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Motifs and Symbols in A Raisin in the Sun

Objectives: 1. Define a symbol
2. Differentiate between a symbol and a motif
3. Find a symbol or a motif that is not discussed in the tutorial


Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

“Eat Your Eggs”

This phrase appears early in the play, as an instruction from Ruth to Walter to quiet him. Walter then employs the phrase to illustrate how women keep men from achieving their goals—every time a man gets excited about something, he claims, a woman tries to temper his enthusiasm by telling him to eat his eggs. Being quiet and eating one’s eggs represents an acceptance of the adversity that Walter and the rest of the Youngers face in life. Walter believes that Ruth, who is making his eggs, keeps him from achieving his dream, and he argues that she should be more supportive of him. The eggs she makes every day symbolize her mechanical approach to supporting him. She provides him with nourishment, but always in the same, predictable way.

Mama’s Plant

The most overt symbol in the play, Mama’s plant represents both Mama’s care and her dream for her family. In her first appearance onstage, she moves directly toward the plant to take care of it. She confesses that the plant never gets enough light or water, but she takes pride in how it nevertheless flourishes under her care. Her care for her plant is similar to her care for her children, unconditional and unending despite a less-than-perfect environment for growth. The plant also symbolizes her dream to own a house and, more specifically, to have a garden and a yard. With her plant, she practices her gardening skills. Her success with the plant helps her believe that she would be successful as a gardener. Her persistence and dedication to the plant fosters her hope that her dream may come true.
 
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Video SparkNotes: Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities summary

Video SparkNotes: Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities summary

Beneatha’s Hair

When the play begins, Beneatha has straightened hair. Midway through the play, after Asagai visits her and questions her hairstyle, she cuts her Caucasian-seeming hair. Her new, radical afro represents her embracing of her heritage. Beneatha’s cutting of her hair is a very powerful social statement, as she symbolically declares that natural is beautiful, prefiguring the 1960s cultural credo that black is beautiful. Rather than force her hair to conform to the style society dictates, Beneatha opts for a style that enables her to more easily reconcile her identity and her culture. Beneatha’s new hair is a symbol of her anti-assimilationist beliefs as well as her desire to shape her identity by looking back to her roots in Africa.

Symbolism of names raisin in the sun

Jennifer Gordon and Ryan johnson
- Scandinavian name for Helen
-Lena means "Torch" , something that shows light and leads to the path
-Lena is short for Helena or Magalene
-Leda was a daughter of the Aetolian king Thestius
Ruth Walter
- Titan in Greek Mythology best known as the benefactor who brought fire to mankind
- Walter gave this nickname to George and now only refers to him as Prometheus
George can fit into this name because Walter may look at him as if he has brought "fire" to his family and made it different
- Karl is a German and Scandinavian form of Charles
-Name of German philosopher who laid the foundations for communism
-Karl can be a nickname if your original birth name was Charles
1.) "Beneatha Name Meaning & Origin." Baby Name Wizard. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
2.) "Lena (name)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
3.) "Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Karl." Behind the Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
4.) "Prometheus." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
5.) "Ruth." Urban Dictionary. N.p., 01 June 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
6.) "Walter." : Meaning Of Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.
- According to Urban Dictionary, Ruth's can be described as fiery, independent, and very clever. Ruth's are honest and are not afraid to stand up for themselves
- Ruth is a Hebrew name also meaning "friend"
- Some nicknames may include Ruthless, Rue and Roo
Beneatha "Prometheus"
- Classic name in the 1960's and very common in African American community
- Name means beauty, excitement and wonderment
- Beneatha sounds like "beneath" which could also refer to the saying "scratching beneath the surface" which could mean if we scratch beneath the surface we could see how she really is as a person
Karl Lena
- German name meaning "Ruler of Army"
- Normans brought it to England where it replaced the old English cognate wealdhere
- Walter Raleigh was a famous English explorer, Aristocrat, spy and poet.
This could fit with Walter as he sometimes thinks he can rule the household and boss them around which is not the case all the timehttps://prezi.com/2-vczoyzjea9/symbolism-of-names-raisin-in-the-sun/https://youtu.be/h2UV-48Kxaw

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