Alice walker element of symbolism
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Arrogance Within the Educated There are underlying similarities between literary works that are left hidden, such as in the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker and Broadway play A Raisin In the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. There are couples in each work, Beneatha Younger with George Murchison in one and Asalamalakim with Dee Johnson in the other. They are all very alike in nature. Asalamalakim and George are both pompous and uncomfortable around people unlike themselves. Asalamalakim self importance comes from a focus on discovering his heritage. George is self oriented because of his money and pedigree. Beneatha and Dee share the characteristics of fearing in assimilation, using materialistic representation, and renaming themselves as …show more content…
They both somewhat also give context on other characters in their works. For example, when Walter Younger was talking to George about business ideas he would like to propose to his father, George showed no interest or patience( Hansberry 744). Asalamalakim did some secret handshake and tried to kiss Dee’s family who escaped awkwardly leaving him “standing, grinning looking down like somebody inspecting a Model A car”( Walker 589). Both characters serve an importance of telling us about other characters in the story. They can be viewed as both pompous and academic showoffs about allusion that are lost in the eyes of the families. George was pompous when not refuting the obviously fake comment about Walter going New York(Hansberry 743). Asalamalakim and George both show ways of superiority from intellect. They are alike in which they date “poor”sort of speak and are uncomfortable around the females families. Most of their actions come from a reason such as with George is rude because of his pedigree and money that he could do that to people unlike himself. Asalamalakim is uneasy around unfamiliar people because he is trying to discover his heritage and share it. The male couples are comparable, but whereas one is unpleasantly conceited, the other is favorable. A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and “Everyday use” by Alice Walker ironically have couples that both share equivalent personalities that were unnoticed. With the women and their fear of assimilation, use of material identity expression, and renaming themselves away from oppression. To the males and their self important and uneasy nature to their lower environment. This goes to show that there are key similarities between literary works to help bring things together you just have to
Two people could be living two very different lifestyles, yet they could be very similar in the way they act and react in the same situation. Charlotte from “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson and the Mother character from “Borders” by Thomas King live very different lives but the way they deal with the problems they are faced with is very similar. Both protagonists have to deal with trying to be forced to be something they are not by society and their families, but Charlotte from “The Metaphor” has been challenged by her strenuous home, she must face her organized mother and orderly home; the Mother from “Borders” must stand up for what she believes in and fight for what she wants.
People go through a change when influences are made upon them. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Hansberry published in 1959 focuses on what life was like for the Younger family during the 1950s. During this decade there was two sides, the good and the bad, like two sides of a coin, they’re different on each side but they’re one of the same kind. They faced many issues such as discrimination, unequal rights, and financial problems. Throughout the play the three characters who undergo change the most are Walter, Beneatha, and Mama.
In conclusion, while living and writing in different times, Austen and Nair seemed to have similar ideas as to what constitutes a good marriage. Mississippi Masala shows the strain that racial prejudices can have on a relationship, while Persuasion show the strain social and wealth prejudices can have on a relationship.
When looking into works of literature, some stories seem to be similar to others. They can have a similar setting, point of view, theme, or sense of language and style. However, all of these points could be very different as well and could cover different theme or style. Flannery O’Conner’s “Good Country People” and Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” have some contrasting elements, such as their points of view and use of symbolism, but their similarities in the underlying theme, language, and the setting of these stories reveal how these two stories are impacted by education on both the individual and their family.
A. George Vs. Asagai - George is trying to deny his heritage. His family has prospered in America and he sees no need to celebrate his African heritage. He illustrates the blandness and shallowness of a life rooted in the quest for wealth and status. Asagai contrasts with George. He is an idealist. He is intelligent, perceptive, and dedicated to helping his country in its quest for liberation. These two men embody the two forces that operate on and within the family: materialism and idealism.
“One Holy Night” by Sandra Cisneros and “Seventeen Syllables” by Hisaye Yamamoto both center on the idea of being in love on a low social class. Ixchel being the protagonist in One Holy Night falls in love with a man who kept coming back to buy fruits and vegetables from her while she was working the pushcart ever Saturday. Later on she discovers the man she once loved was arrested for being a serial killer but even still loved him since that was her first love. In Seventeen Syllables, Rosie the main character is told about the importance of her culture frequently by her parents. Rosie falls in love with a boy who works with her in the field but soon is told not to marry him by her mother. They are both similar because they both fall in love, come from a social class that might prevent them from marrying, family members are protective of their love life, and have boyfriends that might end up leaving them.
Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Norton Introduction to Literature: 7th edition. Ed. Jerome Beaty, et al. New York: Norton, 1998.
Hansberry, Lorraine. "A Raisin in the Sun." Ed. Nellie Y. McKay. The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Comp. Henry Louis. Gates. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 1771-830. Print.
