The Treasures In The “The Treasure Of Lemon Brown”
As Mike Huckabee, The 44th Governor of Arkansas, once said, “Inside every human being there are treasures to unlock.” These treasures are the fuel to our happy lives and every one of us has a treasure. The short story “The Treasure Of Lemon Brown” takes place in a small city filled with anger and major disappointment. Greg wants to play basketball but his dad will not let him because of his unacceptable grades in math. One day after school he went to a building and he met Lemon Brown, a homeless man that was a former blues player. He shows Greg his treasure, which is a harmonica, that he cherishes and loves. Then Greg willingly went home to his father. His harmonica brings back the special
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While this is a good claim, there are some problems with this. This theme was not expressed throughout most of the story and there is only one quote that that would even come close to proving this. The claim that states the theme is everybody has a treasure shows that. In the short story “The Treasure Of Lemon Brown” Lemon Brown lost his family and Greg can’t play his favorite sport, basketball, but, they both still have a treasure. “You ain’t one of them bad boys looking for my treasure, is you?” Lemon Brown cocked his head to one side and squinted one eye. “Because I told you I got me a razor” (Myers 3). Lemon treats his memories and his old broken harmonica like others would treat money. This just shows that a treasure can be simple items, people, memories, etc. and everybody can have …show more content…
He talks about his memories of his family and his career as a Blues singer. The author uses dialogue to show that Lemon has a treasure even though he has lost his riches and even his whole family including his young son. The quote “Him [Jesse] carrying it around with him like that told me it meant something to him. That was my treasure, and when I gave it to him he treated it...as treasure …”(Myers 7) shows this. Lemon doesn’t have a family, he is homeless and is still able to be happy. Therefore, Lemon Brown still has a treasure. During Jesse’s time at war, he carried his father’s harmonica until the day he died. Now Lemon carries that same harmonica which gives him memories of his son and his Blues
“What you pawn I will redeem” is a story written by Sherman Alexie. The story takes place in Seattle, Washington and follows the homeless native american named Jackson Jackson on his journey to obtain his grandmothers regalia that was stolen 50 years ago. He finds the regalia in a pawnshop and spends the rest of the story doing many different things in attempt to make enough money so that he can purchase it back. Throughout the story the author uses Jacksons humor and like-ability to do impressive job of tricking the reader into feeling compassion for Jackson. But when you take a deeper you look into the story, it reveals that in the end Jackson is just a tricky homeless alcoholic.
In James Baldwin’s ‘Sonny’s Blues,” an unnamed narrator attempts to understand his brother’s way of life. The two men experience the suffering that goes along with living in the projects of Harlem, New York. After a conversation with his mother, the narrator promises he will take care of his brother, Sonny. The story in and of itself is a constant struggle between the narrator trying to keep the promise to his mother and trying to understand Sonny’s life choices. When Sonny is arrested for using a dealing heroin, one of his friends gave the narrator full disclosure when he tells him Sonny’s life has and always will be difficult. The narrator writes to Sonny on jail after he experiences grief. Sonny writes back, trying to describe how his choices have led him to this point in life. At the end of the story, the two brothers watch a street revival. Sonny relates the revivalist’s voice to how heroin feels and explains his drug addiction and suffering. Following that, Sonny invites the narrator to watch him play. The narrator hears Sonny’s struggles within the music and understands why music is life or death for Sonny. The ability to cope with suffering is explored. The short story Baldwin’s
If you have children in tow, and are looking for a family-fun, delightful movie to watch, “Song of the South” is worth a viewing. Or perhaps you are a fan of the Uncle Remus tales you have read when you were little, then “Song of the South” will certainly give some justice to those fun tales.
Alice Walker’s love of Zora Neale Hurston is well known. She was the only one who went looking for Hurston’s grave. She describes her journey to get to the unmarked grave in her book, In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens. During that journey, Walker started to feel as if Hurston is family to her, an aunt. “By this time, I am, of course, completely into being Zora’s niece… Besides, as far as I’m concerned, she is my aunt – and that of all black people as well” (Ong). Walker’s book, The Color Purple, was influenced by Hurston and her works. Walker was greatly influenced by Hurston and her book The Color Purple has similarities to Hurston’s book Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Environments can influence life choices, actions, emotions, along with much more. Those influences can be positive or negative. Two people can grow up in the same environment but can prevail in different ways. James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” takes place in Harlem, NY. The short story shows the narrator, who remains nameless, experiencing numerous of emotional struggles. It is an unquestionably poignant story, presenting countless endeavors. In specific, the narrator’s brother suffers from drug addiction, there multiple family deaths, as well as deteriorating relationships. Though there are troubling times, “Sonny’s Blues” is a genuinely heartwarming story.
