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A Raisin In The Sun Beneatha Monologue

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In the play A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha (Bennie) Younger is a fiery young woman, aspiring doctor, anti-assimilationist, sister of Walter Lee Younger, sister-in-law of Ruth Younger, and daughter to Lena Younger. Her views about the world during the 20th century are extremely modern compared to those she’s surrounded by at the time. This monologue was written to showcase Beneatha’s distaste for George’s treatment of her, her feisty attitude, her belief in the power of women, her love of African tradition, and her desire to become a doctor. Beneatha and George, from the very beginning of their faux relationship, experience a conflict of interest. Before this monologue begins, Beneatha has just gotten back from a date …show more content…

She wistfully begins imagining a life as Mrs. Murchison where she “could be just like Ruth,” and do small jobs while her husband earns the majority of the income for the family. She asks George, “Do you believe that I could remain sane as a housewife?”, but this question is intended to be rhetorical. Bennie slowly returns to reality in her last line when she remembers that she’d be “wishing [she’d] pursued [her] dream,” and that she’d be looking into George’s “hungry eyes” day after day. This section of the monologue creates an argument for why the two are so incompatible, and shows Beneatha’s dependence on herself and her …show more content…

She tells him “I’m going to be a successful doctor one day. Nothing you can say will change that.” A black woman becoming a doctor at the time is unheard of, but Bennie is determined to finish medical school and begin practicing. This determination reinstates her motivations as a black woman to break out of the stereotypes set for her. She concludes her statement by telling him to change his attitude, and learn a lesson about objectification, but states that she won’t be around if he does, meaning, George and she will no longer be going on dates. Beneatha is powerful for turning down George, an educated man with a much richer family than hers, but she is progressive for choosing her happiness over wealth. Beneatha Younger is a dynamic character with a personality fit for the twenty-first century. This monologue embodies her spirit as an opponent of stereotypes set for her, and her denial of assimilation. She clearly knows what she wants and how she’s going to get it, and this conversation with George is another step on her path to becoming a successful

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The play by Lorraine Hansberry , A Raisin In The Sun, utilizes the use of allusions in order to supply the reader with historical background. Allusions create emphasis in the play, this allows the reader to understand and appreciate the text. Within the small details of the play, the use of allusions deepen the contextual support of the text. While reading A Raisin In The Sun, various allusions appear throughout the play. These allusions reference the outside world, but also give emphasis on the importance of the piece of the text references.

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Beneatha’s money too?” (29) after she finds out he just blew all of the money. This quote emphasises the discomfort and pure shock and disappointment of Mama at losing all of the money. Mama also cries in the play, "You mean your sister 's school money, you used that too?" (29) revealing her discomfort and despair in this quote shows just how upset that she is that Walter has gone and blown all of Beneatha’s money that was going to be her future on his little gamble.

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919 Words | 4 Pages

George thinks men should be smarter than women. George also makes fun of Beneatha’s heritage, by saying “ Let's face it, baby, your heritage is nothing but a bunch of raggedy-assed spirituals and some grass huts!” (1571). Even though George is also this heritage, he thinks he’s better than them because he is rich. Thi changes Beneatha by showing that George is wrong and Asgia is the guy for her.

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600 Words | 3 Pages

Beneatha is the most educated person in the family. Her dream is to medical school and become a doctor. Beneatha almost gives up her dream of becoming a doctor when Walter lose her money but Asagai offers for her to go be a doctor in Africa. Another dream she has is to have her cultural identity and be a part of the African heritage. Much of her desire to express her African heritage comes from Asagai who says she is assimilated and acts white.

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921 Words | 4 Pages

Walter uses his male privilege to put Beneatha down. Beneatha battles being underprivileged at home and in society by defying odds and choosing her own path. According to the matrix of domination, Beneatha being an African American woman shows that in order for her to have full privilege she has to deal with both the isms. The social construction of difference has produced racism and sexism and connected them and society has used them to justify

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Beneatha wants to study to become a doctor, but instead Walter Lee wants to spend his family’s insurance money so he can open a liquor store with Willy and Bobo his friends and be a man. Since Walter Lee and his family were in a bad position and were very poor it was Walter Younger’s responsibility to keep the family together and he saw this a very big responsibility. He frequently complained about being a chauffeur and ridding rich people, every day when he woke up in the morning. He would always fight with his wife Ruth, Mama and his sister Beneatha. For instance (Hansberry 32-34) he says to Ruth his wife “You tired, ain’t you?

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921 Words | 4 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun follows the struggles of an African American family living in a neighborhood in 1950s South Side Chicago. The play discusses several issues pertaining to African Americans of the time, such as poverty and discrimination. One of the major themes of the story is the search for a sense of belonging; whether that’s a sense of belonging to the continent of Africa, a neighborhood in Chicago, or on a personal level within the Younger family. The play explores this theme through its characters Beneatha, Mama and Walter.

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All of the things that make Asagai’s relationship with Beneatha healthy, come from his upbringing; his upbringing that was lesser than George’s. Beneatha’s relationship with Joseph Asagai is healthier than Beneatha’s relationship with George Murchison because Asagai has a more positive view on the world. One key to a healthy relationship is having positive conversations ("MindPerk RSS"). In Act three, when Asagai comes

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910 Words | 4 Pages

She puts a lot of effort and time in trying to get an education for herself and learn how to be her own person. Beneatha does not want to be with George because she feels that she will not be able to fulfill her dream of being a doctor. For example, “But if the Younger’s are sitting around waiting to see if their little Bennie is going to tie up the family with the Murchisons, they are wasting their time” (Hansberry31).Beneatha wants to be a hardworking woman and this connects to the American Dream because hard work is a big component of achieving what you want. Also, she does not want George Murchison stopping her from being a hard-working woman. She does everything by herself and puts her hard work into everything she does.

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Beneatha also faced a hardship in her life, but herr 's was different from the rest. She face problems with education. Her family did not fully support her decision of wanting to become a doctor. Beneatha wants to become a doctor but her family is not that wealthy.

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963 Words | 4 Pages

Ruth exclaims, “Lena, no! We gotta go. Bennie—tell her…. Tell her we can still move… he notes ain’t but a hundred and twenty-five a month. We got four grown people in this house—we can work…” (609).

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909 Words | 4 Pages

In the movie, she happens to be a little bit weaker with her speech. In the beginning of the movie, they cut many of Beneatha’s comebacks to Walter. For instance, “Biology, you gotta love it, I dissected something that looked like you yesterday.” All in all, this quote shows that in the 1950s Beneatha is one tough person to talk to someone that

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1502 Words | 7 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women establish their rights to fulfil their individual dreams which diverge from traditional conventions of that time. Beneatha Younger, Lena Younger (Mama) and Ruth Younger are the three primary characters displaying evidences of feminism in the play. Moreover, Hansberry creates male characters who demonstrate oppressive attitudes towards women yet enhance the feminist ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, the play encourages women to develop an identity for themselves, particularly through education and career.

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779 Words | 4 Pages

The family starts to tear apart as Walter decides to sell the house to Mr. Lindner and take the check. Mama and Beneatha try to explain to Walter that their family, through generations, would have never thought about taking money in hard times. Beneatha then begins saying that their dream of moving to a new house is now dead, which Walter replies, “What’s the matter with you all! I didn’t make this world. It was give to me this way!

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Beneatha’s quest to find her identity is a prominent theme throughout Act

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