The stories “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, are different in many ways, but are also similar. “I Stand Here Ironing” and “Everyday Use” both focus on the relationships of the mother and daughter, and on the sibling’s relationships with each other. Emily from “I Stand Here Ironing” and Maggie from “Everyday Use” have different relationships with their mothers, but have similar relationships with their sisters. Although the stories are similar in that Emily and Maggie are both distant from their sisters, they differ in that the mother is distant from Emily in “I Stand Here Ironing,” while the mother is close to Maggie in “Everyday Use.”
The idea of family is a central theme in Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun. Hansberry alludes to the Old Testament book of Ruth in her play to magnify “the value of having a home and family”(Ardolino 181). The Younger family faces hardships that in the moment seem to tear them apart from one another, but through everything, they stick together. The importance of family is amplified by the choices of Walter and Beneatha because they appear to initiate fatal cracks in the Younger family’s foundation, but Mama is the cement who encourages her family to pull together as one unit. The hardships of the family help develop a sense of unity for the Younger household.
Differences in generations can cause people to have different viewpoints in life. A Raisin In The Sun is a play set in the 1950s written by Lorraine Hansberry. The Youngers are a black family who lives in a cramped apartment in the South Side of Chicago. When Mama receives a check of insurance money, members of the family are divided in their own hopes of what it will be used for. Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha are the three women of the Younger household and their generational differences clearly show through their actions. The difference between generations is why Mama is the most devout, Ruth is an agreeable person, and Beneatha is outspoken and has modern views.
Since the forced-migration to the Americas, African-Americans have been assigned between two cultures: being African and being American. Both cultures are forced upon African-Americans who lack a culture of their own. Neither Africa nor America is truly home to the African-American and the connections between both cultures have been separated. In the play, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, the duality of African-American race is explored within the characters of Joseph Asagai and George Murchison – boyfriends of Beneatha Younger. Asagai and Murchison portray the struggle African-Americans encounter when they try to be either African or American. African-Americans face a great deal of strife when they seek to be both African and American.
Author Alice Walker, displays the importance of personal identity and the significance of one’s heritage. These subjects are being addressed through the characterization of each character. In the story “Everyday Use”, the mother shows how their daughters are in completely two different worlds. One of her daughter, Maggie, is shy and jealous of her sister Dee and thought her sister had it easy with her life. She is the type that would stay around with her mother and be excluded from the outside world. Dee on the other hand, grew to be more outgoing and exposed to the real, modern world. The story shows how the two girls from different views of life co-exist and have a relationship with each other in the family. Maggie had always felt that Mama, her mother, showed more love and care to Dee over her. It is until the end of the story where we find out Mama cares more about Maggie through the quilt her mother gave to her. Showing that even though Dee is successful and have a more modern life, Maggie herself is just as successful in her own way through her love for her traditions and old w...
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a modern tragedy in which the protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, is unable to find the fulfilling life he wants so badly. A contrasting view of the quest for that fulfilling life is offered in the character of Beneatha (whose name seems a play on her socioeconomic status, i.e. she-who-is-beneath), who serves as a foil against which the character of Walter is defined. Both Walter and Beneatha, representing the new generation of blacks coming of age after World War Two, are in conflict with Mama, who represents the previous generation and its traditions. The character of George Murchison is also opposed to both Beneatha and Walter, since he symbolizes assimilation on the white man's terms. Walter and Beneatha are also in conflict with their environment, a society where they are marginalized and subject to daily humiliation because of what is called their race (not, in fact, a biological distinction but a cultural construct).
Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a play about segregation, triumph, and coping with personal tragedy. Set in Southside Chicago, A Raisin in the Sun focuses on the individual dreams of the Younger family and their personal achievement. The Younger's are an African American family besieged by poverty, personal desires, and the ultimate struggle against the hateful ugliness of racism. Lena Younger, Mama, is the protagonist of the story and the eldest Younger. She dreams of many freedoms, freedom to garden, freedom to raise a societal-viewed equal family, and freedom to live liberated of segregation. Next in succession is Beneatha Younger, Mama's daughter, assimilationist, and one who dreams of aiding people by breaking down barriers to become an African American female doctor. Lastly, is Walter Lee Younger, son of Mama and husband of Ruth. Walter dreams of economic prosperity and desires to become a flourishing businessman. Over the course of Walter's life many things contributed to his desire to become a businessman. First and foremost, Walter's father had a philosophy that no man should have to do labor for another man. Being that Walter Lee was a chauffeur, Big Walter?s philosophy is completely contradicted. Also, in Walter?s past, he had the opportunity to go into the Laundromat business which he chose against. In the long run, he saw this choice was fiscally irresponsible this choice was. In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, Walter Lee's dreams, which are his sole focus, lead to impaired judgement and a means to mend his shattered life.