However, despite the monetary value of precious metals, attaining such superficial items does not allow man to gain any true fulfillment. For example, in the opening stanza, all the treasures "In jasper cask, when tapped, doth briskly vapor" (ll. 4). The material items mean nothing in the larger scheme of the world and therefore "briskly vapor" and disapp...
One day after buying a bottle of liquor, he notices a regalia that looks like the one he remembers from photos of his grandma hanging in a pawn shop. Jackson convinces the pawn shop owner that it is his families’ regalia by finding an out of place yellow bead that his family is accustomed to branding their property. The pawn shop owner,
Disturbing Themes of House on Mango Street, and The Bluest Eye. Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois, the only girl in a family of seven. Cisneros is noted for her collection of poems and books that concentrate on the Chicana experience in the United States. In her writing, Cisneros explores and transcends borders of location, ethnicity, gender and language. Cisneros writes in lyrical yet deceptively simple language, she makes the invisible visible by centering on the lives of Chicanas, their relationships with their families, their religion, their art, and their politics.
“Sonny’s Blues” is a short story in which James Baldwin, the author, presents an existential world where suffering characterizes a man’s basic state. The theme of tragedy and suffering can be transformed into a communal art form, such as blues music. Blues music serves as a catalyst for change because the narrator starts to understand not only the music but also himself and his relationship with Sonny. The narrator’s view of his brother begins to change; he understands that Sonny uses music as an outlet for his suffering and pain. This story illustrates a wide critical examination.
About, “10% of students have bad grades,” and Greg Ridley is one of them, but little does Greg know that he will meet a special man that will change his perspective on life. Greg Ridley, the main character in the story, wants to enjoy the simple things in life but his failing grades relent him from doing so, but Greg ends up meeting Lemon Brown, a homeless man, that will change the way Greg thinks about his lifestyle. In the short story, “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” by Walter Dean Smith presents the theme that although a person might not be as fortunate as others, the smaller things in their life can mean just as much.
How can one change his fate of being born into an economically deprived family, living a life encircled by poverty, hardship, social inequality and disadvantage? Sonny’s Blues, a short story by James Baldwin, illustrates the impacts of economic poverty on one’s life, and points out those who have a strong will, can free themselves from economic difficulties to obtain satisfaction and self-actualization, the stage when they overcome all sufferings, accepting all the ugly and the darkest aspects of themselves, living to their full potential and finding meaning in their lives.
In the novel, Nectar in a Sieve, the author, Kamala Markandaya creates various themes. One theme from the book is that tensions can be caused by modernization and industrial progress. This theme is highly prevalent throughout the story and broadens the reader’s outlook on modernization. Markandaya writes of a primitive village that is going through a severe change. Her ability to form a plethora of characters with different opinions, yet to share one main culture, helps highlight the tensions in the village.
Money, money, money, and the love of money is the root of all evil. Money, has led the characters of Treasure Island to kill, lie, cheat, and put themselves in great peril to acquire it. The Squire Trelawney, the good Doctor, and Jim really have no cause to go in the search of the fortune that they did not earn or place where it rest. Wealth, whether found, earned, or inherited does not automatically speak well of the owner. The test of one’s character should be more than economical success.
The story “Sonny’s Blues” By James Baldwin is about a jazz musician and his brother in 1950’s Harlem. The story centers on Sonny who uses jazz music as an escape from his depression. James Baldwin captures the art of jazz during this time period. The themes in this short story are perhaps varied, but all of them revolve around some form of suffering. One theme shows how music can promote change and understanding within relationships. A second theme reveals suffering caused by guilt. Yet another theme references the results of suffering brought about by searching for ones’ identity and how that leads to misunderstanding. There are also subthemes concerning racism and poverty.
There are numerous works of literature that recount a story- a story from which inspiration flourishes, providing a source of liberating motivation to its audience, or a story that simply aspires to touch the hearts and souls of all of those who read it. One of the most prevalent themes in historical types of these kinds of literature is racism. In America specifically, African Americans endured racism heavily, especially in the South, and did not gain equal rights until the 1960s. In her renowned book The Color Purple, Alice Walker narrates the journey of an African American woman, Celie Johnson (Harris), who experiences racism, sexism, and enduring hardships throughout the course of her life; nonetheless, through the help of friends and family, she is able to overcome her obstacles and grow into a stronger, more self-assured individual. While there are numerous themes transpiring throughout the course of the novel, the symbolism is one of the strongest prospects for instigating the plot. In The Color Purple by Alice Walker, numerous symbols influence and drive the plot of the novel.