Purple Hibiscus Figurines

In the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle is an important symbol to Jeannette and the rest of the Walls family. The Glass Castle represents hope to the children at a young age. Jeanette's dad loved telling stories to her when she was little “about the wondrous things he was going to do. Like build the Glass Castle” (Walls 25). In this case, the Glass Castle represents hope and luxury. The Walls are hoping for a life that is good and a luxurious bright future. Unfortunately, the family " 'never did build that Glass Castle"' (Walls 279). The Glass Castle represents something else at this point in the book, an unacheivable dream. Glass has the ability to shatter, this proves that Jeannette's father wanted something unattainable

Toys have proven to be a valuable symbol of childhood innocence across generations, regardless of gender. The color of toys were changed to create a link between the toy and the interest of a particular gender (i.e. pink for girls, blue for boys). In Peggy Orenstein's Cinderella Ate My Daughter, she expresses the claim that color associations for juvenile playthings have reversed since pre-twentieth century. During the course of two interviews, Orenstein's claims prove to be, for the most part, supported despite a large difference of age between my interviewees.

In “Lullabies for Little Criminals,” there are many small objects that are relevant to Baby’s life. Objects can have remarkably profound effects on a person’s life, whether they are of sentimental value or another form of personal meaning, they have an impact on us. An object can mean many things to different people. An abandoned doll in a trash bin could be seen as old and ugly to an average person, but to the person who originally owned the doll; it could have been particularly special. In the novel, Heather O’Neil illustrates the effects of such objects on Baby and their symbolic meaning. In “Lullabies for Little Criminals,” there are three objects that

Hopi Kachina dolls are effigies made of cottonwood that embody the characteristics of the ceremonial Kachina, the masked spirits of the Hopi Native American tribe. Kachina dolls are objects meant to be treasured and studied, in order to learn the characteristics of each Kachina. Inuit dolls are made out of soapstone and bone, materials common to the Inuit people. Many are clothed with animal fur or skin. Their clothing articulates the traditional style of dress necessary to survive cold winters, wind, and snow. The tea dolls of the Innu people were filled with tea for young girls to carry on long journeys. Apple dolls are traditional North American dolls with a head made from dried apples. In Inca mythology Sara Mama was the goddess of grain.

II. The doll symbolizes the clay toys the indigenous children received from their parents, reflecting their childhood; the exchange of gifts parallels my own childhood.

This is an example of Cisneros childhood and wanted the reader of this short story to understand that growing up with little wasn’t always the worst (Frever 126). While at the flea market the two young girls finally get what they wanted the most, they end up getting all the Barbies they ever could want. This occurs when a warehouse full of barbies burnt down and somewhere salvageable after. The two girls are incredibly excited about their “new dolls”. However, the dolls aren’t in the best condition. One the girls go on to say that they smelled like “smoke” and were “soaked” in water (Cite). The two girls are described by Cisneros in this situation as grateful for getting these “new” dolls (Cite) . Also she wanted the reader to understand and take in that society wants women to have a perfect body, clothes and hair, which is conveyed through the description of the dolls not being in the condition they were bought in. Cisneros wanted to demonstrate throughout “Barbie-Q” the ideal image of women in society. By exposing the fact of being materialistic and perfect like a Barbie doll isn’t how real young women are. Also by expressing the fact that everyone doesn’t grow up with lots of money and that women come in a

