Literary devices used in A Raisin in the Sun

“Dream Deferred” What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode? -Langston Hughes

Metaphor  Definition: A comparison of two things without the use of the words “like,” “as,” or “than.” Example: That man is a beast!

Alliteration Definition: Repetition of consecutive consonant sounds in a line Example: Outside, the winds whipped wildly.

Foreshadowing Definition: Clues about what is going to happen as the story unfolds. Example: An old man is sitting at his desk looking at his stamp collection. When he opens the drawer for his magnifying glass, his fingers brush against a revolver. He finds the magnifying glass and closes the drawer...

Symbol Definition: A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself

Personification Definition:: A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

Allusion Definition: Reference to a historical or literary person, place, event, or aspect of culture. Example: We always want the things we cannot or should not have. They are forbidden fruit.

Dialect Definition: language of a particular regional or social class. Pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary, is differrent from the standard literary language or speech pattern of the culture in which it exists. Example: "Humph! Y'all let her worry yuh. You ain't like me. Ah ain't got her to study 'bout. If she ain't got manners enough to stop and let folks know how she been malkin' out, let her g'wan! " "She ain't even worth talkin' after," Lulu Moss drawled through her nose. "She sits high, but she looks low. Dat's what Ah say 'bout dese ole women runnin' after young boys." Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurstaon

Rhetorical question Definition: A question asked merely for effect with no answer expected. Example: “What happens to a dream deferred?”

Ghetto Definition: It comes from the Italian word for foundry. In 1516, an area that had once been the site of an iron foundry was set aside as a Jewish settlement. It was shut off from the rest of the city and was guarded by Christian watchmen. Jewish ghettos—walled-off neighborhoods whose gates were locked at night—were the law in many European cities from the mid-1400s until the late 1800s. The ghetto in this play has no literal walls or locked gates, but its residents feel a strong sense of confinement. In America, ghettos were segregated neighborhoods for African-Americans.

Assimilationist Definition: A person not of the dominant culture who abandons his/her native culture (language, dress, food, mannerisms, etc.) to adopt the culture of the dominant race.