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A Raisin In The Sun Literary Analysis

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As the american novelist Gertrude Stein once said, “Each generation has something different at which they are all looking”. Oftentimes the differences in one's point of view causes conflicts with another individual, due to the age in which the person was brought up in. In the play A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Mama, Walter, and Beneatha have many conflicts between one another due to their different views on each others dreams. Beneatha strives to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor, while Walter wants to earn money and be able to provide for his family. On the other hand, Mama was raised during a time of prevalent racism and virtually no opportunity; therefore, she is unable to understand her children's dreams. Furthermore, Walter and Beneatha, and her daughter in law, …show more content…

Asagai encourages Beneatha to embrace her African culture; consequently, Beneatha cuts her hair to look more natural and to bring out her heritage. When George and Beneatha are talking, Beneatha becomes enraged when she hears that George thinks that she should “forget the atmosphere” because he wants a “simple sophisticated girl… not a poet” (96). Beneatha wants someone who allows her to be herself, not a woman who was chosen being married by her looks. On the other hand, Mama wants her to marry George because he is rich and can assure that Beneatha will be well taken care of. When Beneatha expresses with her concerns with George, Mama disagrees with her and establishes that she shouldn't “dislike people [be]cause they [are] well off” (50). Since Mama is from an older generation than Beneatha, she wants her daughter to be taken well care of in a family that can provide. Beneatha's views differ because she has newer thoughts due to her upbringing in a more recent generation. These opposing views between Beneatha and Mama create conflicts in the

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Beneatha is a confident person and she wants to figure out and explore who she is. While arguing with Mama and Ruth about marriage and her future, Beneatha says, “I am going to be a doctor and everybody around here better understand that!” (50). During the argument Beneatha is very assertive of her beliefs and what she wants to do. She is very adamant that she wants to be a doctor

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He respect his mother and father, but mostly fear his father. Even though he fears his dad, he still tries to protect his mom from his dad when he tries to hurt her. When his dad was about to hurt her, he forgot all his fear and tries to stop his dad. For Beneatha, She always tries to do new things everyday and she was the only promising person for her future in her family. But because she was a colored person, she would have a rough time through her life to become a doctor.

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732 Words | 3 Pages

In the story, Mama puts Walter in charge of handling the Life Insurance which turns out to be a big mistake. This action makes Beneatha very unhappy, and although Mama expresses anger at Walter, she can be blamed for not handling the situation herself. The negative effect of this decision is shown through the character of Beneatha, who cries and complains to her boyfriend Asagai. “Too many things --” she says, “too many things have happened today. I must sit down and think.”

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850 Words | 4 Pages

All societies have their own problems. These can be things such as sibling rivalries, problems with people blending in, poverty, and sexism. Just as in the Younger family in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, these issues are common in many households even in our own society today. Despite the time period that the play is set in, these issues are present in today’s society.

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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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614 Words | 3 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play which contains many different obstacles that the characters face. One character, Beneatha, faces an obstacle that is out of her control. This obstacle is gender inequality. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, gender inequality is experienced by Beneatha and reflects the struggles women faced in the 1950s. One of the issues that Beneatha faces in the play is her relationships with two men in her life, George Murchison and Joseph Asagai.

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878 Words | 4 Pages

, But are consistently being differed. Lena Younger, otherwise known as, “Mama” is Walter and Beneatha’s mother and the head of the household. With her deceased husbands ten thousand dollar insurance check Lena bought a three thousand-dollar house with a garden where her family would be happy and hopes to save the rest of the money for Beneatha’s medical school. Lena’s dream, “ Festers like a sore” and is the only dream that somewhat comes true.

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1686 Words | 7 Pages

The 1950s were oppressive and degrading towards the culture and identity of African Americans. This principle is especially personified through the drama, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry. As a black female author in this time period, she was easily able to capture the racism and forced stereotypes poignant within the lives of the minorities. Beneatha, a fictional character in the play, represents the ambitious and suppressed black female intellectual who is stripped of her identity at every turn. The men in her life are as different as black and white, and in essence that is what they are.

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In A Raisin in the Sun, a play written by Lorraine Hansberry, the audience was able to obtain a sense of the struggle for the American dream. We are introduced to the Youngerś a black family living in the Southside of Chicago around the 1950’s. Each member of this family has their own meaning to what is the American dream. A Raisin in the Sun teaches us that even though life might be full of conflicts, it is important to not give up on our dreams.

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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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1127 Words | 5 Pages

Hardships of the Youngers In Lorraine Hansberry’s play A Raisin in the Sun, the characters of Mama, Walter ,and Beneatha are faced with hardships associated with their dreams being destroyed by discriminatory housing,racial inequality and lack of support from her family towards her education. In the play all the characters have some kind of dream. Mama wants to get a house for the family, Walter wants to have money to provide for his family and plans to do that with a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to become a doctor. Beneatha is going to school and at the same time she’s trying to discover herself,but her family is not supportive of this.

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1031 Words | 5 Pages

Beneatha was a young African American girl who wanted to go to college and started off as a somewhat standoffish character not wanting to accept her fate as being in the ghetto. Beneatha was portrayed correctly as a black woman. Beneatha was independent strong-willed strong-minded opinionated and was not easily persuaded. Beneatha was headstrong in how she felt she should be represented and presented towards man of all shades. Beneatha couldn't come to find herself in a relationship with a man who not her equal instance and instead of hold her tongue

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816 Words | 4 Pages

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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1499 Words | 6 Pages

Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun presents the rise of feminism in America in the 1960s. 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 feministic ideology in the play. A Raisin in the Sun is feminist because, with the feminist notions displayed in the play, women can fulfil their individual dreams that are not in sync with traditional conventions of that time.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

In Act 1, Beneatha’s quest to find her personal identity is seen in the way she expresses herself, her ambitions, her roots and the way she deviates from what is acceptable in her family. She tries to find ways to express herself such as trying different hobbies. In the past, Beneatha has been a part of a play-acting group, horseback-riding club, and in Act 1 starts guitar lessons (47). She also has the ambition to become a doctor which is looked down upon by her brother, Walter Lee (38). Additionally, her African roots are important to her search for identity.

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