Children’s child play has become a form of an unrealistic world. Although, it is considered for children to begin creating a creative imagination, the mind fascinates children into toys. Some child’s play toys are not ideal for young children, like the one and only “Barbie”. Barbie has become a worldwide toy product for children all over the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole. These dolls have emerged from one ethnicity to another. In Ann DuCille, “Dyes and Dolls: Multicultural Barbie and the Merchandising of Differences” the author talks about the race and gender differences; found in Barbie. She argues; “Is Barbie bad?” her response, was “Barbie is just a piece of plastic” (459). In contrast, this piece of plastic is not just a piece of plastic to young girls; it is much more than that. A piece of plastic that little girls all over the world wish they could be. Even though, it is only a piece of plastic to adults that Barbie significantly means nothing to them. Growing up, I owned a couple of Barbie dolls. The tall, long blond hair, blue-eyed doll was my best friend and my “role model”. I wanted to become exactly like Barbie. As a child, I thought only beautiful people who looked liked Barbie signified beauty. To my little to no knowledge, I soon came to find out no one really looks like Barbie, except people who want to become like Barbie. In my adolescent years, no one taught me Barbie was “unreal”; no one taught me it was just a figure in my imagination.

The glass menagerie symbolizes Amanda Wingfield's overwhelming need to cling to her past and her fulfilled fear of being alone.  Amanda resents the poverty-stricken neighborhood in which she lives so

The novel Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a story of a young girl , who tries to find her own voice and speak out against her violent oppressive father. The novel is set in post-post-colonial Nigeria, in a time in which the government was run by a military dictatorship. There are a number of symbols used to help develop ideas in the text; the three most important ones being purple and red hibiscuses and Mama’s figurines. The red hibiscuses are symbolic of the violence in Kambili’s life while the purple hibiscuses symbolise freedom, defiance and the freedom to speak out. The figurines are symbolic of Mama’s quiet character and of the violence in her home. These symbols are there to show the

Objects can prove to be the cause of some of the most impactful features or events in someone’s life. “Once he finished work on the Prospector and we struck it rich, he’d start work on our Glass Castle.” (Walls 25). The Prospector was a symbol of aspiration, she wanted to have a more exciting and fulfilling life. Although it also represents lies and distrustfulness because her father never actually worked on the Prospector. Instead, he went out and got drunk. The Glass Castle is quite impactful in Jeannette’s life, it gave her hope for a better life. However it’s not just that, it’s confidence in her father. That he will provide for her and create a good life for her, despite the drinking and other horrible habits he has developed. Jeannette

As my 4 year old self laid upon the Kazak carpet that coated my entire living room, I seamlessly attempted to assemble my Matryoshka doll back into its original state. While my fingers lightly stroked the wooden components of the doll, I realized how captivating the complexity of it was. While I was a child, I invariably portrayed the doll as merely a “toy” with an interesting concept behind it; however, as I emerged into my adolescent years, I understood that the Matryoshka symbolized my process of growth and adaptation as an American immigrant.

Sandra Cisneros’s short story, “Barbie-Q”, describes the life of a young girl never identified by name and the less-fortunate life she and her family lead. The child explains how new toys are a rare find, but she loves Barbies. While entailing the family’s trip to the local flea market, she and her sister find Barbie dolls with water and smoke damaged. The main girl states the flaws of the Barbie, but counters with the positivity of having any dolls to play with. Through this struggle, however, the girl learns to cope with the gender roles and standards set by her peers and neighbors, particularly for women. Cisneros writes with these ideas in relation to her own childhood, motivated by the social standards of gender roles and body image in relation to the Barbie.

1) Five major issues explored in purple hibiscus are; domestic violence, oppression, religion, education and love.

Since she has a disability, Laura finds it hard to communicate with the outside world around her and secludes herself within her fantasies that center on her animal figurines and musical demos. While scolding her daughter for quitting business school, Amanda exclaims to Laura: “So what are we going to do the rest of our lives? Stay home and watch parades go by? Amuse ourselves with the glass menagerie, darling? Eternally play those worn-out phonograph records your father left as a painful reminder of him” (Williams 1637). Laura receives harsh

In the novel Purple Hibiscus, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a young woman named Kambili struggles to live under her father's extremist beliefs, causing her to be unable to break away from his rule. However, on a trip to Nuskka, she lives with her aunt who views life more open-mindedly, thus giving her a new perspective of life. At the beginning of the novel, Kambili is introverted and close-minded, while as the book progresses, she changes into a more open-minded and independent person.