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A Raisin In The Sun Beneatha Quotes

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In the play “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha is an empowered young woman whose dreams are more significant than life. Beneatha is not an actual name, but it still has a more profound significance. Hansberry creates this name to show society’s perception of Beneath in contrast to her perception of herself. Everyone around her wants to dim her light and make her more petite than she wants to be. Beneatha has had her mind set on being a doctor forever. The main issue is that no one believes that that will happen. They want her to follow the norm, but that is not who Beneatha is. GEORGE (Exasperated; rising) I know it and I don’t mind it sometimes ... I want you to cut it out, see The moody stuff, I mean. I don’t like it. …show more content…

(He flings the material about her for the moment and stands back to look at her) Ah—Oh-pay-gay-day, oh-gbah-mu-sha(Hansberry 1.2). In this quote, Joseph(aka Asagai) gives Beneatha all sorts of Nigerian gifts and educates her on what they are and how to use them. The name Joe is usually associated with every guy because it is the most generic name ever. Overall today’s societal view of the name Joseph contrasts with Joseph in the play because he is known for being unique from others. When thinking about famous people named Joseph, quite a few came to mind, but Joseph Biden is the one that came first. Joseph Biden is the 46th president of the United States. He is an asset to other lives because he leads this country. Secondly, Joseph goes by the name Asagai in the play. Hansberry did this to show a contrast between his first and last name. Countering the name Joe, Asagai is very cultural and reflects his personality. In the play, Asagai criticizes everyone for blending in and not embracing their culture, especially Beneatha, for how she wears her hair. BENEATHA. You know perfectly well how … as crinkly as yours … that’s how. ASAGAI And it is ugly to you that

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A person’s dreams and how they reach them can affect the path of their life. Beneatha Younger’s dreams, in Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, are no different. We can see how Beneatha’s dreams change throughout the play. In the beginning, Beneatha is confident, although she wants to understand who she is.

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589 Words | 3 Pages

Beneatha’s Experience With Sexism Women and Men are the two genders that society measures on what they should do and how they should behave. Women, particularly, have faced discrimination for the majority of the years including the present day. In the book, A Raisin in the Sun, Beneatha is described as a diligent and devoted college student, on the path to becoming a physician. Lorraine Hansberry portrays the sexism Beneatha encounters for wanting to become a doctor through her peers' disparaging comments.

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587 Words | 3 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun is an inspirational book/play that tells the overcoming story of an African-American family Going through the terrible struggles of Chicago in the 1950’s. Greg Kincaid once said “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That's the only way to keep the roads clear.”. This explains Beneatha younger, a young woman who tries to find herself while dealing with others scrutinizing and being treated like a child in her family. In conclusion, Beneatha younger is an overpowering character that is shaping her life through independence, an education, and growing closer to her

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No one ever stays the same forever. This is shown in Beneatha Younger in “A Raisin in the Sun”. Beneatha is a young black women, who faces challenges everyday. She is a students at a college and dreams to be a doctor but no one else seems to believe in her. This makes her try harder and makes her change the way she thinks.

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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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869 Words | 4 Pages

Beneatha cuts her hair early in the play, which leads Walter to make fun of her and say who ever heard of a colored woman going to college?" ( Act I, Scene II). Beneatha's hair is a representation of her willingness to follow her dreams and her defiance of traditional beauty standards. "I'm going to be a doctor, and everyone around here better understands it", she states to Asagai. (Act I, Scene II).

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Beneatha 's dream is to go to college and become a doctor. She wants to prove her family´s disbeliefs of her becoming a doctor wrong. Yet she feels defeated after her brother, Walter, goes out and gives away all of her college money to some man that ends up disappearing with the money. She faces challenges financially and faces backlash from her family.

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In other words, to become a doctor. Beneatha’s dream of helping others vanished after Walter loses all of the insurance money. While explaining the current situation to Asagai ,Beneatha describes herself as “nothing” (Hansberry 132).This shows that she has given up and “stopped caring” (Hansberry 133) about her dreams. At this moment, Beneatha feels very pessimistic because after her dream was taken away she feels as if there is nothing good left for her in life.

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George’s negative outlook is something that he received from his upbringing. When George puts down Beneatha’s interests and tells her that thinking is not required of her, he simultaneously shows that he is unhealthy in his relationship with Beneatha and that his unhealthiness comes from his upbringing. The unhealthiness comes from his upbringing because George, taught as a higher class, learned that it wasn’t necessary for his happiness, therefore he thinks that Beneatha does not need it

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Beneatha’s Dream People have dreams to do or be what makes them happy by setting goals to reach their dream. Dreams are almost like goals that people create in their mind to try to motivate them self to achieve their dream. The American Dream is the idea that everyone who is a U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to be successful and benefit through their hard-work, determination, and initiative. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Beneatha Younger’s dream is to become a doctor and build a career/life for herself without anyone providing for her which connects to the American Dream through her independence, hard-work, and determination.

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Beneatha doesn 't really believe them though, she thinks that they are against her she says “Forgive me for ever wanting to be anything at all” (Hansberry.37). She is saying that no one else in her family is ever going to be anything. She believe that she is the only one that is going to be successful. The rest of her family just has a low paying job and they don 't really make anything of them self. The real truth is that her family is working hard to put her through school so that she can make

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Hansberry’s character Beneatha, or Bennie, also experiences a similar link between pride and money too. Throughout the play, Bennie is seen dating 2 different men. One, George Murchison, is a very rich man. He’s shallow too, Beneatha mentions. She could easily be attracted to this man for his money.

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Her values regarding success are different from how she sees her identity, as she is more of the free spirit of the family in search of her identity. Beneatha does not share the same Christian values as Lena and the rest of her family and also want to look into her African roots. Early on in Hansberry’s story, it’s seen that Beneatha is always discovering new expensive hobbies, which include photography and horseback riding. Wealth is a means for Beneatha to discover who she is. Beneatha also wants to rely on money to help her succeed in society.

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She defies the ideal life for a woman and expresses her opinion loud and clear. Beneatha throughout the play finds herself and her African American roots. Walter does not approve of Beneatha’s hopes to become a doctor he tells her, “If you so crazy ‘bout messing ‘round with sick people---then go be a nurse like other women---or just get married and be quiet. . .” (1.1.125) These social issues that the characters faced in their lives made them out to be the people that they were meant to be.

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Beneatha dreams to be a doctor, which is a male-dominated profession. She says, “I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!” (Hansberry 33). This shows her feminist attitude in the play when Beneatha takes a largely optimistic stance when facing troubles of entering a male-dominated profession, implying that she is a ‘non-conformist’. Additionally, Beneatha refuses to “just get married and be quiet” (Hansberry 22), as her chauvinistic brother, Walter Lee, expects her to be.

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