Thursday, September 13, 2012

A Raisin in the Sun- Allusion


A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Allusion

     When George Murchison comes to pick up Beneatha from the Younger family house, we see him interact with Walter for the first time. However, Walter is drunk and acting wild when he meets George. Moreover, Walter behaves rudely towards George and insults his style multiple times. Walter uses a metaphor to describe himself as a giant. George employs an allusion to Prometheus to poke fun at Walter. For example, “Good night, Prometheus,” (Hansberry, 485). Prometheus is a titan who was said to have shaped humans out of clay and endowed them with the spark of life. He was chained to a rock for stealing fire from Olympus. This allusion reveals George’s good education because Walter and his family had no idea what it meant. The allusion also pokes fun at Walter’s disrespectful behavior towards George because Prometheus is punished for his actions.

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