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Gender Stereotypes In Beneatha

1088 Words5 Pages

Gender stereotype, or the over-generalization about the characteristics of an entire group based on gender, is evident in any culture or community, no matter how much gender equality is promoted. Brought on by centuries of tradition, it had become a pre-established belief that women were inferior to men, in that the dominance of men was already considered to be a norm of society. Though women in the past were responsible for household chores and raising children, a new age called for new ideals and a need for change in the attitude towards women. In the Southside of Chicago in the mid 1950’s, the members of the Younger family act as a prime example in portraying the difficulties associated with going against conventional expectations. The two prominent female characters …show more content…

I’m not worried about who I’m going to marry yet- if I ever get married” (Hansberry, 21). The use of “if” in her sentence points to the fact that marriage isn’t something that she wants to commit to, and that she aspires to be a woman that is independent from a man, and not tied to the household. Beneatha’s drastic difference in ideals represents the new face of America as more women, regardless of race and social class stood up for what they were passionate in, ignoring the stereotypes set out for them.
The appearance of both characters in A Raisin In the Sun help to display the dissimilarity of thought between the two, and the difference in their lifestyles. Though living under the same roof, each individual presents their own goals and aspirations as to who they want to become, making the characters in the Younger family diverse, holding various viewpoints on what a successful life is. Throughout the play, Ruth and Beneatha act as foil characters and highlight the two distinct ways in which they reinforce and challenge the strict gender roles present during Chicago in the late

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Sexism In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

664 Words | 3 Pages

“A Raisin in the Sun “ by Lorraine Hansberry is story about many family disappointments and In the story Lena (Mama) get $10,000 dollars insurance for her husband death .For Beneatha and ,Walter and Lena have their desires to do something with the money. Beneatha dream is to become a doctor and hope for Lena(mama) to help her pay for medical school and Walter Lee dream is to open a liquor store with partnership with his friends as for Lena (mama) hopes to finance a home where they have space to live decently and Travis can play outside also Lena(mama) can finally grow a garden. In “A Raisin in the Sun“ by Lorraine Hansberry shows many examples about sexism in the 1950’s ,Beneatha and Walter represent many of the stereotypes shown of a female and male roles .Above all as times have progress will still see sexism for example the wage gap in sport between a female athlete and male athletes .

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Resilience In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

587 Words | 3 Pages

She was not like other young women that would be housewives or maids at her age but instead is independent. Looking after herself and making more of a life for herself, she attends school, tries to play guitar, and looks for a love interest. This breaks the stereotype of a “normal” woman who is a housewife or maid and shows Beneatha is different. Therefore, Beneatha overcomes this criticism of her “unnatural ways”, and proceeds to make her life successful.

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Raisin In The Sun Character

942 Words | 4 Pages

In Lorraine Hansberry’s play,” A Raisin in the Sun” Beneatha Younger has great dreams for her future, but there are issues such as, race, education, and gender that stand in the way. Beneatha’s dreams of finding who she really is and becoming a doctor are affected by her gender in the play. Walter says to Beneatha,“I'm interested in you. Something wrong with that?

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I Have A Dream And Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

1064 Words | 5 Pages

Dreams are a common thing in society that hold and bond people together. Hope is in many aspects of our life as well, and fuel many of the wishes Americans possess. From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's famous “I Have a Dream” speech, to Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun play, we find that accomplishing these dreams and goals is something that takes courage or passion. Throughout these two pieces of literature, equality, racism, dreams, and hope are common themes. We can find that real human beings and simple characters share the desire of freedom, and strive for better opportunities in life.

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Examples Of Deferred Dreams In A Raisin In The Sun

934 Words | 4 Pages

The Deferred Dreams of the !950’s In Lorraine Hansberry 's play, A Raisin in the Sun, the characters of Mama, Walter, and Beneatha face several obstacles and hardships that refrain the characters from being able to accomplish their dreams. They are faced with issues such as gender stereotyping, discriminatory housing , and racial prejudice. All of which lead to their deferred dreams. Throughout the story, the reader is given a visual of how all of these issues are relevant and how they affect each character.

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A Raisin In The Sun Beneatha's Identity

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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Beneatha's Dream

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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Throughout history, women fought for equal opportunity to build onto the infrastructure of America. Once the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920 giving women voting privileges, their rights increased substantially to present day. Although, one issue that has been pressed in current time, is the wage gap between genders. The noticeable income gap between men and women reflects stereotyping of women, and how America lessens women’s roles in various occupations. The ongoing issue with stereotyping women, partly stems from activities they did in the past, correlating into present time.

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Social Issues In A Raisin In The Sun

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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Patriarchy In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

679 Words | 3 Pages

Whereas Ruth adheres to patriarchal standards, Beneatha rebels against them. Hansberry contrasts Ruth and Beneatha to study how their adherence affects their personal and social well-beings. Through her play, she suggests that opposing the patriarchy leads to a more positive mindset and more stable relationships. In conforming to patriarchal norms, Ruth fulfills the roles of homemaker and wife. In the first scene of the play, Ruth makes breakfast and tells her son Travis, “Sit down and have your breakfast,” signifying that she has embraced her role as mother (Hansberry 490).

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A Raisin In The Sun Gender Roles Essay

848 Words | 4 Pages

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A Raisin In The Sun Feminist Analysis

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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A Raisin In The Sun Reflection Essay

707 Words | 3 Pages

Rebecca Parise Theatre 111 Professor LePine February 8 2017 Reflection Essay In order to make their plays stand out there are certain measures that playwrights tend to make. Lorraine Hansberry was very good at making not only her play, A Raisin in the Sun, standout, but she was also able to use diction and make this play into a beloved masterpiece.

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845 Words | 4 Pages

Just within the recent decades, men and women started to fight against the gender stereotypes and started to challenge their roles in a family and in the society. The play, A Raisin in the Sun, portrays the lives of African–Americans during the 1950s. Lorraine Hansberry, a writer and a social activist, reinforced the traditional gender roles, especially female’s, by depicting how the Youngers interact and how they act in an economical struggle. Throughout the play, A Raisin in the Sun, she uses Walter Lee Younger, Ruth Younger and Lena Younger to reinforce the traditional role of fathers, wives and mothers within a family.

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