Brown university Quote by Jeffrey Eugenides
““Early June, Providence, Rhode Island, the sun up for almost two hours already, lighting up the pale bay and the smokestacks of the Narragansett Electric factory, rising like the sun on the Brown University seal emblazoned on all the pennants and banners draped up over campus, a sun with a sagacious face, representing knowledge. But this sun--the one over Providence--was doing the metaphorical sun one better, because the founders of the university, in their Baptist pessimism, had chosen to depict the light of knowledge enshrouded by clouds, indicating that ignorance had not yet been dispelled from the human realm, whereas the actual sun was just now fighting its way through cloud cover, sending down splintered beams of light and giving hope to the squadrons of parents, who'd been soaked and frozen all weekend, that the unseasonable weather might not ruin the day's activities.””
About This Quote
The sun breaking through clouds over Providence symbolizes hope and knowledge emerging despite challenges.
In simple terms: Sun breaking through clouds represents hope and knowledge.
Key Takeaway
Seek light in difficult times.
Themes
hope
knowledge
light
challenge
nature
Mood
inspirational
thoughtful
Type
descriptive
philosophical
When to use this quote
- college campus
- early summer
- weather
- academic life
Key Concepts
metaphor
symbolism
environmental perception
Questions to Reflect On
- What does light symbolize for you?
- How do you find hope in cloudy moments?
A Different Perspective
Interpretation may be overly poetic for some readers.
![“Sometime in my second year at Brown [University], I took an acting class. And the lightbulb went off for me. I fell in love with it. I realized that everything I was afraid of about myself, all my fears, could be used in that world.” quote by Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0e5/tracee-ellis-ross-8946_acting_sometime-in-my-second-year-at-brown-univ_1692644.jpg)
