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Could the title of "A Raisin in the Sun" be considered a paradox?
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The title "A Raisin in the Sun" is not considered a paradox. A paradox involves a contradiction that is logically impossible, whereas the title, derived from Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," serves as a metaphor for deferred dreams. The play contains other examples of paradox, such as Asagai's statement about being replenished by those who might kill him, highlighting complex contradictions within the narrative rather than in the title itself.
A better example of paradox found within Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun comes in act 3 during the conversation Beneatha has with Asagai after she learns that Walter, her brother, has squandered their late father’s insurance money on a get-rich-quick scheme that resulted in theft.
Distraught because part of that money was supposed to pay for her medical school tuition, Beneatha laments the death of her own dream of becoming a doctor. Asagai, not wanting Beneatha to pity herself or give up, decides to tell her all about his own dream—helping his home county of Nigeria gain independence from colonial rule.
In one passage, he remarks, “They who might kill me even . . . actually replenish all that I was.” He is explaining that it is possible for him to lose his way after helping achieve his dream and that young Nigerians might have to kill him...
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because he might grow corrupt. This is an example of paradox because it does not make sense that killing him would give him new life. What Asagai means is that sometimes bad things happen for good reasons.
It is possible for the title of a work to be a paradox, but the idea doesn't really apply well here. A paradox is a particularly strong contradiction, one that is essentially logically impossible. Leaving a raisin in the sunlight would be striking. It is a good image, and a metaphor, originally from Hughes' poem "Harlem." However, it would not be a paradox.
Instead, look at the stage directions for the very first scene of the first act. We're told that the family's living room would be "comfortable and well-ordered" if it weren't for the "indestructible contradictions to this state of being."
That's a paradox, and one that would be almost impossible to stage. The rest of that first long set of stage directions explains what this means, but to be honest, the audience is not going to see this. This paradox is for the reader (or the director) to strive toward.
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